Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion Give ‘Bongos’ Its Live Debut at VMAs

Thania Garcia

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion delivered the first performance of their latest joint single “Bongos” at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards on Tuesday.

The show-stopping performance started with a glimmering entrance from Cardi who dropped down to the stage from atop a diamond ball. The pair of hitmakers were surrounded by a sea of background dancers as they went through their choreographed routine clad in sparkly blue outfits.

More from Variety

Cardi and Megan took turns firing through their snappy verses over the bumping bassline and jointly rapped through the chorus: ”I’ma throw it back like it’s Thursday / I got cake, I’m lit, it’s my birthday.”

Much of the performance fell in line with the tropical-themed, Tanu Muino-directed music video for “Bongos,” which was released on Sept. 7. It has since amassed over 10 million views on YouTube. The Latin-infused beats of “Bongos” were met with colorful visuals of both Cardi and Megan relaxing by the beach in over-the-top accessories and custom outfits. In a recent interview for Angela Yee’s “Way Up” show, Cardi revealed that the lavish video cost her upwards of $2 million to produce.

While Cardi was nominated in the best hip-hop category for her and GloRilla’s “Tomorrow 2,” Megan is nominated in three categories for art direction, direction, and choreography of her song “Her.” The track was released as part of Megan’s 2022 sophomore effort, “Traumazine,” which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and boasted radio hits “Sweetest Pie” with Dua Lipa and “Pressurelicious” featuring Future.

“Bongos” is Megan’s first release since “Traumazine,” and serves as the de facto follow-up to Cardi and Megan’s massive, 2020 collaboration “WAP.”

Cardi B’s last full-length album was “Invasion of Privacy,” a 2018 release, but in a recent interview with Vogue Mexico, she said she was going to start releasing solo music after having notched such successful collaborations as “WAP” and “Bongos.”

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.

Advertisement