Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (born February 15, 1995), known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter.

Megan initially gained recognition when videos of her freestyling began to circulate widely on social media. In 2018, she signed with 1501 Certified Entertainment. Megan achieved mainstream success the following year with the release of her commercial mixtape ''Fever'' (2019), followed by the extended play ''Suga'' (2020), both of which peaked within the top ten of the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. She had her breakthrough with the singles " Hot Girl Summer", " Cash Shit", and " Savage"; the latter's 2020 remix with Beyoncé won Megan two Grammy Awards, peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and led to the release of Megan's debut album ''Good News'' (2020). Its single " Body" made her the first female act to release three number-one songs on the Streaming Songs chart within a year.

Megan's compilation album '' Something for Thee Hotties'' (2021) peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and included the US top-20 single " Thot Shit", which received a Grammy Award nomination. Following the shooting trial after she was shot in the foot by Tory Lanez, as well as contractual issues with her record label, she left both 1501 and 300 Entertainment. Megan's second studio album, '' Traumazine'' (2022), was her final release under those labels and included the single " Sweetest Pie", which peaked at number 15 in the US. She founded her own record label, Hot Girl Productions, in 2023, through which she released her third studio album, ''Megan'' (2024). It spawned the single "Hiss", which became Megan's first solo song to top the Hot 100 and made her the first solo female rapper to debut atop the ''Billboard'' Global 200.

Megan is the recipient of various accolades, including six BET Awards, five BET Hip Hop Awards, four American Music Awards, four 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). ''Time'' included her on its list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020. Regarded as a sex symbol by the media, Megan has cultivated a global fanbase known as the Hotties. Outside of music, she has ventured into television and film, headlining her own documentary film titled '' Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words'' (2024).

Early life and education

Megan Jovon Ruth Pete was born on February 15, 1995 in San Antonio, Texas, moved to Houston shortly after her birth with her mother, Holly Thomas. Holly, a rapper known as "Holly-Wood", often took young Megan to recording sessions instead of daycare. Growing up in Houston's South Park neighborhood and later Pearland, Megan began writing raps at age 14, and lived there until she was 18. When she eventually showed her mother her rapping skills at age 18, Holly required that Megan wait until she was 21 to pursue rapping as a career. Her mother commented that her lyrics were too sexually suggestive for her young age. Megan attended Pearland High School graduating in 2013. Her father died during her freshman year of high school.

While studying at Prairie View A&M University, Megan's freestyling videos on social media gained popularity notably one where she was battling against male opponents in a " cypher". The exposure helped her gain a following on social media and many fans, who she refers to as "hotties" and credits for her early success. After taking time off from school to pursue music, she returned home resuming her studies at Texas Southern University. She graduated on December 11, 2021, with a Bachelor of Science in health administration.

Megan adopted the stage name "Megan Thee Stallion" after she was called a " stallion" during her adolescence due to her height () and "thick" body frame; voluptuous, statuesque women in the southern United States are sometimes colloquially called "stallions".

Career

2016–2017: Early beginnings

In 2016, Megan Thee Stallion released her debut single "Like a Stallion," followed by SoundCloud-exclusive mixtapes ''Rich Ratchet'' and ''Megan Mix'' in 2017. That year she made her professional solo debut with the EP ''Make It Hot,'' which included the hit "Last Week in HTx" earning several million views on YouTube. Additionally, she released the song "Stalli (Freestyle)", as a rework of late musician XXXTentacion's " Look at Me!". Around this time, Megan auditioned for the since-postponed '' Love & Hip Hop: Houston.''

2018–2019: ''Tina Snow'' and ''Fever''

In early 2018, Megan Thee Stallion signed with 1501 Certified Entertainment, an independent Houston label run by T. Farris and owned by former baseball player Carl Crawford. She was the first female rapper to join the label, and subsequently performed at SXSW Festival in March 2018. In June 2018, she released the EP '' Tina Snow'' named after her alter ego, "Tina Snow", who she describes as "a more raw version" of herself. The EP mainly produced by 1501's in-house producer LilJuMadeDaBeat, was positively received by critics with Eric Torres of ''Pitchfork'' highlighting its "quotable lyrics" and Nandi Howard of ''The Fader'' praising her rapid and precise rapping style. In November 2018, Megan signed with 300 Entertainment, becoming the first woman on the label. It was during this time that she was scheduled to support Australian rapper Iggy Azalea on her planned ''Bad Girls Tour''; however, the tour was later cancelled due to low ticket sales.

On January 22, 2019, Megan Thee Stallion released " Big Ole Freak" as a single from ''Tina Snow'', which became her first ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart entry, peaking at number 65. Her mixtape ''Fever,'' released on May 17, 2019 receiving critical acclaim. On May 21, 2019, she released the music video for the track "Realer", which was inspired by the blaxploitation film style. On June 20, 2019, Megan was selected as one of eleven artists for the 12th edition of '' XXL''s " Freshman Class". Her freestyle in the cypher was praised by music critics.

In July 2019, Megan was featured on Chance The Rapper's debut studio album '' The Big Day'', on the track "Handsome". On August 2, 2019, '' A Black Lady Sketch Show'' premiered on HBO; using Megan's song "Hot Girl" in the opening title sequence. In August, 2019, Megan's single " Hot Girl Summer", featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla Sign peaked at number 11 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming her first top 20 single, and topping the ''Rolling Stone'' 100. The song, an ode to her viral "hot girl summer" meme, came about after an Instagram Live session between Minaj and Megan. Megan then appeared on the Quality Control compilation album '' Quality Control: Control the Streets, Volume 2'' on the track "Pastor" (alongside Quavo and City Girls). In September 2019, Megan Thee Stallion signed a management deal with Roc Nation. In October, she created and starred in a horror series for Halloween, ''Hottieween (''directed by Teyana Taylor). She als performed her first NPR Tiny Desk Concert during the ''Tiny Desk Fest''. In November 2019, ''Time'' placed Megan Thee Stallion on their inaugural "Time 100 Next" list.

2020–2021: Career stardom, ''Suga'' and ''Good News''

In January 2020, Megan Thee Stallion released the single " Diamonds" featuring singer Normani for the soundtrack of the superhero film ''Birds of Prey'' (2020). That same month, she announced her debut album ''Suga'' and released the lead single " B.I.T.C.H.". In February 2020, she featured on the single "Fkn Around" by Phony Ppl, and appeared on ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'', performing "B.I.T.C.H.". 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. 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. A remix featuring Beyoncé was released on April 29, 2020. The song became Megan Thee Stallion's first top 10 entry in the United States shortly after the remix's release, eventually becoming her first chart topper in the country. "Savage" also helped boost ''Suga''s sales, propelling it up to number 7 on the ''Billboard'' 200. She released the song " Girls in the Hood" on June 26, 2020, before featuring on Cardi B's single " WAP" and appearing in its music video in August 2020. "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).

Megan Thee Stallion became a Global Brand Ambassador for Revlon in August 2020. She received her first-ever ''Billboard'' Music Award nomination when she was nominated for Top Rap Female Artist in September 2020. A few days later, she was featured in the annual ''Time'' 100 list of the most-influential people in the world. Her write-up for this listing was composed by American actress Taraji P. Henson. 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. She also tied with Justin Bieber as the most-nominated musician at the 2020 People's Choice Awards, earning six nominations. Megan Thee Stallion became the second-most-nominated act at the 2020 American Music Awards. In October 2020, she released the single " Don't Stop" featuring rapper Young Thug, and promoted it by performing on the 46th season premiere of ''Saturday Night Live''. She performed a "politically-charged" version of " Savage" that evening, 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. She continued working for this cause by writing an op-ed for ''The New York Times'' titled "Why I Speak Up for Black Women", which received acclaim. Megan Thee Stallion appeared in the 2020 comedy special '' Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine''. She received four nominations at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist and Record of the Year for " Savage (Remix)". 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)".

On November 13, 2020, Megan Thee Stallion announced the upcoming release of her debut studio album, '' Good News'', released on November 20, 2020. The release of the album also coincided with its fourth single, " Body", with its accompanying music video. "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. ''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. 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. 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. Boy band BTS released a remix of the single "Butter" featuring Megan Thee Stallion, which reached number three on the ''Billboard'' Global 200. 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". Megan Thee Stallion was featured on DJ Snake's single " SG", along with Ozuna and Lisa of Blackpink, released in October. Megan released '' Something for Thee Hotties'', a collection of previously unreleased songs and freestyles, on October 29, 2021. The compilation album debuted at number five on the US ''Billboard'' 200, becoming Megan Thee Stallion's fourth top 10.

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. Megan was honored as one of '' Glamour''s Women of the Year in November. Megan won three awards at the 2021 American Music Awards, tying with Doja Cat and BTS for the most wins that night.

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.

2022–present: ''Traumazine'', Hot Girl Productions, ''Megan'', and ''Megan: Act II''

On March 11, 2022, Megan Thee Stallion released a collaboration with English singer Dua Lipa, named " Sweetest Pie". On March 27, Megan made a surprise appearance at the 94th Academy Awards performing " We Don't Talk About Bruno" alongside various artists from the film '' Encanto''. Megan became the second woman rapper to perform at the Academy Awards, following Queen Latifah in the 81st Academy Awards ceremony. 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."

In a ''Rolling Stone'' cover story, Megan revealed that she collaborated with Future for her upcoming second album on a song titled " Pressurelicious". On August 11, 2022, Megan Thee Stallion took to Twitter to announce that her second studio album '' Traumazine'' would be released the next day. It became the rapper's fifth US top-10 album. After the low promotion of ''Traumazine'' by the label, Megan has started a second lawsuit, accepting an agreement with the breaking off of the relationship between the two parties.

On September 4, 2023, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion announced their new single " Bongos". On October 27, she announced a new single titled " Cobra", that released on November 2 from her third album. This is her first independent single since departing from her record label 1501 Certified Entertainment in October 2023.

Megan appeared on ''Good Morning America'' in January 2024 to announce that she will be headlining her first tour, the " Hot Girl Summer Tour". GloRilla served as a special guest for the North American leg, which started on May 14 in Minneapolis; while Nigerian-British rapper Ms Banks was an opening act for the European leg. "Hot Girl Summer Tour" has garnered rave reviews and grossed over $40 million.

On February 2, 2024, Megan Thee Stallion signed a distribution deal with Warner Music. On June 2, 2024, she announced with self-titled third studio album, ''Megan'', which was released on June 28. She has released three singles in anticipation of the album: " Cobra" on November 3, 2023, "Hiss" on January 26, 2024, and " Boa" on May 10, 2024. "Hiss" 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. It also later debuted atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming the rapper's third No. 1 hit as well as her first solo number one. After going viral on TikTok, the music video for the fourth single from the album, " Mamushi," was released on August 9, 2024.

On September 5, 2024, the music video for Megan's single " Neva Play" featuring RM of BTS was released. Megan Thee Stallion covered English rock band Queen's 1977 hit single "We Will Rock You" in a September 2024 Pepsi television advertisement; on September 5, 2024, the song, sampling the original chorus, was released as a single. Queen are credited as co-lead artists. On October 18, 2024, she announced a reissue of her album ''Megan'', '' Megan: Act II'', which was released on October 25, 2024.

On December 6, 2024, Megan was featured on Twice's title track Strategy from their EP of the same name, which also featured a version without Megan's verse.

On February 28, 2025, Megan was featured on "Rapunzel" from Alter Ego, the first studio album by Lisa. For the physical release of the album, only the solo version of Rapunzel is included while the digital editions of the album include both a solo version and the track with Megan's feature.

Artistry

Public image

Megan Thee Stallion is known for weaving her sexuality into her lyrics, videos, and live performances. 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." Her Texas rap origins are an important part of her identity, 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." She is often regarded as a sex symbol by the media.

Influences

Megan cites her mother as her primary influence along notable hip-hop figures like Pimp C. His 2006 solo album, '' Pimpalation'', influenced her style for his talk-rap delivery and "cockiness". Other influences include the Notorious B.I.G., Lil' Kim, Queen Latifah, Eve, Three 6 Mafia, Trina, Salt-N-Pepa, Missy Elliott, and Foxy Brown. She credits Q-Tip as her mentor.

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."

Alter egos

Megan uses alter egos to express different facets of her personality in music. "Tina Snow," one of her alter egos and also the name of her debut EP was influenced by Pimp C's alias Tony Snow. The ego has similar confidence and an unapologetically sexually dominant delivery. "Hot Girl Meg" another alter ego embodies Megan's carefree and outgoing side, which she compares to a "college, party girl." She first introduced "Hot Girl Meg" on her EP, ''Fever''. She has also referred to herself as "Thee Hood Tyra Banks."

Trademarks

* "Hot Girl Summer": Megan originated the viral catchphrase "hot girl summer" on social media. 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. It later appeared on the ''Fever'' album cover, which read: "She's thee HOT GIRL and she's bringing THEE HEAT." She defined the term as "women and men being unapologetically them, just having a good-ass time, hyping up their friends, doing you." Megan officially trademarked the term "hot girl summer" in September 2019 after applying for it in July of that year. A song of the same name was released on August 9, 2019.
* Signature Ad Lib: Megan is known for her signature ad-lib, which involves sticking her tongue out, creating a "creaky", audible "agh" or "blah" sound.
* Twitter Emoji: In August 2019, Twitter created an official emoji for this tongue symbol, which could be spawned directly after the hashtag "#MeganTheeStallion". This symbol also inspired the cover art of her EP ''Suga'' which was revealed in March 2020.

Other ventures

On July 30, 2024, Megan Thee Stallion and fellow rapper Quavo opened up for a Kamala Harris presidential campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia.

Television and film

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.

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''". The A24 musical film directed by Larry Charles was 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. She guest starred in the Disney+ Marvel Cinematic Universe series '' She-Hulk: Attorney at Law'' as a fictionalized version of herself.

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. Megan has also been the host for the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards on September 11, 2024. On October 16, 2024, Amazon Prime Video released the trailer for Megan's upcoming documentary about a dark time in her life called '' Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words,'' which was released on October 31, 2024.

Philanthropy

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. In April 2020, she donated over $10,000 to bail relief effort for Houston protestors. The same month, Megan teamed up with Amazon Music to donate to a Nursing Facility in Houston. All the proceeds collected from her collaboration with Beyoncé on the Savage remix went to Bread of Life, which helps local Houston communities with Covid-19 relief efforts. The song raised over $2.5 million.

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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

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.

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. 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.

Following the release of the remix of "Butter" with BTS, the group's fanbase, known as ARMY, launched "Thee Army Fund" project in collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion's fans, the "Hotties", which raised over $120,000 to donate to three different organizations in her name: Women for Afghan Women, Black Women of Wellness, and Houston Food Bank. 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.

Personal life

Megan Thee Stallion mentioned being part Creole in her songs "Cocky AF" and "Freak Nasty" as well as in a tweet in September 2017. Her mother, Holly Thomas, died in March 2019 from a longstanding cancerous brain tumor, and Megan's grandmother died in the same month. She mentioned her mother's death in her song "Flip Flop" from the album, '' Traumazine'', released on August 12, 2022. In January 2024, fans of Nicki Minaj doxed the location of Holly Thomas's grave before Minaj's single " Big Foot" was released.

Megan is a self-described fan of anime and her favorites are '' My Hero Academia'' and '' Naruto''. 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. She has previously cosplayed as ''MHA'' character Shoto Todoroki and Usagi Tsukino from ''Sailor Moon''.

Megan Thee Stallion confirmed her relationship with fellow rapper Pardison Fontaine via Instagram Live on February 19, 2021. The pair ended their relationship in 2023. She has been dating basketball player Torrey Craig since 2024.

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.

While she has never publicly stated a particular label for her sexuality, she has continually expressed interest in women through her music.

Shooting

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.

On July 27, 2020, Megan revealed that she had been shot in both feet, and denounced rumors in an Instagram Live session where she tearfully recounted the shooting incident. 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." 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. Lanez's team denied this, stating that they would investigate whoever was behind the fake emails, then would take appropriate action. Megan later confirmed that she had been offered money by Lanez and his team to keep quiet on the incident.

On October 8, 2020, Lanez was charged with shooting Megan Thee Stallion by Los Angeles County prosecutors. His arraignment was scheduled on October 13; 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 away from her, and to not contact her. He was also ordered to surrender any guns he owns. 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."

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. On December 13, 2022, Megan Thee Stallion testified in Lanez's assault trial and stated that she "wish d Torywould have just shot and killed me." 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. On August 8, 2023, Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the shooting.

Legal disputes

In 2015, Megan was arrested on assault charges after an incident with her ex-boyfriend at SXSW. According to Megan, she found out her boyfriend had cheated and had a baby with another woman, and that when she confronted him about it, he started "pulling and pushing" her, and she started punching him. The charges against Megan were dismissed in April 2016 after her ex-boyfriend failed to appear in court.

On October 30, 2024, Megan filed a lawsuit against blogger Milagro Cooper for alleged harassment and "churning out falsehoods" on behalf of Tory Lanez surrounding his assault on her via firearm.

In November 2024, Rapper Plies sued Megan, Glorilla, and Soulja Boy over his song "Me & My Goons" for sampling it while the track was still infringed on Soulja's "Pretty Swag Boy."

Lawsuit and departure from 1501 Certified Entertainment

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". She started the hashtag "#FreeTheeStallion" to raise awareness of the issue, noting that " he did notunderstand some of the verbiage" when she signed the initial contract with 1501.
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''.''

When Megan published '' Something for Thee Hotties'' in 2021, the record label did not 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''. On February 18, 2022, Megan filed suit against the label claiming that ''Something'' respects the definition of an album with at least 45 minutes of material.

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". 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. The label's law firm stated that Megan would be summoned for an in-person deposition in mid-October, and that a ruling would be issued by May 2023. 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".

Shortly after the legal proceedings ended, Megan founded the independent music and entertainment company Hot Girl Productions. On February 2, 2024, Megan signed a distribution deal with Warner Music Group (WMG); her masters and publishing will be released through Hot Girl.

Discography

Albums
* '' Good News'' (2020)
* '' Traumazine'' (2022)
* ''Megan'' (2024; reissued as '' Megan: Act II'')

Filmography

Film

Television

Tours

Headlining

* Hot Girl Summer Tour (2024)

Supporting
* Legendary Nights Tour (2019)
* Future Nostalgia Tour (2022)

Awards and nominations

See also

* List of artists who reached number one in the United States
*Southern hip hop
*List of YouTubers

Notes

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Thee Stallion songs
1995 births
Living people
21st-century American LGBTQ people
21st-century American rappers
21st-century American singer-songwriters
21st-century American women rappers
21st-century American women singers
African-American LGBTQ people
African-American women rappers
African-American women singer-songwriters
American LGBTQ rappers
American LGBTQ songwriters
American music YouTubers
American people of Creole descent
American shooting survivors
American women hip-hop singers
Bisexual rappers
Grammy Award winners
MTV Video Music Award winners
Music Awards Japan winners
Pearland High School alumni
People from Pearland, Texas
Prairie View A&M University alumni
Rappers from Houston
Rappers from San Antonio
Singers from Houston
Singer-songwriters from Texas
Texas Southern University alumni
American trap musicians
YouTubers from Houston
YouTubers from San Antonio
300 Entertainment artists
LGBTQ people from Texas