Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion took inspiration from Copacabana-style revues for their performance of “Bongos” for the 2023 MTV VMAs. The set came in directly from commercial with nary an introduction in sight. However, the two feisty rappers didn’t really need one; Cardi and Meg wore matching blue and green bodysuits, surrounded by Carnival-themed dancers and palm trees, delivering a decidedly toned-down performance from their controversy-inducing “WAP” performances.
It’s not like they needed the controversy to fuel big streaming numbers for the dembow-influenced hit. After the success of “WAP,” the two rappers’ reunion was hotly anticipated by fans, and with Cardi spending over $2 million for the Malibu-shot music video, it’s already accumulated millions of views across platforms and will surely land somewhere in the top ten on next week’s Billboard Hot 100 chart.
After the song’s release, Megan praised Cardi for being consistently supportive over her troubled last couple of years. “This space that I’m in mentally, I’m not foolin’ with too many people that don’t give me good vibes, good energy,” she said. “I have creative boundaries. And Cardi is somebody that I want in my space, in my energy, so it’s so easy to work with her because she got the vibe, she got the energy, I want her in my space.”
Check out the duo’s performance above and follow more of Uproxx’s VMAs coverage here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .
