Megan Thee Stallion has had a career that has been fascinating to follow. When she first emerged In the late 2010s with her dope freestyles on social media and her viral singles such as ‘Big ‘Ole Freak,’ she was heralded as one with the potential to be one of the next greats; Megan Thee Stallion was praised for her in-your-face delivery and witty wordplay. As her career has progressed, she has turned into a Pop-Rap queen and superstar. Megan Thee Stallion’s debut album, Good News, peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. This record was praised for its raucous sound, technical rapping, and infectious attitude. Her second album, Traumazine, reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100; it was not quite as well received as her debut, but it had several hits and displayed Megan’s high level of talent. It was considered a top Hip Hop album of 2020 and it proved that she was a force to be reckoned with in Hip Hop music and that she was here to stay. Megan Thee Stallion has also been the focus of a ton of media attention, due to her many public beefs(including her ongoing feud with Nicki Minaj and her altercation with Tory Lanez). In addition to these things, she had a very public and nasty dispute with her former record label due to the level of promotion(or lack thereof) of Traumazine. Overall, Megan Thee Stallion just has this captivating presence that commands so much attention, albeit positive or negative; she was someone who was bound to become a global phenomenon. Megan Thee Stallion is already back with her third studio record, MEGAN. This album was preceded by a couple of very fiery singles that have generated a ton of hype around it, as it seems like Megan may be out for blood based on these singles. Below, I am going to talk about some of my favorite songs from Megan Thee Stallion’s MEGAN, and then get into some of my thoughts on the whole album at the end. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from MEGAN, and also comment on how you feel about the record as a whole!
HISS
Megan Thee Stallion begins MEGAN with an absolute bang with ‘HISS,’ which was one of the audacious singles released in anticipation of it. Out of the three singles, this is the one that got me the most excited. Everything about this song is so bold and tough. ‘HISS’ has such a buzzy and tough instrumental driven by a pounding bassline with a good amount of distortion. Megan Thee Stallion takes the energy of the instrumental and amplifies it tenfold. In my opinion, this is the kind of track where Megan is really at her best. Her rapid and intense delivery makes this song feel so massive. Her fun wordplay and variety of flows make the song so engaging as well. Megan is calling out her rivals on ‘HISS’ and asserting her status in the rap game. I am really glad they have begun the album with ‘HISS,’ as it puts the pedal to the medal from the jump.
FIGUEROA
One thing about Megan Thee Stallion is that she is always going to bring the Pop-Trap bangers that are bound to get the party jumping. ‘Figueroa’ is a high-octane and entertaining track that feels like it is going to be a hit. The melody that drives this one is so groovy and smooth. It has a bit of an Atlanta strip club feeling to it that will make anyone want to dance. The beat for ‘Figueroa’ is punchy and upbeat, pairing so nicely with this silky melody. As lively as the instrumental is, Megan’s rap performance is even more full of vitality. She does a great job of matching the energy of the instrumental and making this song all the more captivating. There are so many little catchy flows in this track that make it such an earworm. ‘Figueroa’ has songs of the summer written all over it.
OTAKU HOT GIRL
As I mentioned on the last track, Megan has a knack for making simple and catchy Pop-Trap bangers. She also has a knack for making eccentric music with a humorous element to it. ‘Otaku Hot Girl’ is a song that combines both of these elements. So much about ‘Otaku Hot Girl’ is amusing and enjoyable. For one, the track starts with a sample from the anime Jujutsu Kaisen where the main character Yuji is referring to his love of big butts. The song has a sweet melody and jumpy melody that sort of feels like a Southern Trap version of the bubbly Pop Trap that Doja Cat is known for. Megan Thee Stallion leans into the Japanese and Anime theme with her lyricism, making a ton of interesting references throughout the track. This song has such a feel-good energy that is perfect for all of the anime nerds out there. ‘Otaku Hot Girl’ is a light and pleasant banger where Megan shows that more pleasant side to her that I appreciate a bunch.
MAMUSHI (FEAT. YUKI CHIBA)
I was very curious as to which song from this record was going to immediately pop off. I honestly assumed it was going to be ‘Otaku Hot Girl,’ to be honest. I should not be surprised at all though that it ended up being ‘Mamushi’ with Yuki Chiba. This may be one of the most simple and direct-sounding songs of the album in terms of the instrumental, but it is also one of the most impactful. ‘Mamushi’ is a punchy little bop that is super catchy and light. The tamer nature of the instrumental puts the focus on the performances of Megan Thee Stallion and Yuki Chiba, which are excellent. Everything about their rapping is charming. The hook on this song will immediately get stuck in your head when you hear it, and the rapping on the verses is just as enthralling. Megan Thee Stallion and Yuki Chiba are not artists that many would expect to come together, but their chemistry on this track is pretty awesome. ‘Mamushi’ is a track that is bound to be a TikTok hit and will end up being popular for a while.
ACCENT (FEAT. GLORILLA)
Similar to ‘Figueroa,’ I had a sneaking suspicion when I first heard ‘Accent’ that this one feels like it could be a hit. This is another one with a massive club-banger feeling to it. Once again, that feeling not only comes from the instrumental but also from the vocal performances. ‘Accent’ has a super choppy instrumental that makes me think of classic Houston Trap music. I really enjoy the groovy and dark melody this track has and the chunky, distorted beat; there is something about this instrumental that feels retro and fresh at the same time. As we saw on GloRilla’s song ‘Wanna Be’ earlier this year, the chemistry between these two is undeniable. Their tough and crispy deliveries complement each other so well making this track feel all the more fierce. ‘Accent’ is a huge song where Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla prove that they are a formidable duo.
PAPER TOGETHER (FEAT. UGK)
One thing I have always really respected about Megan Thee Stallion is that she has always shown respect to the greats in Hip Hop, especially those from her hometown of Houston. ‘Paper Together’ is a very classy and interesting way for Megan to pay homage to one of Houston’s best Hip Hop artists ever. This track actually takes an unreleased Pimp C verse(the legendary UGK rapper, of course) and hook and morphs it into a modern Houston Trap banger. This song has the vibe of a classic UGK track, but a current Trap beat that makes it feel fresh. Megan Thee Stallion sounds so natural on this track and complements Pimp C super well. Her flow and tone are just bright enough to contrast the rougher sound of Pimp C so nicely. ‘Paper Together’ is an awesome ode to a Houston great, and Megan certainly does Pimp C justice on this one.
DOWN STAIRS DJ
As I mentioned earlier, some of the best moments in this album are the most quirky or tongue-in-cheek. ‘Down Stairs DJ’ is certainly another track where that idea comes into play. In fact, this is probably the goofiest song on the record. As far as the sound of this one goes, it is one of the smoothest and grooviest ones here for sure. The melody for this one is so atmospheric and wavy, and the deliberate beat makes it feel all the more sultry. Lyrically, this one is pretty quirky and fun. On ‘Down Stairs DJ,’ Megan is referring to masturbating. She is talking about how she has a high sex drive and how she sometimes has to pleasure herself to sleep because she can not find anyone to satisfy her. ‘Down Stairs DJ’ is not the kind of track that is going to be a mainstream hit, but it is a light and entertaining one where Megan once again shows that more freakish side to her.
WORTHY
For the most part, I would say that Megan Thee Stallion plays it relatively safe on this record; it seems like she did not want to venture too far out of her comfort zone. This is why ‘Worthy’ feels like it comes out of left field. This track has an upbeat Funky Pop sound and is nothing like anything else on this record. My immediate thought when I first listened to this track was, “Oh, this is Megan’s Lizzo moment.” I do not mean that in a bad way (I am a fan of Lizzo), but the song reminds me so much of Lizzo. Everything about it reminds me of her, from the groovy instrumental to how Megan raps. Hell, even the meaning of the song has a Lizzo feeling, as it is about trying to be confident in your skin and believe in yourself. Megan’s biggest venture outside the box is a very good track, but I would be remiss if I did not talk about how ‘Worthy’ does feel heavily inspired by Lizzo.
Going into this record, I truly wanted to love it. I have thought Megan Thee Stallion has killed it up until this point. She has done a great job of taking her individualistic, boisterous sound and style and making it palatable to the masses. I thought her first two albums had a ton of cohesion in their sound and overall themes, making for very engrossing listens as a whole. Unfortunately, I do not feel quite the same way about MEGAN. Do not get me wrong, there is some great music on this record. MEGAN has quite a few energetic and enthralling bangers that have the potential to go number one. In fact, I would say most of the music I picked for this list has those qualities. As a whole, though, I feel like MEGAN lacks a bit of direction in sound or theme. In a way, this album feels like a hodgepodge. It is like a culmination of potential singles that do not relate to each other. I would not say there is really any bad music on this record; most of the songs are good enough to hit with a lot of people. I just do not think this is the most enticing record to listen to as a whole. On MEGAN, Megan Thee Stallion does once again prove she is a hitmaker, but she does sacrifice some continuity to do so.
EAST SIDE VIBES 