# Megan Thee Stallion
**Megan Thee Stallion** (born Megan Pete in 1995) is an American rapper from Houston, Texas, known for confident flows, sexually explicit lyrics and a signature ad-libbed vocal style, and a three-time Grammy Award winner.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/megan-thee-stallion-mn0003727639/biography) • [2](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/megan-thee-stallion-announces-partnership-with-interscope-records--hot-girl-productions-entering-next-chapter-of-independent-music-career-302851926.html) She rose to mainstream prominence with the 2020 [Cardi B](https://www.edgepedia.org/cardi-b) collaboration "WAP" and has since released three studio albums while building a business portfolio under her own Hot Girl Productions.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/megan-thee-stallion-mn0003727639/biography)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Megan Pete, 1995, raised in Houston, Texas; daughter of rapper Holly-Wood (Holly Thomas)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/megan-thee-stallion-mn0003727639/biography) |
| Breakthrough | Guest verse on Cardi B's "WAP," released August 7, 2020[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/megan-thee-stallion-mn0003727639/biography) |
| Studio albums | Good News (2020), Traumazine (2022), Megan (June 28, 2024)[3](https://time.com/6205852/megan-thee-stallion-traumazine-analysis/) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/music/megan/megan-thee-stallion/critic-reviews) |
| Chart peak | "Hiss" (January 2024) topped the Billboard Hot 100[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/megan-thee-stallion-mn0003727639/biography) |
| Awards | Three Grammy Awards[2](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/megan-thee-stallion-announces-partnership-with-interscope-records--hot-girl-productions-entering-next-chapter-of-independent-music-career-302851926.html) |
| Signature sound | A creaky-voiced [æ] ad-lib vocable documented in 699 instances across 101 commercially available recordings[5](https://mtosmt.org/ojs/index.php/mto/article/view/878) |
| Business | Independent releases through Hot Girl Productions; distribution partnership with Interscope Records announced August 14, 2026[2](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/megan-thee-stallion-announces-partnership-with-interscope-records--hot-girl-productions-entering-next-chapter-of-independent-music-career-302851926.html) |
## Early life and Houston roots
Pete grew up in Houston as the daughter of rapper Holly-Wood, also known as Holly Thomas, and absorbed Southern rap staples such as [Three 6 Mafia](https://www.edgepedia.org/three-6-mafia) and [Pimp C](https://www.edgepedia.org/pimp-c) from a young age. She was writing her own raps by age 14, but began pursuing music seriously a few years later by posting video clips on social media. Her first official single was 2016's "Like a Stallion," and she built a local reputation by winning Houston freestyle competitions.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/megan-thee-stallion-mn0003727639/biography) Her mother recognized her abilities but told her to stay in college and wait until she was 21 before launching her career.[6](https://www.biography.com/musicians/megan-thee-stallion)
After the less widely distributed 2016 mixtape *Rich Ratchet*, she released the singles "Pull Up Late" and "Stalli (Freestyle)" in 2017, the latter accompanied by a video viewed millions of times.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/megan-thee-stallion-mn0003727639/biography) Her stage persona draws on Houston rap culture; she has performed in cowboy-inspired attire as a self-styled figure of the imagined West, and her 2019 Houston headline show drew Southern rap elders including [Bun B](https://www.edgepedia.org/bun-b) and Devin The Dude to the crowd.[7](https://theautry.org/explore/blog/megan-thee-stallion-rap-anime-and-imagined-west) • [8](https://www.papermag.com/megan-thee-stallion-houston-concert)
## Breakthrough and 2020
The 2019 mixtape *Fever* led to her official debut album *[Good News](https://www.edgepedia.org/good-news-megan-thee-stallion-album)* in 2020.[9](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/megan-thee-stallion-coachella-2022-review-b2059654.html) Earlier that year she released the EP *Suga*, which she had originally planned as her debut album before it was repurposed; its third single, "Savage," became a quarantine anthem amplified by a viral TikTok dance challenge, and a remix featuring Beyoncé followed after she prevailed in a contract dispute with her label, 1501 Certified Entertainment.[6](https://www.biography.com/musicians/megan-thee-stallion) • [10](https://www.theringer.com/2020/11/24/music/megan-thee-stallion-good-news-review)
Her most consequential appearance of 2020 was the guest verse on "WAP," Cardi B's single released August 7, 2020, a star-studded track that also featured cameos from SZA, City Girls, Popcaan, and [Lil Durk](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-durk).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/megan-thee-stallion-mn0003727639/biography) The song became a cultural flashpoint: conservative figures condemned it, with [Fox News](https://www.edgepedia.org/fox-news) host [Tucker Carlson](https://www.edgepedia.org/tucker-carlson) urging his audience to look up its lyrics.[11](https://www.mtosmt.org/issues/mto.22.28.2/mto.22.28.2.wallmark.pdf)
In July 2020 she was shot in the feet; singer and rapper [Tory Lanez](https://www.edgepedia.org/tory-lanez), who denied shooting her, was later charged and ultimately received a 10-year prison sentence for the shooting.[10](https://www.theringer.com/2020/11/24/music/megan-thee-stallion-good-news-review) • [12](https://apnews.com/article/83e18781439708638a78571b09a070a3) She faced an onslaught of public skepticism after naming her alleged assailant, and later described the episode in her music.[3](https://time.com/6205852/megan-thee-stallion-traumazine-analysis/)
## Albums and independent career
**Traumazine (2022).** Her sixth project overall and second studio album, the 18-track *Traumazine* processed the loss of her mother and grandmother, the demands of fame, and her legal battle with her label.[3](https://time.com/6205852/megan-thee-stallion-traumazine-analysis/) By October 2022 she said on Instagram Live that she would release music independently, funding it herself.[13](https://time.com/6589029/megan-thee-stallion-hiss-song-meaning/) Her first independent release was the single "Cobra" in November, in which she rapped about missing her late parents.[13](https://time.com/6589029/megan-thee-stallion-hiss-song-meaning/)
**Megan (2024).** "Hiss," released in January 2024, topped the Hot 100 and kicked off the album cycle.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/megan-thee-stallion-mn0003727639/biography) The self-titled third studio album arrived June 28, 2024 on Hot Girl Productions while her Hot Girl Summer Tour was underway, and was later expanded as *Megan: Act II*.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/megan-thee-stallion-mn0003727639/biography) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/music/megan/megan-thee-stallion/critic-reviews) It scored 67 on Metacritic, based on six critic reviews, five positive and one mixed; critics highlighted the anime-inflected "Otaku Hot Girl" and the hard-rock guitar arrangement of "Cobra" as departures from her usual sound.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/music/megan/megan-thee-stallion/critic-reviews) • [14](https://www.allmusic.com/album/megan-mw0004308198) In 2025 she returned to the [Top 40](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-40) with the single "Lover Girl."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/megan-thee-stallion-mn0003727639/biography)
**Act III and Interscope.** In August 2026 she announced a partnership with [Interscope Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/interscope-records) providing global distribution while she retains complete ownership of her masters and publishing through Hot Girl Productions.[2](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/megan-thee-stallion-announces-partnership-with-interscope-records--hot-girl-productions-entering-next-chapter-of-independent-music-career-302851926.html) Her next album, *Megan: Act III*, was in final stages as of mid-2026; she told [Marie Claire](https://www.edgepedia.org/marie-claire) she had experimented with her voice over different kinds of beats in response to the recurring criticism that all her songs share the same flow.[15](https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/megan-thee-stallion-act-iii-album-feelings/)
## Voice and persona
Music theorist Zachary Wallmark, a scholar of music cognition at the [University of Texas at Austin](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-texas-at-austin), analyzed her signature ad-libbed vocable, a creaky-voiced [æ] vowel like the "a" in cat, across all 699 instances in her 101 commercially available songs, and argued that she uses it as a timbre trademark: a recognizable sonic icon of her brand persona tied to the gendered social history of vocal fry.[5](https://mtosmt.org/ojs/index.php/mto/article/view/878)
The phrase "Hot Girl Summer" originated with her on Twitter and became both a song featuring [Nicki Minaj](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicki-minaj) and Ty Dolla $ign and a broader brand identity; scholars have read her "hot girl" rhetoric as redefining the term, coined reductively by New Orleans group the [Hot Boys](https://www.edgepedia.org/hot-boys), by centering women's voices and experiences.[6](https://www.biography.com/musicians/megan-thee-stallion) • [16](https://nanocrit.com/index.php/issues/issue16/Thee-Megan-Movement-Defining-and-Exploring-Hot-Girl-Rhetoric) Her lyrics forthrightly address gender, race, and sex, and her alter ego Tina Snow is inspired by Pimp C.[6](https://www.biography.com/musicians/megan-thee-stallion) • [15](https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/megan-thee-stallion-act-iii-album-feelings/)
## Beyond music
Her brand has expanded into acting and business. In 2026 she made her Broadway debut as nightclub impresario Harold Zidler in *Moulin Rouge! The Musical* at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, the first female-identifying actor to play the role; she left the run early after being hospitalized when she felt ill onstage.[17](https://apnews.com/article/d6aef0f4620366efa4df3a35926916d4) • [18](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/megan-thee-stallion-2026/) She also opened her first Popeyes franchise in Miami's South Beach and launched the Hot Girl Summer Eau de Parfum with Coty, a unisex limited-edition fragrance available in summer 2026.[18](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/megan-thee-stallion-2026/) • [19](https://www.coty.com/news/megan-thee-stallion-enters-fragrance-industry-introduces-new-hot-girl-summer-eau-de-parfum-with-coty)
## References
1. [Megan Thee Stallion Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/megan-thee-stallion-mn0003727639/biography)
2. [Megan Thee Stallion Announces Partnership with Interscope Records & Hot Girl Productions, PR Newswire (August 14, 2026)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/megan-thee-stallion-announces-partnership-with-interscope-records--hot-girl-productions-entering-next-chapter-of-independent-music-career-302851926.html)
3. [5 Takeaways From Megan Thee Stallion's New Album Traumazine, TIME](https://time.com/6205852/megan-thee-stallion-traumazine-analysis/)
4. [Critic Reviews for Megan, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/megan/megan-thee-stallion/critic-reviews)
5. [Zachary Wallmark, "Analyzing Vocables in Rap: A Case Study of Megan Thee Stallion," Music Theory Online 28.2 (2022)](https://mtosmt.org/ojs/index.php/mto/article/view/878)
6. [Megan Thee Stallion Biography, Biography.com](https://www.biography.com/musicians/megan-thee-stallion)
7. [Megan Thee Stallion: Rap, Anime, and the Imagined West, Autry Museum of the American West](https://theautry.org/explore/blog/megan-thee-stallion-rap-anime-and-imagined-west)
8. [Houston Loves Megan Thee Stallion: Inside Her White Oak Show, PAPER Magazine](https://www.papermag.com/megan-thee-stallion-houston-concert)
9. [Megan Thee Stallion review, Coachella 2022, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/megan-thee-stallion-coachella-2022-review-b2059654.html)
10. [Megan Thee Stallion Doesn't Exist to Meet Your Expectations, The Ringer (2020)](https://www.theringer.com/2020/11/24/music/megan-thee-stallion-good-news-review)
11. [Analyzing Vocables in Rap (PDF), Music Theory Online](https://www.mtosmt.org/issues/mto.22.28.2/mto.22.28.2.wallmark.pdf)
12. [Megan Thee Stallion seeks restraining order against Tory Lanez, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/83e18781439708638a78571b09a070a3)
13. [Megan Thee Stallion Has a Warning for Her Haters on 'HISS', TIME](https://time.com/6589029/megan-thee-stallion-hiss-song-meaning/)
14. [Megan Thee Stallion: Megan Tracks & Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/megan-mw0004308198)
15. [https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/megan-thee-stallion-act-iii-album-feelings/](https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/megan-thee-stallion-act-iii-album-feelings/)
16. [Thee Megan Movement: Defining and Exploring Hot Girl Rhetoric, NanoCrit](https://nanocrit.com/index.php/issues/issue16/Thee-Megan-Movement-Defining-and-Exploring-Hot-Girl-Rhetoric)
17. [Megan Thee Stallion takes 2 Broadway shows off after illness during 'Moulin Rouge!', AP News](https://apnews.com/article/d6aef0f4620366efa4df3a35926916d4)
18. [Megan Thee Stallion's Reign Check, Marie Claire (September 2026)](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/megan-thee-stallion-2026/)
19. [Megan Thee Stallion Enters Fragrance Industry with Coty, Coty press release](https://www.coty.com/news/megan-thee-stallion-enters-fragrance-industry-introduces-new-hot-girl-summer-eau-de-parfum-with-coty)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Hip hop scenes worldwide › Artists, groups, and people: Hip hop scenes worldwide › Southern US rap (Atlanta, Memphis, Houston, New Orleans, Florida) › Houston and Texas rap*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license