Carole Baskin criticized Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's use of big cats in their 'WAP' video
Cardi B / YouTube / Carole Baskin
Carole Baskin has criticized Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's use of big cats in the music video for their new single, "WAP."
The former "Tiger King" star described the music video as "lurid," and warned that it risked "glamorizing" the idea of people owning big cats as pets.
Baskin added that the Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion "probably dealt with one of the big cat pimps" in order to get the animals for their video.
Caroline Baskin has criticized rappers Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion for using big cats in the music video for their new single, "WAP".
The Big Cat Rescue founder described the video as "lurid," and warned that the rappers risked glamorizing "the idea of rich people having tigers as pets."
The video, which dropped on Friday to much fanfare, features Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion performing in a magical mansion beside several exotic animals including both leopards and tigers.
The cats don't appear to have been on the set, and were likely filmed in front of a green screen and photoshopped in later, Baskin said in an interview with Billboard.
Baskin, the star of Netflix's hugely popular docuseries, "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness," added that the filming process would still have been bad for the animals and probably involved "big cat pimps."
"You have to pose a wildcat in front of a green screen to get that image and that doesn't happen in the wild," she said.
"It can't happen in sanctuaries like ours where cats have plenty of room to avoid a green screen (or would shred it if offered access and could die from ingesting it).
"That tells me they probably dealt with one of the big cat pimps, who makes a living from beating, shocking and starving cats to make them stand on cue in front of a green screen in a studio. That's never good for the cat."
Insider has reached out to representatives for Cardi B for comment.
In the past, Cardi B has expressed her love for "Tiger King," live-tweeting episodes, and she even jokingly said that she planned to create a GoFundMe campaign in order to free the main focus of the docuseries, Joe Exotic, from prison, where he is currently serving 22 years for the attempted murder of Baskin.
—iamcardib (@iamcardib) March 28, 2020
The rap duo's new video has also proved controversial with fans who are not happy with a short cameo from Kylie Jenner. The appearance of the reality TV star, who has often been accused of appropriating Black culture, and was recently criticized for going clubbing during the George Floyd protests, caught many fans off guard who described her cameo as unnecessary.
Watch the music video for "WAP" below:
Read more:
Cardi B said that she was nervous to meet Megan Thee Stallion before collaborating on 'WAP'
Cardi B wore a pair of $30 shoes with a vintage Chanel dress and a Birkin bag
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