Megan Thee Stallion's Coachella 'WAP' Performance Put Chinese Censors To Work
By Favour Adegoke on April 20, 2022 at 6:00 AM EDT
The "Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival" has returned with a big bang following a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19. As expected, the ongoing show has delivered several electrifying performances from singers such as Doja Cat, Billie Eilish, and Megan Thee Stallion, with the latter debuting her first-ever Coachella performance.
Along with the fun and thrills that came with the performances, Megan Thee Stallion's feature had a twist that had a far-reaching consequence. Its risqué nature wowed the fans who were at the event and caused problems for Chinese social media censors that tried to stop its illegal streaming within the country.
Read below for more details.
We Chat Censors Were Unable To Black Out The Risqué Scenes
https://twitter.com/manyapan/status/1515594597589819392?s=20&t=lSHqLKyvo_zR--A0Uw4xPQ
According to video online, Chinese internet monitoring censors had a hell of a day trying to black out parts of the Coachella events that were being streamed illegally online via We Chat. The Asian country is governed by highly moralistic internet censorship laws and only allows information that they judge appropriate for consumption to be shown on the internet.
While the censors were already having a tough job of blacking out inappropriate elements of the performances, Megan Thee Stallion's rendition of her renowned "WAP" song was the straw that broke the camel's back.
During her performance, the black bar controlled by the censors swung back and forth rapidly as its algorithm sought to decide what to hide from view.
In the end, it failed terribly in its task, unable to filter anything, owing to the various scenes and exposed bodies that violated the censorship regulations far more than the censors were accustomed to dealing with.
Users Typed And Translated The 'WAP' Lyrics In The Comment Section
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As if that wasn't enough, unauthorized streamers added to the censor's horror by penning out and translating the lyrics to "WAP" in the comment section for all to see. The same users used the comments to challenge the necessity of the censors and further alluded that the government needed to reduce its moralistic ideas that tended to portray its citizens as simple toddlers who need constant supervision.
Such western events as the Coachella performance are often barred from Chinese television and other media platforms. However, some ardent fans of celebrities use illicit techniques such as VPNs and other IP maskers to illegally watch major events, successfully circumventing country-wide censorship that has only gotten stiffer by the day.
Megan Thee Stallion Glammed Up For Her Debut Coachella Performance
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Apart from her singing and rap talents, Megan Thee Stallion is renowned for her risqué dress sense. The Coachella was no different, as the 27-year-old was fully glammed up to deliver her debut performance at the annual event.
She donned a Dolce & Gabbana silver outfit adorned with Swarovski crystals that exposed her curvy shape. Her dancers also dressed up in similar clothing, giving quite a sensual look.
The rapper also wore enormous curls fashioned by renowned hairdresser Kellon Deryck and long green nails that somehow blended in despite their contrasting color with her outfit and silver shoes. For her makeup, she had a sharp-extended eyeliner, a combination of metallic shadows adorning other parts of the eyes, and finished the look with a lip liner and pinkish nude lipstick.
Megan Thee Stallion Performed Her Hit Singles For Fans
In addition to "WAP," the Grammy winner sang "Body," "Savage," "Eat It," and "Wap," as well as her and Dua Lipa's new duet "Sweetest Pie," which debuted premiered in March 2022. Megan Thee Stallion also debuted a new song at the Coachella, a troll single dubbed "You's a Bitch," which she had previously teased on social media for her fans days before her appearance at the event.
The song, which mixed sounds from Jodeci and Wu-"Freak'n Tang's You Remix," looked to be directed at a past lover since she caveated at the start of the performance that it was "very motherf—ing personal" and addressed to "to whoever it may f— concern."
The "Savage" rapper will return next weekend for another enthralling performance alongside other bigwigs, including Billie Eilish and Harry Styles.
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