Megan Thee Stallion is having a "Hot Girl Summer"
The 29-year-old Grammy-winning, global chart-topping Texan rapper and pop star embarks on a cathartic journey as she prepares for her new album and “Hot Girl Summer” tour.
Text by Marjon Carlos
Photography Quil Lemons
Styling ERIC ARCHIBALD
The 29-year-old rapper Megan Thee Stallion (given name Megan Jovon Ruth Pete), winner of three Grammy Awards , is in the midst of a metamorphosis. Just as she revealed in her track “ Hiss ,” released earlier this year, and No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Megan is eliminating the toxicity from her life. Over a menacing piano riff, the Houston, Texas native subliminally smacks challengers to her peace, rapping, “I'm finna get this shit off my chest and lay it to rest/Let's go!” . The track, self-financed by her new production company, Hot Girl Productions, demonstrates that Megan moves forward with a renewed sense of self. Fans have followed the Southern superstar's rise from local stardom to chart-topping. Megan rose to fame in the spring of 2020, at age 25, after her anthem “Savage,” in praise of the multidimensional modern woman, went viral and broke out a TikTok dance that entertained the quarantined masses. The success made her famous to legions of fans, or “Hotties,” as Megan has nicknamed her following. The artist, whose stage name was inspired by her statuesque frame, has been a refreshing addition to the canon of female hip-hop, with works that express empowerment and unapologetic sex appeal. Beyoncé launched into the “Savage” remix, earning them both Grammys in 2021 for best rap song. Megan earned two more Grammys that year, including Best New Artist, followed by a string of chart-topping hits. There was “WAP”, her 2020 duet with Cardi B, and “Body”, from 2021, taken from her second album “Traumazine” , she became the new face of Revlon, she developed her “Salsa Hottie” secret for Popeyes Louisiana Chicken and gave us tax advice with the help of Cash App. And she did all this while completing a degree in healthcare administration at Texas Southern University.
Megan has faced fame, but also tragedy. In 2019, the rapper lost two major figures within months of each other: her mother and manager, Holly “Holly-Wood” Thomas, succumbed to a battle with brain cancer, and her grandmother died soon after. A year later, Megan was shot by rapper and former friend Tory Lanez, who shot her in the feet after an argument. And she has become the target of online misogyny that specifically targets Black women. Battling trolls and even her fellow male rappers, Megan was forced to publicly defend her innocence to the public, before being vindicated last year when Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the aggression. She was also involved in a legal battle with her former record company, 1501 Productions, which she finally settled last fall. Megan eased this pain in real time, sharing with her fans and her music how escalating trauma took a significant toll on her mental health and led to depression. The rapper recently found herself the target of a lawsuit from a former cameraman who accused her of creating a hostile work environment. Her lawyer Alex Spiro said: “This is an employment case for money, with no claims of sexual harassment and with salacious allegations to try to embarrass her.” Through deep solitude, therapy and a focus on her well-being, Megan is getting back on track with her third album and a nearly sold-out “Hot Girl Summer” tour that kicked off in May.
L'OFFICIEL : Is it difficult to always show yourself as you are?
Megan Thee Stallion: At the beginning of my career it was definitely easier, because I didn't really understand that I was famous. I didn't understand how not to always give my all to everyone. I didn't understand the limitations. I had no limits. I just lived. And as I got older, I realized, “Okay, you don't need all this all the time. I can continue to be myself, but there needs to be a level of respect for myself."
«I love snakes, but they are misunderstood in Western culture. They represent rebirth, spirituality. Which is the concept of the song “Hiss”».
LO: I read somewhere that you said there is a constant pressure to be happy. And you're coming out of it.
MTS: When you go through depression or sadness… you don't want to put the blame on others. You don't want to be the dark cloud in your friend group. You don't want to be a burden. Everyone wears a mask. I was one of those people who always said: I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine. I am strong, I am tenacious. I can do it, I can do it. But then I got to a point where I couldn't hide it anymore - at least in my personal life - and I thought, “Forget about it. I'm sad. What to do about this?”.
LO: Where is your mental health journey at?
MTS: I don't want to be the old me anymore, because I don't think I've processed my feelings properly. I was the kind of person who took charge of everything. Like, “Forget it. I just go to work. I fill my diary. I want to do everything. I don't even want to think about it." But now I think, “Well, wait a minute. Let me take some days for myself.” Now I have limits. The way I love myself is so different from the way I loved myself… I don't do things to make other people happy. Right now I'm just Megan and I like it. I hope I can continue like this.
LO: How did you get there? Obviously therapy played a big role, but is there anything else you did that made you look at yourself differently?
MTS: Even though I've been through a lot of bad things, I've spent time alone, which I really appreciate. I had to be alone to understand: “Why is it so hard for you to be alone? Why do you always need to be close to so many people at the same time?” I had to take a step back and look at what I was doing. I walked around and talked out loud, processing what I felt, and I started telling myself the truth about how I felt. Sometimes you don't want to say things out loud, but when I got comfortable with myself and was on my own, I started to have a new appreciation for myself. Once I started to trust, be kinder to myself, and set limits for myself, my self-love continued to grow.
“I felt like everyone kicked me when I was down.” Megan Thee Stallion
LO: Were there any cultural taboos you had to challenge on your mental health journey?
MTS: Definitely. My mother was so tough and my grandmother was so tough… My other grandmother, who is currently living, is also so tough. I've seen them work, work, work, work their whole lives. So, I didn't understand how we were financially, because they made everything look so good. They made everything look so easy. Only when I grew up did I understand that we were not rich at all, that we were in difficulty and that I needed to find a job… Now the veil has been lifted from my eyes. I can see why I'm starting to understand money. As an adult, I think, “Oh, my God.” I could see my mother going through it, but she never let it affect me. My father died when I was little. I wish she had gotten help. I wish he would have talked to a therapist or something. I wish he could have talked to someone to lighten the load or whatever he was feeling. Now that I'm in those shoes, I'm like, “Man, I don't want to bring that. I want to be strong." I don't think therapy makes me weak, although for a long time I thought that because in the black community therapy meant you were crazy.
LO: You're mostly letting off steam in your work. You're literally saying, “I need to get this off my chest”… “Hiss” is a number one hit on the “Billboard Hot 100” and has taken the world by storm. Did you know it would have such an impact?
MTS: I felt like everyone kicked me when I was down. It was nice to finally talk, because I was in a place where I was so down and didn't want to do anything that would disturb the peace. I felt like everyone hated me right now. I told myself “Don't say a word. Just shut up."
LO: At a certain point did you feel really hated by everyone?
MTS: Yes. I felt so bad every day. It was such a hard place to get out of. Now I don't even want to worry about who hates me, really. I should focus on the love I receive. That's what I'm trying to improve on. That doesn't mean everything always goes well. If I have to be here for the applause, I have to be here for the boos.
LO: It's a black hole to fall into when you feel like everyone hates you. Are female rappers pressured to always be kind, polite and pretty?
MTS: For female rappers there is a line you don't want to cross. You want to be Miss Congeniality. You want to be liked by everyone. You want to be the baddest, you want to be the best, but you want to do it right. I had to learn that there is no right way. Whoever you are, be that. If you're crazy, be crazy. If you are kind, be kind. If you're bad, be bad. If you're sad, be sad. Whatever your path, be it. Be your true self.
LO: Will your next album be even more ferocious than “Hiss”?
MTS: I don't even know how to describe it, honestly. “Hiss” was my way of venting the things I had to say. I'm not really focused on the negativity of my album. There are many different songs on the album because my emotions don't stop at anger. My emotions don't stop at sadness, because I grew up and started to feel other feelings. I started to feel really happy. So on the album there are songs that talk about the positive moments that I'm starting to experience. There's a bit of everything. All the emotions are there.
LO: Is there still a snake motif throughout the album?
MTS: We don't just stop at the snake. It's what everyone sees right now. Renewal, rebirth - that's the whole concept of the album. We started with the snake because, first of all, I love snakes, but I feel like snakes are so misunderstood, especially in Western culture. Snakes represent rebirth, spirituality. I'm not someone who says, “Oh my God, sunshine and happiness.” I like darker things. I like things that are a little scary. I like unique things. I chose the snake because… it's a kind of anti-hero.
LO: Do you see yourself playing with different genres with this album? We saw Beyoncé doing country. Is there a different sound you're trying to bring to this Meg rebirth?
MTS: This is the music I would like if I weren't Megan Thee Stallion. I don't want to say that I'm drawing on other genres. I'm just drawing on other sounds. But it's still very Megan Thee Stallion. You're like, “I never thought she'd rap about this, but this sounds good.”
LO: I read that you were listening to Paramore, so I wondered, “Will she rock with us a little?”
MTS: I don't think people realize that I'm a soft rock girl. I listen to all types of music. I like a little bit of everything, so I tried to put things in my album that were authentic to me.
LO: What will make this Hot Girl Summer different from other Hot Girl Summers?
MTS: Well, this is the first time we've toured with Megan Thee Stallion. Here's what will be different in this Hot Girl Summer. It's never been possible to come party with Megan Thee Stallion on a tour during Hot Girl Summer. Now all the sexy girls have a place to gather and make friends, and that's what we're about to do.
LO: Your fitness journey has also been very exciting to follow.
MTS: When I first started therapy, my therapist advised me to channel that energy somewhere into exercise. At first it was a distraction. I wanted to escape the things that happened to me in my normal life. So I started doing a lot of physical activity because it took my mind off another type of pain, and now I was putting it into the pain in my thighs. At first it was a way to deal with everything. Then, as I progressed, I began to see results; I started to feel better and continued because when I concentrate about training, I don't worry about anything other than that.
LO: It's a great way to relax. At the beginning of the conversation you said that you now know how to take care of yourself.
MTS: I haven't quite figured it out yet. I'm not saying, “Oh my God, I'm in a perfect place. Everything is going great." I still have days where I ask myself, “Damn, why do I feel this way? But at least now I have the resources to change the thought process. I feel like I'm on my way to a better place, and I know I'm not in a place I was before.”
HAIR: Kellon Deryck @ mastermind MGMT
MAKE UP: Lauren Child
CREATIVE CONSULTANT: Mariana Suplicy
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Danielle Ellsworth
SET DESIGN: Danielle Selig
PHOTO ASSISTANTS: Miller Lyle and Sam Dole
STYLING ASSISTANTS: Isiah Ahmad, Juan Zenon and Natalia Barzilai
