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Is Patti LaBelle's 'Lady Marmalade' the 'original WAP'? Verzuz fans can't get over its sexually suggestive lyrics

Younger fans, who never heard Patty LaBelle's 'Lady Marmalade' but definitely know Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion's 'WAP', were quick to point out the similarities

The Verzuz rap battle between Gladys Knight and Patti Labelle has given fans a number of talking points. Be it the singers calling out Brandy and Monica for their on-again-off-again feud and asking them to "work it out" or singing some of their most iconic songs from 'Midnight Train to Georgia' to 'If Only You Knew'. But, one moment that caught the viewers' attention, is when Patti performed her track 'Lady Marmalade'.

Some users were quick to point out the suggestive nature of the track's lyrics and the sensuality bubbling underneath its smooth, soulful texture. The younger fans, who had never heard 'Lady Marmalade' but definitely know Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's Billboard Hot 100 number one hit 'WAP', were quick to point out the similarities between the two. One fan, who was live streaming Verzuz, tweeted, "LADY MARMALADE WALKED SO WAP COULD RUN! #verzuzbattle," while another, talking along the same lines, said, "Lady Marmalade was the original WAP. #Verzuz." More fans noticed the similarities between the two tracks, as one pointed out, "Lady Marmalade was the WAP of yesterday," while another said, "Lady Marmalade...the original WAP. #verzuz"

Some, who heard the track for the first time, were more than just pleasantly surprised. One fan of Verzuz, confused after listening to 'Lady Marmalade', asked, "Isn’t Lady Marmalade like the WAP of their time? #verzuzbattle #Verzuz #verzuztv" while another, calling 'Lady Marmalade' the auntie version of WAP, wrote, "Lala said Lady Marmalade is the auntie version of wap... and I just..."

One more fan, defending the controversial track 'WAP', tweeted, "I know social media wasn’t a thing then , but if y’all mamas was singing Lady Marmalade by Patti Labelle , y’all had bigger problems than WAP by Cardi B and Megan."

Twitter was flooded with jokes about 'Lady Marmalade' being the 'WAP' of the older generations with one user tweeting, "Lady Marmalade said I got this WAP and need my coins. You coming or nah?" while another, putting 'Lady Marmalade' over 'WAP', said, "Lady Marmalade will always be way classier than WAP."

Some even pointed out how the criticism of 'WAP' is unfair and unnecessary as this one user who tweeted, "The older generation bashes WAP like Patti aint make Lady Marmalade #Verzuz," while another, making light of the subject, wrote, "Shoutout to whoever typed Lady Marmalade meant I got that WAP in French during the show."

Finally, talking about how deeply 'Lady Marmalade' impacted popular culture and shouldn't be compared to 'WAP', one user tweeted, "I really don't get the hype over WAP, apart from the hypersexual lyrics and visuals it's really not that special. It has nothing on Lady Marmalade, now THAT was a cultural reset!"

'Lady Marmalade' was originally written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan and became popular after being performed by Patti in 1974. 'Lady Marmalade' reached the number one spot on Billboard Hot 100, and also topped the Canadian singles chart.

'Lady Marmalade' has been covered many times over the years. It was covered by All Saints, whose version reached number one position on the UK Singles Chart. In 2001, Christina Aguilera, Mýa, Pink and Lil' Kim recorded their version of the track for the movie 'Moulin Rouge!'. The song stayed at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for 5 weeks, and also became a number-one hit in the UK.