A bad wrap is an unappetizing sandwich made of fillings wrapped in a tortilla. A bad rap—otherwise known as a bum rap—is dishonor resulting from false accusations or trumped-up charges. No hyphen is needed in this noun phrase. These writers use bad rap correctly:
The 250 million cars and trucks on America’s roads get a bad rap for being environmentally unfriendly. [ABC]
For-profit colleges and universities have been getting a bad rap for the past several months for allegedly being diploma mills that provide little guarantee that their graduates will be employable once they finish their programs. [Diverse]
Despite this important role in our society, the media often receive a bad rap. They are often blamed for blowing things out of proportion and causing concern where some feel they shouldn’t. [Seacoast Online]
And these are incorrect (and kind of funny when you read them literally):
I think the guy’s genuinely talented and unfairly gets a bad wrap. [Collider]
Tom Bradley has gotten a bad wrap within the fanbase the past few seasons, stemming from the 2009 Rose Bowl when Mark Sanchez torched PSU for 400 yards. [The Buckeye Battle Cry]
