Megan Thee Stallion has been on a mission to move on since last year. November’s single, “COBRA”, was a novel opportunity to exorcize the gunshot wound, legal battles, online ridicule, and other personal tragedies that clouded the better part of her mainstream domination. Alongside its release, the H-Town Hottie foreshadowed her upcoming era with an elusive statement: “Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past, over and over again.” However, the rapper’s February Billboard chart-topper, “HISS,” a lucrative attempt to silence Megan’s “one flow” naysayers and industry opps, was ultimately slammed by other rap and hip-hop rivals, leaving her still in what seemed to be an unexpected stillness instead of celebrating a career first. Megan then quietly pushed the subsequent single “BOA,” and announced the inaugural Hot Girl Summer tour without anyone suspecting she had sunk her teeth into some much-needed studio time.
During a performance in Atlanta last month, the Texas native and self-proclaimed Hot Girl Coach announced her self-titled third album and debuted its cover art, which showcases the rap connoisseur’s metamorphosis by way of beautifully cascading from a cocoon (which was promptly substituted for an icky emergence from a snake egg following artwork backlash). On “MEGAN”, the Houston rapper is, indeed, born anew and, unexpectedly out for blood. She wastes no time striking first with album opener “HISS,” but this time backed with 17 additional tracks, including “COBRA” and “BOA,” the venom feels like less of a threat, and more of a promise. The record is a full-fledged takedown, backed by the flirty fun of alter-ego Hot Girl Meg on “Where Them Girls At” and “B.A.S.” (feat. Kyle Richh), girl boss collaborators GloRilla and Victoria Monet, and Shonen Jump anime references on “Otaku Hot Girl.”
It could be it’s her independent label’s innovative licensing agreement with Warner Music Group that gave the “WAP” rapper a much-needed second wind following the lukewarm reception of 2022’s “Traumatize” album. Or perhaps Megan remembered how a Hot Girl handles business, the premier sucker punch being “Rattle,” where she embargos the emblematic one-liner: “Ain’t got no tea on me, this h** think she TMZ.” Where haters fueled her lethal double — even triple entendre — “MEGAN” leaves haters in its rearview mirror, leaving more wordplay for braggadocious self-hype. And as “Mamushi” collaborator, Japanese rapper Yuki Chiba, proves, you can be a star and get to the bag, no matter the amount of “hater-ade.”
It’s a rare sign of rap mercy — One that doesn’t always make the smoothest transitions to sophisticated show-offs like “Figueroa” and “Spin” (feat. Victoria Monet), but Megan’s alter-ego Tina Snow – kin to the gritty resilience of female MC Eve — make it stomachable, especially concerning UKG’s underwhelming verse on “Paper Together.” Instead, Megan shines brightest when matching her own freak with idol Lil Kim-esque soirees on “Moody Girl,” the more Charli XCX “Brat”-coded track “Break His Heart,” and, most importantly, “Down Stairs DJ”.
At a glance, Megan’s junior full-length effort is undeniably certified Hot Girl Summer material — the aggressive delivery of boisterous, sexually liberating lyrics are bound to, in some part, rub off on the listener. In the best (read “booty-shaking promoting”) moments of the project, Megan’s self-confidence is infectious, tangible, and, as most often is the case, has its way of transcending speakers. Sure, a self-titled album is an artist’s white flag, announcing, “This is me!” But, in Hottie world, it’s another day in the sun.
There are no thematic storylines hiding beneath the layers of “MEGAN,” à la Billie Eilish’s newly-released “HIT ME SOFT AND HARD,” yet still, it carries a bit of everything. What’s more, in learning from “Traumatize,” Megan’s latest musical contributions bring back the Southern heat and head-to-toe explicitness, courtesy of fan-favorite alter-egos and real-life angst.
Perhaps the features softened the blow of a 52-minute album listen, but besides Yuki Chiba’s naturally zesty foreign flare, the guest features surprisingly made “MEGAN” less The Stallion, and that may be among the project’s only flaws. Then again — how many can outshine Megan?
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