Megan Thee Stallion Talks About Facing Double-Standards as a Female Rapper: 'I'm Not Going Nowhere'
In just a few short years, Megan Thee Stallion has already left her mark on the rap industry and has no plans to stop anytime soon.
Covering the May issue of Marie Claire, the 25-year-old artist — born Megan Jovon Ruth Pete — talked about her experience as a female rapper in a male-dominated industry, and the double standard that can sometimes cloud one’s career.
“A man can be as mediocre as he wants to be but still be praised,” Megan told the outlet. Well-known for her songs like “Hot Girl Summer” and recently “Savage,” she has proved to not shy away from writing unfiltered and unapologetic lyrics that critics have claimed are too sexual and overtly raunchy.
“A man can talk about how he’s about to do all of these drugs and then come and shoot your house up. But as soon as I say something about my vagina, it’s the end of the world?” she told Marie Claire.
Micaiah Carter Megan Thee Stallion
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Megan adds that the negativity surrounding her music is simply hypocrisy founded on a fear of powerful women who aren’t afraid to speak up and use their voice.
“What are you really mad about? You cannot be mad about me rapping about sex. That’s not what you’re mad about. It’s something deeper,” she explained. “Not only am I rapping about sex, I’m rapping about you making me feel good. I’m not rapping about licking on you. No, you’re going to do what I told you to do, and I feel like sometimes that can be a little intimidating.
“Sometimes it’s overwhelming to some men. They can’t handle it, they get a little shook, they get a little scared,” she added. “But I’m not going nowhere, so get used to it.”
Not only is Megan continuing to her career in the rap industry with full-force, but she’s working towards a degree in health-care administration at Texas Southern University, proving even more so that she’s a force to be reckoned with.
“I never had a plan B; I always had two plan As. I knew I wanted to go to school, but I knew I wanted to pursue music,” she said, telling the outlet that due to her hectic schedule, most of her education is online. “When you really want to do something, you’re really going to put your mind to doing it. And I really want to do both. I have to do both.”
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RELATED VIDEO: Megan Thee Stallion Shares Her Tips for a Hot Girl Summer
Megan Thee Stallion Shares Her Tips for a Hot Girl Summer
Megan Thee Stallion Shares Her Tips for a Hot Girl Summer
Her strong-willed mindset and work ethic is something she learned from the three generations of powerful women who helped raise her, she told the magazine, including her mom, grandmother and great-grandmother.
“I would see her fit in writing after work and before work,” Megan recalls of her mother, Holly Thomas, a bill collector who also pursued a career in rap under the moniker Holly-Wood. “I’m used to seeing that work ethic.”
Megan lost her mother, who helped manage her music career, to a brain tumor in March 2019. Her father died when she was a freshman in high school.
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“My dad was definitely my best friend, but for the first eight years of my life, he was in jail,” she said. “When he got out, we were together everyday.”
Her relationship with her father was another reason that Megan learned to be the strong, confident woman she is today. “I saw how he treated my mom, and I saw how my dad treated me,” she added. “I have so many strong positive influences. I’m not going to lower my standards.”
Micaiah Carter Megan Thee Stallion
The Houston native recently released her latest EP, Suga, which she admitted that she won’t call an album.
“That’s big pressure. That’s like a husband,” Meg said. “Projects are like, ‘We’re dating, we’re getting to know each other, we’re getting comfortable.'”
Megan dropped the nine tracks under Suga in early March amid some legal drama with her first record label 1501. Suga follows her 2019 album Fever.
