From the moment I heard Teyana Taylor’s “WTP” from her K.T.S.E. (Keep That Same Energy) album, I was in love.
It is my workout theme music, my walking-to-the-store theme music, and my simply-being theme music. I often judge music by how it makes me “see sounds.” If I can create a visual from it, I automatically love it. So naturally, I was itching for a music video for this single. I knew it would be full of color, sex, ferocity, and fashion.
Before the video, though, came the mess. It all started with gossip about Teyana and her hubby, NBA player Iman Shumpert.
For those out of the loop, here’s a quick and handy summary:
The whole thing started an entire argument about threesomes on Twitter, the (unfortunate) bulk of which included sexually unenlightened cretins who never considered the possibility that Teyana was not engaging in the stereotypical “let me have a threesome to please my man, I guess” trope, but might also be into pussy her damn self?
Anyway, Iman denied the whole thing and threatened bloggers who reported the fake news, specifically calling out BSO (Black Sports Online), whose tweet apparently popped off everything.
Teyana also debunked the whole story, noting her Instagram deletion had nothing to do with her love life and everything to do with frustrations with her label, Def Jam.
Never mind the hot mess, though, because it has all come to this. Yes, Teyana’s talented self has blessed us with over eight minutes of realness.
Giving you duck-walks and Leiomy drops from the houses of Extravaganza to Lanvin and beyond, the video is fully ensconced in ballroom culture in a way that fully gives the players a voice. The voice. Plus, the video is directed by Teyana, which is extra dope since I’m always here for a black woman auteur.
There’s a special treat at the end: A cameo by Lena Waithe, donning Versace to give us Princess Charming realness. Waithe is out here racking up comedy sketch credits, I see—and reminding me of her foray into Dear White People’s second season.
And not unlike Kanye’s “Fade” music video, there’s some Iman/Taylor action. In the bouncy booby room at the Museum of Sex. Oh, yes.
Where can we sign up for the House of Petunia, Mutha Teyana?
DISCUSSION
I am soooooo ready for a House Music revival. While she looked flawless in Fade, I never cared for it musically. This is her sweet spot.