Search for LIMS content across all our Wiki Knowledge Bases.
Type a search term to find related articles by LIMS subject matter experts gathered from the most trusted and dynamic collaboration tools in the laboratory informatics industry.
Megan Thee Stallion earned two number-one songs on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2020 with her single "Savage Remix" (featuring Beyoncé) and her collaboration with Cardi B on the single "WAP" which became an international hit.[12][13] Her single "Mamushi" went viral on TikTok in late 2024.[14]
Megan Jovon Ruth Pete born on February 15, 1995 in San Antonio, Texas, moved to Houston shortly after her birth with her mother, Holly Thomas.[3][4][5][20] Holly a rapper known as "Holly-Wood" often took young Megan to recording sessions instead of daycare.[5] Growing up Houston's South Park neighborhood and later Pearland, Megan began writing raps at age 14, and lived there until she was 18.[5][9][21] When she eventually showed her mother her rapping skills at age 18, Holly required that Megan wait until she was 21 to pursue rapping as a career.[7] Her mother commented that her lyrics were too sexually suggestive for her young age.[22] Megan attended Pearland High School graduating in 2013.[3][23] Her father died during her freshman year of high school.[3]
Megan adopted the stage name "Megan Thee Stallion" after she was called a "stallion" during her adolescence due to her height (5 ft 10 in (178 cm)) and "thicc" body frame; voluptuous, statuesque women in the southern United States are sometimes colloquially called "stallions".[3][7][8]
Career
2016–2017: Early beginnings
In 2016, Megan Thee Stallion released her debut single "Like a Stallion," followed by SoundCloud-exclusive mixtapes Rich Ratchet and Megan Mix in 2017. [27][28][29][30][31] That year she made her professional solo debut with the EP Make It Hot, which included the hit "Last Week in HTx" earning several million views on YouTube.[32][33] Additionally, she released the song "Stalli (Freestyle)", as a rework of late musician XXXTentacion's "Look at Me!".[21][32][34] Around this time, Megan auditioned for the since-postponed Love & Hip Hop: Houston.[35][36]
2018–2019: Tina Snow and Fever
Megan Thee Stallion in 2019
In early 2018, Megan Thee Stallion signed with 1501 Certified Entertainment, an independent Houston label run by T. Farris and owned by former baseball player Carl Crawford.[3][9] She was the first female rapper to join the label, and subsequently performed at SXSW Festival in March 2018.[37][38] In June 2018, she released the EP Tina Snow named after her alter ego, "Tina Snow", who she describes as "a more raw version" of herself.[7][37] The EP mainly produced by 1501's in-house producer LilJuMadeDaBeat, was positively received by critics with Eric Torres of Pitchfork highlighting its "quotable lyrics" and Nandi Howard of The Fader praising her rapid and precise rapping style.[9][39][40] In November 2018, Megan signed with 300 Entertainment, becoming the first woman on the label.[41] It was during this time that she was scheduled to support Australian rapper Iggy Azalea on her planned Bad Girls Tour; however, the tour was later cancelled due to low ticket sales.[42][43]
On January 22, 2019, Megan Thee Stallion released "Big Ole Freak" as a single from Tina Snow, which became her first Billboard Hot 100 chart entry, peaking at number 65.[44][37][45][46] Her mixtapeFever, released on May 17, 2019 receiving critical acclaim.[47][48][49] On May 21, 2019, she released the music video for the track "Realer", which was inspired by the blaxploitation film style.[50] On June 20, 2019, Megan was selected as one of eleven artists for the 12th edition of XXL's "Freshman Class".[51] Her freestyle in the cypher was praised by music critics.[52]
In January 2020, Megan Thee Stallion released the single "Diamonds" featuring singer Normani for the soundtrack of the superhero film Birds of Prey (2020).[63] That same month, she announced her debut album Suga and released the lead single "B.I.T.C.H.".[64][65] In February 2020, she featured on the single "Fkn Around" by Phony Ppl,[66] and appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, performing "B.I.T.C.H.".[67] The next month, she announced that her debut album's release was being delayed as a result of her attempts to renegotiate her contract with 1501 Certified.[68] That same month, the song "Savage", from the EP, went viral on TikTok, when popular user Keara Wilson used it for a dance challenge video, amassing 15.7 million views and 2.4 million likes, as of March 20, 2020.[69] A remix featuring Beyoncé was released on April 29, 2020.[70] The song became Megan Thee Stallion's first top 10 entry in the United States shortly after the remix's release,[71] eventually becoming her first chart topper in the country.[12] "Savage" also helped boost Suga's sales, propelling it up to number 7 on the Billboard 200.[72] She released the song "Girls in the Hood" on June 26, 2020,[73] before featuring on Cardi B's single "WAP" and appearing in its music video in August 2020.[74] "WAP" became her second number-one single in the U.S., breaking the record for the most streams for a song in its first week of release in the U.S. (93 million).[13]
On November 13, 2020, Megan Thee Stallion announced the upcoming release of her debut studio album, Good News, released on November 20, 2020.[92] The release of the album also coincided with its fourth single, "Body", with its accompanying music video.[93] "Body" was a commercial success and made her the first woman in history to achieve three number-one Streaming Songs in a single calendar year.[94]Good News debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, and at number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, with over 100,000 album-equivalent units sold.[95] On January 14, 2021, Megan Thee Stallion was featured on a remix of Ariana Grande's single "34+35", the second single from her sixth studio album Positions, alongside American singer and rapper Doja Cat.[96] A music video for the remix was later released on February 12, 2021. In June, she released the single "Thot Shit", with a music video featuring an hypocritical, socially conservative politician. Megan Thee Stallion took home the most awards at the 2021 BET Awards ceremony, with four nominations won.[15] Boy band BTS released a remix of the single "Butter" featuring Megan Thee Stallion, which reached number three on the Billboard Global 200.[97] She also led the nominations for the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards along with Cardi B, with nine categories each; both rappers won the most awards during that ceremony, including three for "WAP".[16] Megan Thee Stallion was featured on DJ Snake's single "SG", along with Ozuna and Lisa of Blackpink, released in October.[98] Megan released Something for Thee Hotties, a collection of previously unreleased songs and freestyles, on October 29, 2021.[99] The compilation album debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200, becoming Megan Thee Stallion's fourth top 10.[100]
On September 16, 2021, Post Malone announced the Posty Fest 2021 lineup, with Megan Thee Stallion as one of the performers at the festival based in Arlington, Texas, to be held that October.[101] Megan was honored as one of Glamour's Women of the Year in November.[102] Megan won three awards at the 2021 American Music Awards, tying with Doja Cat and BTS for the most wins that night.[17]
Megan Thee Stallion graduated from Texas Southern University on December 11, 2021. Shortly after, Megan was honored with the 18th Congressional District of Texas Hero Award by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee for her philanthropy efforts in Houston.[103]
2022–present: Traumazine, Hot Girl Productions, and Megan
In a Rolling Stone cover story, Megan revealed that she collaborated with Future for her upcoming second album on a song titled "Pressurelicious".[107] On August 11, 2022, Megan Thee Stallion took to Twitter to announce that her second studio album Traumazine would be released the next day.[108] It became the rapper's fifth US top-10 album.[109] After the low promotion of Traumazine by the label, Megan has started a second lawsuit, accepting an agreement with the breaking off of the relationship between the two parties.[110]
On September 4, 2023, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion announced their new single "Bongos".[111] On October 27, she announced a new single titled "Cobra", that released on November 2 from her third album.[112] This is her first independent single since departing from her record label 1501 Certified Entertainment in October 2023.
On February 2, 2024, Megan Thee Stallion signed a distribution deal with Warner Music.[113] On June 2, 2024, she announced with self-titled third studio album, Megan, which was released on June 28.[114] She has released three singles in anticipation of the album: "Cobra" on November 3, 2023,[115][116] "Hiss" on January 26, 2024,[117] and "Boa" on May 10, 2024.[118] "Hiss" reached number one on the Apple Music charts a day after its release, receiving widespread acclaim and media coverage involving multiple artists Megan has dissed in the song.[119][120][121] It also later debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the rapper's third No. 1 hit as well as her first solo number one.[122][123] After going viral on TikTok, the music video for the fourth single from the album, "Mamushi," was released on August 9, 2024.[124][125][14]
On September 5, 2024, the music video for Megan's single "Neva Play" featuring RM of BTS was released.[126] Megan Thee Stallion covered English rock band Queen's 1977 hit single "We Will Rock You" in a September 2024 Pepsitelevision advertisement;[127] on September 5, 2024, the song, sampling the original chorus, was released as a single. Queen are credited as co-lead artists.[128][129] On October 18, 2024, she announced a reissue of her album Megan, Megan: Act II, which was released on October 25, 2024.[130][131][132]
Artistry
Public image
Megan Thee Stallion is known for weaving her sexuality into her lyrics, videos, and live performances.[22] In an interview with Pitchfork she stated, "It's not just about being sexy, it's about being confident and me being confident in my sexuality."[133] Her Texas rap origins are an important part of her identiry, she told Rolling Stone, "I don't feel like we ever really had a female rapper come from Houston or Texas and shut shit down. So that's where I'm coming from."[22] She is often regarded as a sex symbol by the media.[134][135][136]
She has also been influenced by Beyoncé. In her Grammy Awards acceptance speech with Beyoncé for "Savage", she said: "Ever since I was little, I was like, 'you know what? One day, I'm gonna grow up and I'm gonna be like the rap Beyoncé.' That was definitely my goal. [..] I love her work ethic, I love the way she is, I love the way she carries herself."[140]
Alter egos
Megan uses alter egos to express different facets of her personality in music. "Tina Snow," one of her alter egos and also the name of her debut EP was influenced by Pimp C's alias Tony Snow. The ego has similar confidence and an unapologetically sexually dominant delivery.[22] "Hot Girl Meg" another alter ego embodies Megan's carefree and outgoing side, which she compares to a "college, party girl."[141][47] She first introduced "Hot Girl Meg" on her EP, Fever.[47] She has also referred to herself as "Thee Hood Tyra Banks."[142][143]
Trademarks
Megan Thee Stallion (shown in 2019) doing her signature ad-lib
"Hot Girl Summer": Megan originated the viral catchphrase "hot girl summer" on social media.[144][145][146][147] It is a derivative of another of her most-known catchphrases, "hot girl", also derived from "real hot girl shit". She first used the phrase in a tweet on April 14, 2018.[148] It later appeared on the Fever album cover, which read: "She's thee HOT GIRL and she's bringing THEE HEAT."[149] She defined the term as "women and men being unapologetically them, just having a good-ass time, hyping up their friends, doing you."[150] Megan officially trademarked the term "hot girl summer" in September 2019 after applying for it in July of that year.[151][152] A song of the same name was released on August 9, 2019.[153]
Signature Ad Lib: Megan is known for her signature ad-lib, which involves sticking her tongue out, creating a "creaky", audible "agh" or "blah" sound.[154][155][154][156]
Twitter Emoji: In August 2019, Twitter created an official emoji for this tongue symbol, which could be spawned directly after the hashtag "#MeganTheeStallion".[154] This symbol also inspired the cover art of her EP Suga which was revealed in March 2020.[157]
Other ventures
On July 30, 2024, Megan Thee Stallion and fellow rapper Quavo opened up for Vice President Kamala Harris’s first presidential campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia. Megan performed numerous censored versions of her hits at the event, and garnered backlash from viewers who deemed it inappropriate.[158][159][160]
Television and film
In 2020, Megan Thee Stallion appeared as a judge on the premiere season of HBO's ballroom and voguing competition series Legendary. She would continue appearing as a judge for the series' second season in 2021, before being replaced by Keke Palmer, in the third and final season, due to scheduling and contractual agreements. On December 16, 2021, she signed an exclusive first-look deal at Netflix, to create and executive produce new series and other projects.[161]
She contributed $15,400 worth of Thanksgiving turkeys and helped hand them out to 1,050 households in need at the Houston Food Bank portwall pantry, in November 2019.[169] In April 2020, she donated over $10,000 to bail relief effort for Houston protestors.[170] The same month, Megan teamed up with Amazon Music to donate to a Nursing Facility in Houston.[171] All the proceeds collected from her collaboration with Beyoncé on the Savage remix went to Bread of Life, which helps local Houston communities with Covid-19 relief efforts. The song raised over $2.5 million.[172]
In October 2020, she partnered with Amazon Music's rap rotation and launched the "Don't Stop" scholarship fund that awarded two women of color pursuing associate, bachelor or postgraduate degrees, $10,000 each.[173] In February 2021, she launched "Hotties Helping Houston" with US House Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, the National Association of Christian Churches disaster services, Taraji P. Henson, 300 Entertainment, Maroon 5, Revlon, Mielle Organics, Fashion Nova, and Billie Eilish to help senior citizens and single moms recovering from the area's storm related devastation.[174] In March 2021, she collaborated with Fashion Nova for the 'Women on Top" initiative, which would give away $1 million to support female-owned businesses and organizations.[175] The same month, along with Fashion Nova and journalist May Lee, they donated $50,000 after the Atlanta spa shootings to the legal non-profit, Advancing Justice Atlanta.
In June 2021, she offered a full tuition, four-year scholarship to the Roc Nation school of music, sports & entertainment at Long Island University.[176] In June 2021, she partnered with Cash App to make "Investing for Hotties" educational videos. This partnership also donated $1 million worth of stock to randomly-selected fans.[177]
In October 2021, as part of her wide-ranging agreement with Popeyes, she made a six-figure donation to the charitable organization Houston Random Acts of Kindness.[178]
On February 15, 2022, Megan Thee Stallion announced the launching of a nonprofit program, the Pete and Thomas Foundation, in honor of her late mother and father Holly Thomas and Joseph Pete Jr.[179] The foundation seeks to help underserved communities in Houston, Texas and beyond through education, housing, and health and wellness needs. On May 1, 2022, the Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner honored Megan for her philanthropic and humanitarian efforts for the Houston people by proclaiming May 2 Megan Thee Stallion Day in Houston, Texas. She received an honorary key to the City of Houston, a symbolic cowboy hat and belt buckle.[180]
BTS Army launched "Thee Army Fund" project, in collaboration with the "Hotties" which raised over $120,000 to donate to three different organizations: (Women for Afghan Women, Black Women of Wellness, and Houston Food Bank) in her name to congratulate her on the Butter (Remix).[181] As part of her ceremony to receive the key to the city of Houston, the non-profit Pete and Thomas Foundation donated $5,000 to three people in Houston to assist with their education, housing, and wellness expenses.[180]
Personal life
Megan Thee Stallion mentioned being part Creole in her songs "Cocky AF" and "Freak Nasty" as well as in a tweet in September 2017.[182][183][184] Her mother, Holly Thomas, died in March 2019 from a longstanding cancerous brain tumor, and Megan's grandmother died in the same month.[185][186][187] She mentioned her mother's death in her song "Flip Flop" from the album, Traumazine, released on August 12, 2022. In January 2024, fans of Nicki Minaj doxed the location of Holly Thomas's grave before Minaj's single "Big Foot" was released.[188][189][190]
Megan is a self-described fan of anime and her favorites are My Hero Academia and Naruto.[191] Manga artist Shōta Noguchi, who assists My Hero Academia creator Kōhei Horikoshi, has published several renditions of MHA character Rumi Usagiyama using Instagram photos of Megan Thee Stallion as reference. In turn, Megan Thee Stallion published photos of her 2022 Halloween costume of Usagiyama.[192] She has previously cosplayed as MHA character Shoto Todoroki and Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon.[193][194]
Megan Thee Stallion confirmed her relationship with fellow rapper Pardison Fontaine via Instagram Live on February 19, 2021.[195] The pair ended their relationship in 2023.[196] Megan Thee Stallion has been linked to Chicago Bulls star Torrey Craig and Soccer Player Romelu Lukaku.[197] Despite the speculation, Megan has not confirmed either relationship and remains publicly single.[197]
In addition to acting as her manager, Megan's grandmother was a major influence on her decision to study health administration and also helped foster her goal to establish assisted living facilities in her hometown of Houston.[133]
While she has never publicly stated a particular label for her sexuality, she has continually expressed interest in women through her music.[198]
On July 15, 2020, Megan Thee Stallion stated that she had suffered gunshot wounds, and that she had undergone surgery to remove the bullets. Her statement countered an earlier TMZ report that she had injured her foot on broken glass three days prior when she was in a car with rap and R&B musician Tory Lanez (Daystar Peterson) and an unidentified woman. The car was pulled over by police, and Lanez was arrested on gun charges following a vehicle search.[199][200][201]
On July 27, 2020, Megan revealed that she had been shot in both feet, and denounced rumors in an Instagram Live session where she tearfully recounted the shooting incident.[201][202] The following month, Megan claimed that Lanez was the person who shot her, saying, "I didn't tell the police what happened immediately right there because I didn't want to die."[203][204][205] In a statement to Variety, Megan's attorney, Alex Spiro, claimed Lanez's representatives had attempted to launch a "smear campaign", using falsified messages to "peddle a false narrative" discrediting Megan.[206] Lanez's team denied this, stating that they would investigate whoever was behind the fake emails, then would take appropriate action.[207] Megan later confirmed that she had been offered money by Lanez and his team to keep quiet on the incident.[208]
On October 8, 2020, Lanez was charged with shooting Megan Thee Stallion by Los Angeles County prosecutors. His arraignment was scheduled on October 13;[209][210] however, it was rescheduled for November 18 after Lanez's attorney requested a continuance. Megan was issued a protection order against Lanez, directing him to stay at least 100 yards (91 m) away from her, and to not contact her. He was also ordered to surrender any guns he owns.[211] In an op-ed for The New York Times, published on October 13, 2020, Megan addressed the shooting allegation further, writing, "Black women are still constantly disrespected and disregarded in so many areas of life. I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man. After a party, I was shot twice as I walked away from him. We were not in a relationship. Truthfully, I was shocked that I ended up in that place."[212][211]
In April 2022, Lanez was arrested for violating the protection order relating to the case; and he was released shortly after on an increased bond of $350,000.[213][214] On December 13, 2022, Megan Thee Stallion testified in Lanez's assault trial and stated that she "wish[ed Tory] would have just shot and killed me."[215][216] On December 23, 2022, a jury convicted Lanez on three felony charges stemming from the shooting: assault with a semiautomatic handgun, having a loaded and unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and gross negligence in discharging his firearm.[217] On August 8, 2023, Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the shooting.[218]
Legal disputes
In 2015, Megan was arrested on assault charges after an incident with her ex-boyfriend at SXSW. According to Megan, she found out her boyfriend had cheated and had a baby with another woman, and that when she confronted him about it, he started "pulling and pushing" her, and she started punching him. The charges against Megan were dismissed in April 2016 after her ex-boyfriend failed to appear in court.[219][220]
On October 30, 2024, Megan filed a lawsuit against blogger Milagro Cooper for alleged harassment and "churning out falsehoods" on behalf of Tory Lanez surrounding the his assault on her via firearm.[221][222]
In November 2024, Rapper Plies sued Megan, Glorilla, and Soulja Boy over his song "Me & My Goons" for sampling it while the track was still infringed on Soulja's "Pretty Swag Boy."[223][224]
Lawsuit and departure from 1501 Certified Entertainment
In 2020 Megan Thee Stallion filed suit against her record label 1501 Certified Entertainment to renegotiate her contract, after her management company Roc Nation found it "iffy".[225][226] She started the hashtag "#FreeTheeStallion" to raise awareness of the issue, noting that "[she did not] understand some of the verbiage" when she signed the initial contract with 1501.[227][228][229]
On March 6, 2020, she released the EP, Suga, against the wishes of 1501, after a judge granted a temporary restraining order against the label.[230][231]
When Megan published Something for Thee Hotties in 2021, the record label did not recognize it as an album, because it has 29 minutes of new material instead of 45, so the rapper would have to release two more albums in addition to Something.[232] On February 18, 2022, Megan filed suit against the label claiming that Something respects the definition of an album with at least 45 minutes of material.[226][233]
On August 12, 2022, the rapper published the second studio album Traumazine, writing with its announcement about the lawsuit, expressing her disappointment and emotional distress at the difficulty she is experiencing in releasing her music, but ending her message to fans with the phrase "we almost out".[234][235] The week after the album's release, the rapper filed a new complaint, seeking recognition of her performance under the contract, and also asking for $1 million in damages.[236] The label's law firm stated that Megan would be summoned for an in-person deposition in mid-October, and that a ruling would be issued by May 2023.[237] On October 19, 2023, attorneys for 1501 Certified Entertainment confirmed that "Megan Thee Stallion and 1501 Certified are pleased to announce that they have mutually reached a confidential settlement to resolve their legal differences, [...] As part of the arrangement, both parties have agreed to amicably part ways".[238]
Shortly after the legal proceedings ended, Megan founded the independent music and entertainment company Hot Girl Productions.[239] On February 2, 2024, Megan signed a distribution deal with Warner Music Group (WMG); her masters and publishing will be released through Hot Girl.[240][241][242]
^Megan Thee Stallion (October 13, 2020). "Why I Speak Up for Black Women". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
