“You have to impose, in fact—this may sound very strange—you have to decide who you are, and force the world to deal with you, not with its idea of you.” —James Baldwin The late, sharp-witted Guru of hip-hop duo Gang Starr believed a prominent voice was required to prosper as an emcee. “A lot of rappers got flavor, and some got skills, but if your voice ain't dope, then you need to chill,” he raps on “Mostly Tha Voice,” a deep cut found on Gang Starr’s classic, fourth studio album, Hard to Earn. He knew then, in 1994, that having the wordplay of a grand wizard wouldn’t matter if a lyricist's key instrument was a scrawny, incoherent screech. Twenty-five years later, rap is accessible to every voice imaginable. Newcomers over the past three decades have widened a vocal spectrum of what’s identified as effective; the lowest baritones coincide on every playlist with the highest sopranos and pitch-corrected robots. Now, during a period in hip-hop where similar flows and overlapping subject matter dominate mainstream rap, lyrics must be told and sold in a manner that’s enamoring. Only the most talented will last when an industry is saturated. As a guest feature on Wale’s 2018 single “Pole Dancer,” Houston-born rapper Megan Thee Stallion provided an example for what standing out sounds like. From the start of her dynamic second verse, there is attention-demanding gravitation to her weighty, southern voice; strong and assertive like a sheriff in an old western, the 24-year-old wordsmith eases from line to line with an effortless, authoritative bravado. Megan isn’t a dancer in this establishment; she’s the club owner. Megan’s not a guest on the record; she’s the co-star. Megan’s verse isn’t long, but there are three flow switches worth admiring, each as smooth as a jewel thief following in the footsteps of Selina Kyle. Megan’s a natural performer. She doesn’t waste a single bar. But what makes her boast distinctive—from making a man shake like a stripper during sex to driving a Porsche with a woman named Mercedes—is the larger-than-life confidence that sits behind every word. In 2019, a rapper’s voice should never sound uncertain. Confidence often separates the convincing from the con artists. Similar to being a salesman, rappers must understand their verses are pitches, and the more believable the pitch, the more likely listeners will buy into their identity. Megan Thee Stallion wouldn’t be an exciting act if her talent for sex-positive songwriting and memorable wordplay weren’t united with her bulletproof poise and compelling presence. In August 2016, Merrick Needham organized and presented a 19-minute rap cypher featuring 11 artists, all based in Houston. Even then, as a rapper on the rise, the young Stallion was able to exude the persuasive charm of Florida rap starlet Trina and the brazen energy of late Port Arthur, Texas legend Pimp C. Megan doesn’t stand out because she’s the only woman participant; she’s the only rapper fully aware of her style and individuality. She knew her pitch early. Megan’s spirit of self—that middle ground between art and sex—has been molded and developed over the past three years. It’s present across her 2018 EP, Tina Snow, which features breakout single “Big Ole Freak.” Watching the first lady of 300 Entertainment perform her Beat’s 1 "Fire In The Booth" freestyle, I had flashbacks to Lil Wayne during his mid-2000s “Best Rapper Alive” campaign—a refining writer with towering conviction. It’s risky to say you’re the best living rap artist since JAY-Z retired, but at every turn, the former New Orleans Hot Boy intended to demonstrate it. Megan Thee Stallion isn’t making hyperbolic proclamations, though. For years, she has consistently presented herself as a rapper to be reckoned with. All the cyphers and freestyle videos that have resurfaced since her recent rise all share the same charm; it was only a matter of time before the Hot Girl caught fire. In the excellent short story collection Black Jesus and Other Superheroes, fiction author Venita Blackburn wrote, “Authenticity never made much sense really. All that is real is what is in front of us if the satisfaction is absolute.” With rap, a medium built upon storytelling and personal narratives, the audience never knows what’s truly authentic. What matters most, however, is what satisfies what’s real. To rhyme into a microphone without the ability to conjure the necessary charisma that allows your every word to translate as bona fide is no different from a lion trying to hunt without teeth, or a fish trying to swim without gills. There’s an art to having and displaying confidence that plays into how artists and their music can resonate. Confidence appears not only in song, but also in visuals, interviews, live performances, and social media posts. Megan is aware of her identity, and she knows how to pitch herself musically, artistically, and aesthetically. Hip-hop is always searching for a voice to believe in, and in Megan, I trust. By Yoh, aka Yoh Thee Writer, aka @Yoh31<doc-sep>There's nobody like Megan Thee Stallion. The Houston-born rapper marched into The FADER FORT on Friday night dressed in a black cowboy hat and black corset, promising "real hot girl shit" to a capacity crowd. She barely paused, twerking every time she lowered her mic, tearing through her set. The whole thing was a highlight in itself, but the gigantic "Big Ole Freak" captured all of her magic. Watch that performance at the top of the page. ADVERTISEMENT<doc-sep>Megan Thee Stallion has arrived. Since signing to 300 Entertainment last year, the Houston rapper has experienced a rapid rise in popularity. She’s received co-signs from big-name acts like Rihanna and Wale, has been compared to legends such Lil Kim and Trina, and released her debut album, Tina Snow, back in December. But the artist has no intentions of slowing down. On Thursday night, Megan delivered the unapologetically raunchy cut “Sex Talk,” the lead single off her forthcoming sophomore album Fever. Megan briefly spoke about the project during a recent interview with Complex at SXSW. “Fever, definitely is going to give Tina Snow a run for her money,” she said. “Like, she's definitely coming for her things.” Check out “Sex Talk” on Apple Music/iTunes and via Spotify below. You can also watch Megan’s Complex interview, in which discusses her alter egos, love for horror films, and overall ambitions, in the video here.<doc-sep>A screenshot of Cardi B's Instagram Story surfaced earlier this week which read, “Ain’t no hoe taking my spot. Stop BAPPIN." Many thought this was a dig at Megan Thee Stallion but Cardi took to social media to clear up the rumors. Cardi B made it clear that she doesn't have any feud with Megan Thee Stallion. She took to Twitter to clarify the Instagram Story, claiming that she hasn't even really been online in the first place. "I barely been getting online. I haven’t been talking to nobody just straight promoting! Stop putting me in bullshit let me keep minding my business in peace. Thank you," she wrote. Megan Thee Stallion also appeared to address the rumors shortly after Cardi. "If you’re a real hottie, please spread positivity. we real around here and we fw everybody that fw us. No dry hating no dry beef," she wrote on Twitter. Megan Thee Stallion recently addressed the competition among female rappers. She explained the competitive nature is part of hip-hop but at some point, it won't necessarily be like that forever. “I feel like since, like, forever, it has only been, like, one female rapper at a time. And naturally, women are competitive. So I feel like, without beef, hip-hop probably wouldn’t even be what it is, so it’s good to have, like, a little friendly competition here and there,” Megan said told Essence. “ Just because we might be rapping about some of the same things, we’re not doing it in the same way. There’s enough room for all of us to eat. So as soon as we can get that together, then we’ll be all right.”<doc-sep>
Cardi B Addresses Rumours Of Online Beef With Rapper Megan Thee Stallion Cardi B Addresses Megan Thee Stallion Online Feud Rumours. Picture: Getty/Instagram Cardi B took to social media to address beef rumours between her and Megan Thee Stallion... Cardi B has made it clear that she is trying to stay clear of drama and she's very much about being a mother to Baby Kulture and a good girlfriend to Offset. Cardi recently has been avoiding rumours that have her name involved. Although Iggy Azelia has been accused of copying her "Money" track with her new single "Sally Walker", Cardi has not paid any attention to the situation. However, Cardi needed to let it be known that nobody could ever be her. Cardi B took to Twitter to make it clear that nobody is taking her spot. The Bodak Yellow superstar, tweeted: “Ain’t no hoe taking my spot. Stop BAPPIN." Many thought this was directed at the new hot rapper Megan Thee Stallion. However, Cardi cleared up the rumours on social media. Cardi B made it clear that she doesn't have any feud with Megan Thee Stallion. She took to Twitter to clarify her Instagram Story, where she says nobody could ever take her spot. I barely been getting online., I haven’t been talking to nobody just straight promoting!Stop putting me in bullshit let me keep minding my business in peace .Thank you❤️ — iamcardib (@iamcardib) March 19, 2019 Cardi told fans that she hasn't even really been online as of recently. The star tweeted: "I barely been getting online. I haven’t been talking to nobody just straight promoting! Stop putting me in bullshit let me keep minding my business in peace. Thank you," she wrote. Megan Thee Stallion also appeared to address the rumours after Cardi had addressed them. The "Big 'Ol Freak" rapper, took to twitter and said: "If you’re a real hottie, please spread positivity. we real around here and we fw everybody that fw us. No dry hating no dry beef,". Megan Thee Stallion recently spoke out on the competition among female rappers. She revealed that the competitive nature is part of hip-hop but at some point, it has it's limits. If you’re a real hottie, please spread positivity 💙 we real around here and we fw everybody that fw us. No dry hating no dry beef 🔥 — TINA SNOW (@theestallion) March 19, 2019 In an interview with Essence, Megan revealed how she felt about female rappers coming up in the hip-hop game. She revealed: “I feel like since, like, forever, it has only been, like, one female rapper at a time. And naturally, women are competitive. So I feel like, without beef, hip-hop probably wouldn’t even be what it is, so it’s good to have, like, a little friendly competition here and there,”. The 24 year-old artist added: “Just because we might be rapping about some of the same things, we’re not doing it in the same way. There’s enough room for all of us to eat. So as soon as we can get that together, then we’ll be all right.” Megan seems to be about positivity and supporting females in the industry, no beef there...