Megan Thee Stallion | |
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.jpeg) Megan Thee Stallion in 2022 | |
| Born | Megan Jovon Ruth Pete February 15, 1995 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Other names |
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| Education | Texas Southern University (BS) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2016–present |
| Partner | Pardison Fontaine (2020–2023) |
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Discography | Megan Thee Stallion discography |
| Labels |
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| Website | megantheestallion |
Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (born February 15, 1995), known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion (pronounced "Megan the Stallion"),[a][1][2] is an American rapper. Originally from Houston, Texas, she first garnered attention when videos of her freestyling became popular on social media platforms such as Instagram. She signed with 1501 Certified Entertainment in 2018, and saw her mainstream breakthrough the following year with the release of her singles "Hot Girl Summer" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign and Nicki Minaj) and "Cash Shit" (featuring DaBaby); the former peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 while the latter received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "Cash Shit" was also included on her commercial mixtape Fever (2019), which was followed by her extended play Suga (2020)—both of which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard 200.
Megan Thee Stallion earned two number-one songs on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2020 with her single "Savage Remix" (featuring Beyoncé) and her guest appearance on Cardi B's single "WAP". The former won two Grammy Awards—Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song—while the latter became her first number-one song in several international markets, including the Billboard Global 200. Her debut studio album, Good News (2020), was met with critical and commercial success—reaching number two on the Billboard 200. It spawned the single "Body", which made her the first female act to release three number-one songs on the Streaming Songs chart within a year. Her compilation album, Something for Thee Hotties (2021) peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top 20 single "Thot Shit", which received a Grammy Award nomination. Her 2022 single, "Sweetest Pie" (with Dua Lipa) was met with similar success and preceded the release of her second album Traumazine (2022), which peaked at number four on the Billboard 200. Her 2024 single, "Hiss" became her first solo song to top the Billboard Hot 100 and made her the first lead female rapper to debut atop the Billboard Global 200 chart.
In July 2020, Megan Thee Stallion was shot in the foot by Canadian rapper Tory Lanez in the Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles. The shooting was a major thematic element of her debut album Good News. In December 2022, Lanez was convicted on all counts in relation to the attack on her. After the shooting trial and following a prolonged legal dispute with her record label, Megan Thee Stallion parted ways with 1501 and 300 Entertainment in 2023 in favor of a career as an independent artist.
Megan has received several accolades on her career, including six BET Awards, five BET Hip Hop Awards, four American Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, a Billboard Women in Music Award, and three Grammy Awards. At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, she became the second female rapper to win Best New Artist (after Lauryn Hill in 1999). In 2020, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most-influential people in the world on their annual list.
Megan Jovon Ruth Pete[3] was born on February 15, 1995,[4] in San Antonio, Texas; her mother, Holly Thomas,[5] immediately moved to Houston after her birth.[6] Thomas rapped under the name "Holly-Wood", and would bring her daughter with her to recording sessions instead of putting her in daycare.[5] Pete was raised in the South Park neighborhood of Houston[7] before moving with her mother to Pearland at age 14, where she lived until she turned 18.[5] Pete began writing raps at age 14.[8] When she eventually showed Thomas her rapping skills at age 18, Thomas required that Pete wait until she was 21 to pursue rapping as a career.[9] Her mother commented that her lyrics were too sexually suggestive for her young age.[10] Pete attended Pearland High School[3] and graduated in 2013.[11] Her father died during her freshman year of high school.[3]
In 2013, while Pete was a freshman at Prairie View A&M University, she began uploading videos of herself freestyling on social media.[7] A clip of Pete battling against male opponents in a "cypher" went viral. The exposure helped Pete gain a larger digital presence and following on social media.[7][8][9][12] She garnered fans by posting her freestyles on her Instagram while in college. She refers to her fans as "hotties" and credits her ‘hyperactive’ fan base for her early success.[13] After taking time off from school to pursue music, Pete returned home and resumed her studies at Texas Southern University. She graduated on December 11, 2021, with a Bachelor of Science in health administration.[9][14]
Pete adopted the stage name "Megan Thee Stallion" after she was called a "stallion" in adolescence due to her height (5 ft 10 in (178 cm))[9] and “thicc” body frame;[12] voluptuous, statuesque women in the Southern United States may be colloquially called "stallions”.[3]
In 2016, Megan Thee Stallion released her first single "Like a Stallion".[15][16] This was followed by the small SoundCloud-exclusive mixtapes Rich Ratchet later that year,[17] and Megan Mix in 2017.[18][19] In September 2017, Megan Thee Stallion made her professional solo debut with the commercially released EP Make It Hot.[20] The EP's 2017 single "Last Week in HTx" became her most successful single during this time, amassing several million views on YouTube.[20][21] In 2017, Megan Thee Stallion released the song "Stalli (Freestyle)", as a rework of late musician XXXTentacion's "Look at Me!".[8][20][22]
Around this time, Megan Thee Stallion auditioned to be a cast member on Love & Hip Hop: Houston;[23] however, the proposed spin-off of the Love & Hip Hop franchise was postponed indefinitely in June 2016.[24]
In early 2018, Megan Thee Stallion signed with 1501 Certified Entertainment, an independent label in Houston run by T. Farris[7] and owned by former baseball player Carl Crawford.[3] After becoming the first female rapper to be signed to the label,[25] she performed at SXSW Festival in March 2018.[26] In June that year, Megan Thee Stallion released a 10-song extended play titled Tina Snow under the label.[25] The EP was named after her alter ego, "Tina Snow", who she describes as "a more raw version" of herself.[9] Tina Snow was mainly produced by 1501 in-house producer LilJuMadeDaBeat, and was positively received by critics. Eric Torres of Pitchfork wrote: "she provided plenty of freak anthems with quotable lyrics to wield against ain't-shit men".[27] She stated in an interview with Mic that she is not afraid to talk about sexuality, nor does she feel boxed-in to either the "intelligent" or "freak" dichotomy.[28] Nandi Howard of The Fader referred to her ability to rap with "electrifying pace and precision".[7] In November 2018, Megan Thee Stallion announced that she had signed with 300 Entertainment, making her the first woman to be signed by the label.[29] It was during this time that she was scheduled to support Australian rapper Iggy Azalea on her planned Bad Girls Tour;[30] however, the tour was later cancelled due to low ticket sales.[31]
On January 22, 2019, Megan Thee Stallion released "Big Ole Freak" as a single from Tina Snow, also filming a music video for the track.[32] The single "Is It Love This Time" is sampled throughout the track.[25] On April 15, "Big Ole Freak" charted at number 99 on the Billboard Hot 100, effectively giving Megan Thee Stallion her first chart entry,[33] with it later peaking at number 65.[34] Fever, her second mixtape, was released on May 17, 2019.[35] The album received critical acclaim and landed on several year-end critic’s lists, with Paper calling it the best album of 2019.[36] Taylor Crumpton of Pitchfork rated the album 8/10 and wrote in a review, "Megan's delivery of perfectly executed bars are comparable to successions from a fully automatic machine gun; a carefully studied aim of fiery stanzas that could only be carried by a rapper with extensive knowledge of the genre's early practices of battle rap."[37] On May 21, 2019, she released the music video for the opening album track "Realer", which was inspired by the blaxploitation film style.[38] On June 20, 2019, she was announced as one of eleven artists included in the 12th edition of XXL's "Freshman Class".[39] Her freestyle in the cypher was praised by music critics.[40] In July 2019, Chance The Rapper released his debut studio album The Big Day, with Megan Thee Stallion featured on the track "Handsome".[41] On August 2, 2019, A Black Lady Sketch Show premiered on HBO; the show uses Megan Thee Stallion's song "Hot Girl" in the opening title sequence.[42][43]
On August 9, 2019, Megan Thee Stallion released the single "Hot Girl Summer", featuring fellow American rapper Nicki Minaj and singer Ty Dolla Sign.[44] The song, an ode to her viral "hot girl summer" meme, came about after an Instagram Live session between Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion.[44] It peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Megan Thee Stallion's first top 20 single,[45] and topped the Rolling Stone 100.[46] The week thereafter, she was featured on the Quality Control compilation album Quality Control: Control the Streets, Volume 2 on the track "Pastor" (alongside Quavo and City Girls).[47] In September 2019, Megan Thee Stallion signed a management deal with Roc Nation.[48] The following month, in October, she created and starred in a horror series for Halloween, Hottieween (directed by Teyana Taylor).[49] That same month, she performed her first NPR Tiny Desk Concert during the Tiny Desk Fest.[50][51] In November 2019, Time placed Megan Thee Stallion on their inaugural "Time 100 Next" list.[52]
In January 2020, Megan Thee Stallion released the single "Diamonds" (with singer Normani) for the soundtrack of the superhero film Birds of Prey (2020).[53] That same month, she announced her debut album Suga and released the lead single "B.I.T.C.H.".[54][55] In February 2020, she featured on the single "Fkn Around" by Phony Ppl,[56] and appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, performing "B.I.T.C.H.".[57] 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.[58] 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.[59] A remix featuring Beyoncé was released on April 29, 2020.[60] The song became Megan Thee Stallion's first top 10 entry in the United States shortly after the remix's release,[61] eventually becoming her first chart topper in the country.[62] "Savage" also helped boost Suga's sales, propelling it up to number 7 on the Billboard 200.[63] Proceeds from the song went to the Houston nonprofit Bread of Life which provides disaster relief for area residents affected by COVID-19.[64] Megan Thee Stallion was also a judge on the HBO Max voguing-ballroom competition show Legendary, premiering in May 2020.[65] She released the song "Girls in the Hood" on June 26, 2020,[66] before featuring on Cardi B's single "WAP" and appearing in its music video in August 2020.[67] "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).[68]
Megan Thee Stallion became a Global Brand Ambassador for Revlon in August 2020.[69][70][71] She received her first-ever Billboard Music Award nomination when she was nominated for Top Rap Female Artist in September 2020.[72] A few days later, she was featured in the annual Time 100 list of the most-influential people in the world.[73] Her write-up for this listing was composed by American actress Taraji P. Henson.[74] Megan Thee Stallion tied with Drake when she received eight nominations at the 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards, including Artist of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year.[75] She also tied with Justin Bieber as the most-nominated musician at the 2020 People's Choice Awards, earning six nominations.[76] Megan Thee Stallion became the second-most-nominated act at the 2020 American Music Awards.[77] In October 2020, she released the single "Don't Stop" (featuring rapper Young Thug),[78] and promoted it by performing on the 46th season premiere of Saturday Night Live.[79] She performed a "politically-charged" version of "Savage" that evening,[79] in which she addressed racism, the Attorney General of Kentucky Daniel Cameron, and sent a message about the importance of protecting black women and the Black Lives Matter movement.[80][81] She continued working for this cause by writing an op-ed for The New York Times titled "Why I Speak Up for Black Women",[82] which received acclaim.[83] Megan Thee Stallion appeared in the 2020 comedy special Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine.[84] She received four nominations at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist and Record of the Year for "Savage (Remix)".[85] She went-on to win the former, which made her the first female hip hop artist to do so since Lauryn Hill in 1999; additionally, she took home awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance, both for "Savage (Remix)".[86]
On November 13, 2020, Megan Thee Stallion announced the upcoming release of her debut studio album, Good News, released on November 20, 2020.[87] The release of the album also coincided with its fourth single, "Body", with its accompanying music video.[88] "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.[89] 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.[90] 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).[91] 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.[92] Boy band BTS released a remix of the single "Butter" featuring Megan Thee Stallion, which reached number three on the Billboard Global 200.[93] 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".[94] Megan Thee Stallion was featured on DJ Snake's single "SG", along with Ozuna and Lisa of Blackpink, released in October.[95] Megan released Something for Thee Hotties, a collection of previously unreleased songs and freestyles, on October 29, 2021.[96] The compilation album debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200, becoming Megan Thee Stallion's fourth top 10.[97]
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.[98] Megan was honored as one of Glamour's Women of the Year in November.[99] Megan won three awards at the 2021 American Music Awards, tying with Doja Cat and BTS for the most wins that night.[100]
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.[101] In the coming days after Megan's graduation, she signed an exclusive first-look deal with Netflix that will see her create and produce executive content, including television series and other projects.[102]
On March 11, 2022, Megan Thee Stallion released a collaboration with English singer Dua Lipa, named "Sweetest Pie".[103] On March 27, Megan made a surprise appearance at the 94th Academy Awards where she performed alongside various artists "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from the film Encanto. Megan made history becoming the second women rapper to perform the Academy Awards, the first being Queen Latifah in the 81st Academy Awards ceremony.[104] She received acclaim at the Oscars for the surprise performance, with Rolling Stone stating: "Megan Thee Stallion Makes 'Encanto' Track...All the More Magical at Oscars."[105]
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.[106] 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.[107] In a Rolling Stone cover story, Megan revealed that she collaborated with Future for her upcoming second album on a song titled "Pressurelicious."[108] On August 11, 2022, Megan Thee Stallion took to Twitter to announce that her second studio album Traumazine would be released the next day.[109] It became the rapper's fifth US top-10 album.[110] After the low promotion of Traumazine by the label, Thee Stallion has started a second lawsuit, accepting an agreement with the breaking off of the relationship between the two parties.[111]
In 2023 she starred in the Larry Charles directed A24 musical film Dicks: The Musical (2023). The film based on the off-Broadway musical Fucking Identical Twins by Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson debuted at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. She co-stars alongside Nathan Lane, Bowen Yang, and Megan Mullally.[112] On September 4, 2023, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion announced their new single "Bongos."[113] On October 27, she announced a new single titled "Cobra," that released on November 2 from her upcoming third album.[114] This is her first independent single since departing from her record label 1501 Certified Entertainment in October 2023. In January 2024, Megan Thee Stallion made a cameo appearance in the movie musical adaptation of Mean Girls; she also contributed to its soundtrack, writing the original song "Not My Fault" with Reneé Rapp.[115]
She has released two singles for her upcoming third studio album: "Cobra" on November 3, 2023,[116][117] and "Hiss" on January 26, 2024.[118] The latter 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] "Hiss" would later debut atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the rapper’s third No. 1 hit as well as her first solo number one.[122][123]
On February 2, 2024, Megan Thee Stallion signed a distribution deal with Warner Music.[124]
Megan Thee Stallion was noted for presenting her sexuality throughout her lyrics, videos, and live performances.[10] 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."[125] On her Texas rap origins, 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."[10] She is often regarded as a sex symbol.[126][127][128]
Megan Thee Stallion cites her mother as her first and biggest influence.[10] She has considered Pimp C and his 2006 solo album, Pimpalation, an influence since her childhood,[10] admiring his talk-rap delivery and "cockiness". Other inspirations she has mentioned are the Notorious B.I.G., Lil' Kim, Queen Latifah, Eve, Three 6 Mafia, Trina, Salt-N-Pepa, Missy Elliott,[129] Foxy Brown[130] and she credits Q-Tip as her mentor.[131][12][8][13] She has stated in interviews that when she was younger, she would listen to her favorite rap songs from acts like Three 6 Mafia and Pimp C, and ask herself, "How good would this sound if a girl did it?"[125]
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."[132]
In multiple interviews, Megan Thee Stallion has referred to herself as "Tina Snow", one of her alter egos and also the name of her debut EP. It was influenced by Pimp C's alias Tony Snow, and has similar confidence and an unapologetically sexually dominant delivery.[10] "Hot Girl Meg" is another alter ego who is described as embodying Megan Thee Stallion's carefree and outgoing side, which she compares to a "college, party girl."[133][35] She stated that she introduced "Hot Girl Meg" on her EP, Fever.[35] She has also referred to herself as "Thee Hood Tyra Banks".[134][135]
Megan originated the viral catchphrase "hot girl summer" on social media.[136][137][138][139] 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.[140] It later appeared on the Fever album cover, which read, "She's thee HOT GIRL and she's bringing THEE HEAT."[141] She defined the term as "women and men being unapologetically them, just having a good-ass time, hyping up their friends, doing you."[142] Megan Thee Stallion officially trademarked the term "hot girl summer" in September 2019 after applying for it in July of that year.[143][144] A song of the same name was released on August 9, 2019.[145]
In addition to "hot girl" and "hot girl summer", Megan Thee Stallion is known for her signature ad-lib which involves sticking her tongue out,[146][147] creating a "creaky",[147] audible "agh"[146] or "blah"[148] sound. In August 2019, Twitter created an official emoji for this tongue symbol which could be spawned directly after the hashtag "#MeganTheeStallion".[146] This symbol also inspired the cover art of her EP Suga which was revealed in March 2020.[149]
In September 2021, Megan partnered with Nike for a promotional campaign and fitness program through the Nike Training Club app.[150] In October 2021, Megan appeared on First We Feast and Complex Media's Hot Ones.[151] On October 14, 2021, it was announced that Megan Thee Stallion signed a wide-ranging deal with multinational fast-food company Popeyes that includes her own Popeyes franchise, a new hot sauce (Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Sauce) and co-branded merchandise.[152] She partnered with Cheetos for a Super Bowl commercial in 2022.[153]
Megan was on the grid of the 2021 United States Grand Prix where attempts to interview her by Martin Brundle were snubbed by her bodyguards leading to criticism, causing F1 to introduce the "Brundle Clause", prohibiting bodyguards on the race grid.[154][155][156]
In May 2023, Madame Tussauds unveiled two new wax figures of Megan Thee Stallion at its locations in Las Vegas and New York. One figure, located in Las Vegas, features the rapper in a fierce newsprint catsuit and matching cowboy hat, inspired by her promotional photoshoot for her album Good News. The second figure, displayed in New York, showcases Megan reclining in a diamante bikini and cowboy hat, inspired by a recent brand partnership. Each figure was meticulously crafted by a team of 20 skilled artists over a six-month period.[157][158]
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.[159] On February 17, 2022, it was announced that Megan will co-star in A24's first movie musical titled Dicks: The Musical, described as "a spin on The Parent Trap".[160] She guest starred in the Disney+ Marvel Cinematic Universe series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law as a fictionalized version of herself.[161] Megan also appeared in the 2024 movie musical remake of Mean Girls, while also contributing to the soundtrack.[162]
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.[163] In April 2020, she donated over $10,000 to bail relief effort for Houston protestors.[164] The same month, Megan teamed up with Amazon Music to donate to a Nursing Facility in Houston.[165] All the proceeds collected from her collaboration on Beyoncé's Savage (remix) went to Bread of Life, which helps local Houston communities with Covid-19 relief efforts. The song raised over $2.5 million.[166]
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.[167] 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.[168] 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.[169] 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.[170] 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.[171]
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.[152]
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).[172] 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.[107]
Megan Thee Stallion mentioned being part Creole in her songs "Cocky AF" and "Freak Nasty" as well as in a tweet in September 2017.[173][174][175] Her mother, Holly Thomas, died in March 2019 from a longstanding cancerous brain tumor, and Megan's great-grandmother died in the same month.[176][177][178] She mentioned her mother's death (Ever since my mama died, 2019) on beginning of her song "Flip Flop" from the second studio album, Traumazine, released on August 12, 2022. The Barbz, Nicki Minaj’s fandom, had publicly divulged the location of Holly Thomas’s grave before Minaj’s single "Big Foot" was released.[179][180][181]
She is a self-described fan of anime and her favorites are My Hero Academia and Naruto.[182] 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.[183] She has previously cosplayed as MHA character Shoto Todoroki and Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon.[184][185]
Megan Thee Stallion confirmed her relationship with fellow rapper Pardison Fontaine via Instagram Live on February 19, 2021.[186] The pair ended their relationship in 2023.
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.[125]
While she has never publicly stated a particular label for her sexuality, she has continually shown interest in women through her music.[187]
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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.[188][189][190]
On July 27, 2020, Megan revealed that she had been shot in both feet, and denounced rumors in an Instagram Live session where she recounted the shooting incident and cried.[190][191] 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."[192][193][194] 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.[195] Lanez's team denied this, stating that they would investigate whoever was behind the fake emails, then would take appropriate action.[196] Megan later confirmed that she had been offered money by Lanez and his team to keep quiet on the incident.[197]
On October 8, 2020, Lanez was charged with shooting Megan Thee Stallion by L.A. County prosecutors. His arraignment was scheduled on October 13;[198][199] 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.[200] 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."[201][200]
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.[202][203] 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."[204][205] 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.[206] On August 8, 2023, Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the shooting.[207]
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".[208][209] 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.[210][211][212] 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.[213][214]
When Thee Stallion published Something for Thee Hotties in 2021, the record label didn't 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.[215] On February 18, 2022, Thee Stallion filed suit against the label claiming that Something respects the definition of an album with at least 45 minutes of material.[209][216]
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".[217][218] 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.[219] The label's law firm stated that Thee Stallion would be summoned for an in-person deposition in mid-October, and that a ruling would be issued by May 2023.[220] 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".[221]
Shortly after the legal proceedings ended, Megan founded the independent music and entertainment company Hot Girl Productions.[222][223] On February 2, 2024, Thee Stallion signed a distribution deal with Warner Music Group (WMG), while her masters and publishing will be released through Hot Girl.[224][225][226]
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Main article: Megan Thee Stallion discography |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dicks: The Musical | Gloria | |
| 2023 | Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé | Herself | |
| 2024 | Mean Girls | Herself | Cameo appearance |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Musical guest | Episode: "Tracy Morgan/Gwen Stefani/Megan Thee Stallion" |
| 2020 | Saturday Night Live | Musical guest | Episode: "Chris Rock/Megan Thee Stallion" |
| Good Girls | Onyx | Episode: "Nana" | |
| 2020–21 | Legendary | Herself | Judge (Season 1–2)[65] |
| 2022 | P-Valley | Tina Snow (alter ego) | Guest star (Season 2)[227] |
| Cardi Tries | Herself | Episode: "Cardi Tries Football" | |
| Gutsy | Herself | Episode: "Gutsy Women Refuse Hate"[228] | |
| She-Hulk: Attorney at Law | Herself | Episode: "The People vs. Emil Blonsky"[229] | |
| Saturday Night Live | Host/Musical guest | Episode: "Megan Thee Stallion/Megan Thee Stallion" | |
| 2023 | Big Mouth | Megan | Guest star (Season 7)[230] |
| 2024 | Saturday Night Live | Guest performer | Episode: "Jacob Elordi/Reneé Rapp" |
Headlining
Supporting
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Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Megan Thee Stallion |
