Megan Thee Stallion is on the September/ October Cover of Essence channeling her alter ego Tina Snow.
In her editorial, she discusses her new album, how she is leveling up and how rap and music have impacted and is impacting her now.
Here are few snips:
About embracing personal space
As the world embraced Hot Girl Meg, she herself became justifiably guarded, having rapped about people who want to get close to those with material goods.
“There are probably approximately four people around me on a daily basis,” she says. “I don’t see a lot of people, I don’t talk to a lot of people, because I feel like it’s not good for me.
I figured out that my personal space is what keeps me balanced and it’s what keeps me centered.”
Most magic is built out of isolation anyway, right?
The southern sound, and more specifically the Texas sound, is one that Megan is in touch with— think barking, speaker-rattling bass and rolling hi-hats.
She’s sure to enunciate, something she reveals she didn’t do as much at the start of her career; but her pronunciation is still touched by her home state.
“Thing” becomes “thang,” “never” is “neva,” “hungry” becomes something like “hone-gry.” Her go-to producer, Lil Ju Made Da Beat, balances Houston’s “heartfelt” qualities with his readiness to “turn up.”
“I’m from Dallas, so the ‘Dougie’ and just all the dancing songs from when I was a youth, that is all still embedded in me,” he says.
About her album
Megan’s reluctance to share who will appear on her next album is understandable, given the frequency of leaked tracks, last-minute sample snags, and premature news stories.
She can provide insight into the overall feel of the project, though. “I feel like [my new album] will be aggressive,” she says. “I feel like this project is definitely something very well thought out.
This project is me talking my sh–, getting back comfortable with myself, getting back to the Megan that was on the come-up.”
She speaks almost wistfully of that blonde-haired, pinup-style Meg, who made macking feel empowering with Instagram caption–ready lyrics.
About Self Improvement
Megan focuses on the overall prize, in rap, and in life: self-improvement. “Every time I make a move, I’m like, ‘Okay, how can we be better than Megan last month?’” she says.
“‘How can we be better than Megan last year?’” The strive never ends, and the grind follows suit.
