3 Sexy ’90s Rap Songs That Definitely Influenced Cardi and Megan Thee Stallion

When there’s a new phenomenon in pop culture, our knee-jerk reaction is to think that it came out of nowhere. Watching the salacious performances of rappers like Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion can feel akin to a comet shooting across the sky, and we’re all seeing it for the first time.

But the reality is that nothing happens in a vacuum. There is a lineage, a progression, a timeline, a cause and effect that brings about sensations like Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. For while each is stunning in their own right, they also have learned from history and grown their larger-than-life personas thanks to the influence of legends of the rap game who came before them.

Here, we wanted to take a look at three super sexy ’90s rap singles that helped to set the foundation for the bodacious “W.A.P.” performers.

“Crush On You” by Lil’ Kim from Hard Core (1996)

While this track from Lil’ Kim opens with the featured Lil’ Cease, when Kim hops on the beat, she makes her presence known and felt.

In the music video, she’s dressed in red and definitely showing enough skin to make Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion proud. And to open her verse, she spits: Aiyyo shorty, won’t you go get a bag of the lethal / I’ll be undressed in the bra all see through / Why you count your jewels thinkin’ I’mma cheat you? / The only one thing I wanna do is freak you.

“I Can’t” by Foxy Brown from Chyna Doll (1999)

There is a misconception among many that femininity is some sort of submissive trait. While anyone can be submissive, to be feminine is to be much more than deferential. And if you needed any proof of that, then look no further than Foxy Brown and her track, “I Can’t.”

She says it plainly, giving her listeners a lesson in power right from the top. She raps: He fooled you girl, p**** is power, let me school you girl / Don’t get up off it ’till he move you girl / And let no playin’ n**** rule your world and screw you girl.

You can almost see Cardi and Meg taking notes while listening.

“Can I Get A…” by Jay-Z from Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life (1998)

While this is a Jay-Z track, it’s the artist Amil who turns the most heads with her verse. When picking a partner—your proverbial ride or die—it’s important to find someone who can stand on their own two feet, provide for themselves, and light a spark in your libido. That’s exactly what the alluring Amil raps about here.

She talks about sex as a path to both connection and power—remind you of anyone?

Amil offers: You ain’t gotta be rich but fuck that
How we gonna get around on your bus pass / Before I put this p**** on your mustache / Can you afford me? My n****s breadwinners, never corny / Ambition makes me so horny.