Megan Thee Stallion at the premiere of"Mean Girls" held at AMC Lincoln Square on January 8, 2024 in New York City.After a tepid response to her 2023 single “Cobra,” the Houston Hottie coiled and struck at her antagonists. The lyrical assault not only sealed Megan a must-needed tally in the win column amongst the hip-hop community but also her third No. 1 following 2020’s “Savage ” with Beyonce and Cardi B’s collab “WAP.
Megan returned the following year and released “Cobra,” which debuted at No. 32 on the Hot 100 and vanished the week after. She and Cardi encountered a similar fate when they reunited for “Bongos”: Debuting and peaking at No. 14 on the Hot 100, the song failed to catch the same traction as its predecessor, “WAP,” in 2020. Even when she veered back into the pop lane alongside Renée Rapp for theirrecord “Not My Fault,” the song has yet to reach the Hot 100.
Besides Nicki and Cardi thriving, Megan must also be aware of the surge of ascendant rappers who have broken out while she’s struggled to find her footing the past couple of years. Latto is finally in her rhythm, executing as both a cerebral MC and Hot 100 mainstay, notching a follow-up hit to 2022’s “Big Energy” with her piercing “Put It on the Floor Again,” and also scoring a Hot 100 No. 1 with her guest appearance on Jung Kook’s smash “Seven.
She also secured a first-look deal with Netflix, fully crystallizing her desire to be a multi-platform entertainment star., one who can walk into any cipher and bulldoze her way to the center. Now that she is paving her lane as an independent artist with the aid of Warner Music for distribution, and maintaining ownership of her masters — a feat rarely seen by a female rapper under 30. And once the post-“Hiss” fury dies down, she should have no more distractions.