Songfacts®:

• Back in August 2020, Cardi B teamed up with Megan Thee Stallion for the summer sex banger "WAP." The song went to #1 on single charts worldwide and stirred up controversy for its explicit lyrics. Released on September 8, 2023 "Bongos" marks the first time that the two have joined forces since their global hit.
• The title comes from Megan Thee Stallion's rapped line, "My back shots sound like bongos." It's her way of saying when she's twerking, her booty's clapping like bongos.
• Throughout the hot-girl anthem, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are all about empowerment, money, and taking charge of their own bodies and desires. They flaunt their success and independence, and just like on "WAP," they're the ones in control.
• When Cardi B announced she was linking up again with Megan, fans started whispering it would be a "WAP Part 2" and might even out-raunch their 2020 smash. But Cardi B says "Bongos" isn't a straight sequel to their first collaboration.
  
  "I wonder how people are gonna react to this vibe because they're really like expecting 'WAP,' like, 'oh, here they go again talking this and that,'" Cardi told DJ Whoo Kid on his Whoo's House podcast. "We are talking a little, you know, about some p---y, but not like 'WAP' type of stuff."
• We Good, Breyan Isaac and DJ SwanQo's production has a Latin flavor with a minimalist vibe and a deep bass thumping through it. According to Cardi, there were suggestions they should take the Spanish route and feature a Latin singer or rapper, but Cardi knew Meg was the missing piece. "'I hear her on this, I know it,'" she said.
  
  Cardi went on to say she chopped up the verses Megan Thee Stallion sent her, also calling Megan her "work wife."
• The music video shows Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion flexing on the beach in vibrant, barely-there outfits and some over-the-top accessories. Cardi B described it as a "whole complete different type of theme" to the "WAP" visual, calling it "intricate" and "beautiful."
  
  Ukrainian director Tanu Muino (Lil Nas X, Lizzo, Harry Styles) shot the colorful, choreo-heavy video.
• Cardi and Megan teamed up to perform this song at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2023. Megan's "Her" was nominated for three awards and Cardi's GloRilla collaboration "Tomorrow 2" was up for Best Hip-Hop, but both came up empty.
• Megan Thee Stallion was excited when Cardi sent her the song because she'd never recorded over a beat like that before. "I never rapped to anything like that, and I felt like it was a challenge," she told Billboard. "I was like, 'Oh, this is something new. OK, girl, you want me to go to work today, I got you!'"