Times are changing, Megan Thee Stallion is on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and she is the first female rapper ever, to do it.
She joins Naomi Osaka and Leyna Bloom.
According to an exclusive with People Megan shared how she felt the moment she got the call:
When I got the call that they wanted me on the cover, I was like, ‘Wha—? Me?’ And to be the first female rapper on the swim cover makes it extra special,” Megan, 26, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “It feels amazing!”
For the winning shot, the rapper models a light brown bikini with strappy cutout top and high-cut string bottoms; inside, she poses in the sand as the tide washes in, wearing a hot pink petal-inspired top with bright green bottoms.
She tells PEOPLE the whole experience shooting was “magical,” thanks in part to her serious prep.
“I had been training for months and I was super prepared. I got into the shoot right away. [Photographer] James [Macari] said he usually doesn’t get into the water until the fourth or fifth set-up, but we were both in the ocean from the start,” Megan says. “The day was perfect and I had a blast.”
In fact, she says working with the whole team at SI Swim was “one of the best experiences in my life” and praises the magazine’s focus on transcending traditional beauty standards.
“I think they are on the forefront when it comes to diversity and inclusion because they do not fear change, they lean into it,” Megan says.
“They see the world and have it reflect on the cover and pages inside. That is why they have been so successful.”
This is what she shared on Instagram:
View this post on Instagram
Megan says her love for the magazine goes back to another history-making cover star, Tyra Banks (who became the first Black model to snag a solo cover in 1997 — and posed again in 2019!).
“My earliest memory of a SI Swimsuit cover was Tyra,” Megan recalls. “I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this girl looks like me!’
Here is this stunning Black woman owning her curves and it made a big impact. It made me think, maybe I can be on the cover of SI Swim one day. And guess what — I am!”
Another SI Swim alum the rapper looks up to? Her collaborator and mentor, Beyoncé (who posed for the 2007 issue).
“I was so surprised when she did the cover, because I had only ever seen models before,” Megan says. “I think she was the first musician to ever be on the cover.”
The 2021 issue has three cover stars; in addition to Megan, there’s tennis champ Naomi Osaka and model and actress Leyna Bloom, who makes history as the first transgender cover star.
The 2021 issue has three cover stars; in addition to Megan, there’s tennis champ Naomi Osaka and model and actress Leyna Bloom, who makes history as the first transgender cover star.
Day calls Megan a “magnetic powerhouse taking the world by storm” who, together with Osaka and Bloom, “represent three of the most powerful voices of today.” The issue will be out on July 22nd.
