Rapper Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, spoke out against Republican Representative Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin after he gave a one-minute speech on the House floor Thursday calling out the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for allowing the explicit performance of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s song at the 2021 Grammy Awards to air on broadcast television.
On the floor of the House, Grothman said, “John Adams said our Constitution is fit for a moral and religious people and is wholly inadequate to the government of every other — of any other.”
He continued, “The average American watches about 30 hours a week on broadcast TV and, of course, what starts on broadcast TV winds up on other screens, as well. The Federal Communications Commission is tasked with keeping obscene and indecent content off the airwaves. While there are some especially responsible parents who raise their children with no TV in the house at all, as a practical matter, broadcast TV affects the moral norms of the nation.”
Regarding Cardi B’s performance at the awards show, he said, “I have received complaints in my office — and rightfully so — about Cardi B and the Grammys. They wonder why we are paying the FCC if they feel that this should be in living rooms across the nation.”
“I realize that Kamala Harris has used her fame to promote this performer, but I assure the FCC that millions of Americans would view her performance as inconsistent with basic decency,” he continued.
“Wake up, FCC, and begin to do your job. The moral decline of America is partly due to your utter complacency.”
Cardi B spoke out against the congressman on Twitter, re-posting a clip of his speech and writing, “This gets me so mad ya don’t even know! I think we all been on the edge this week since we seen police brutality back to back including watching one of the biggest case in history go down DUE to police brutality but wait ! This is wat state representative decide to talk about[.]”
This gets me so mad ya don’t even know! I think we all been on the edge this week since we seen police brutality back to back including watching one of the biggest case in history go down DUE to police brutality but wait ! This is wat state representative decide to talk about 🤔 https://t.co/k2ZBn9gONA
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) April 22, 2021
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion performed their song “WAP” at the 2021 Grammy Awards for the first time as a duo after the song was certified 5x platinum. The performance was overwhelmingly sexual, complete with stripper poles and the two women grinding on one another.
The Daily Wire reported:
The song stirred significant controversy when it was first released, with an explicit music video accompanying lyrics such as “Wet-a** p**** make that pull-out game weak,” “Bring a bucket and a mop for this wet-a** p****,” and “I want you to park that big Mack truck right in this little garage.”
Variety described the performance as “jaw-dropping,” celebrating the song’s “message of sexual empowerment.”
Many conservatives spoke out against the performance, especially commenting on the media’s praise of the sexual nature of the show. The 2021 Grammy Awards show recorded a steep drop in viewership — with the broadcast only drawing 8.8 million total viewers across many platforms. As The Daily Wire reported, that “viewership was about half of the previous record-low audience of 16.9 million total viewers in 2006.”