Megan received generally favorable reviews from music critics, with praise towards the newfound creative freedom on display, although some found it to be uneven. The album was supported by four singles: "Cobra", "Hiss", "Boa", and "Mamushi". "Hiss" became Megan's first solo number-one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200, while all singles peaked within the top 40 in the United States.
Commercially, Megan debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 with 64,000 album-equivalent units earned, and became the rapper's fifth top-ten album on the chart. To promote the album, Megan embarked on the Hot Girl Summer Tour, her first headlining concert tour. The album's deluxe edition, titled Megan: Act II, was released on October 25, 2024.
Background
On October 19, 2023, 1501 Certified revealed that the company and Megan Thee Stallion have mutually parted ways with each other.[1][2] Shortly after, Megan clarified on an Instagram livestream, stating that her album would be self-funded and "the budget is coming from me".[3] Conceptually, the album follows a snake-based theme and motif through the titles of the singles and the promotional material. For the song "Otaku Hot Girl" which pays homage to several anime series she enjoys, she managed to clear some legal paperwork with MAPPA regarding permission pertaining to use of Jujutsu Kaisen characters among those referenced days before the album release.[4]
On October 23, Megan posted on her social media a teaser of her upcoming album stating "Just as a snake sheds it skin, we must shed our past, over and over again" under her independent music and entertainment company Hot Girl Productions.[5][unreliable source] On February 2, 2024, Megan signed a distribution deal with Warner Music Group which would allow her the creative control of an independent artist, but with access to the company's resources.[6]
Release and promotion
On January 30, 2024, Megan Thee Stallion did an interview with Good Morning America, revealing that she planned to tour for that upcoming summer season.[7] On March 20, Megan formally announced the Hot Girl Summer Tour which began May 14 in Minneapolis and is set to conclude August 1 in Chicago.[8] Megan announced the album and its release at the first of two shows at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.[9][10]
Singles
The album's lead single, titled "Cobra" was released on November 3, 2023, alongside a music video directed by Douglas Bernardt.[11] Just five days later, Megan released a rock remix of "Cobra", with the Canadian-American alternative metal band Spiritbox.[12] The single debuted at number 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[13]
The album's second single, titled "Hiss", was released on January 26, 2024, alongside a music video, also directed by Douglas Bernardt.[14] "Hiss" debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Megan's first solo chart-topping single and third overall.[15] It also debuted at number one on the Billboard Global 200, making Megan the first female rapper in a lead role to debut atop the chart in history.[16]
The album's third single, titled "Boa", was released on May 10, 2024.[17] The track debuted at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the third top-40 single from the album.[18]
The album's fourth single, "Mamushi", featuring Japanese rapper Yuki Chiba, was released to urban radio on July 30, 2024.[19] The track peaked at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the fourth top-40 single from the album.[18]
Megan received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album has an average score of 67 based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Karen Gwee of NME wrote that the record project "flows with a palpably higher level of creative boldness", finding it more cohesive than previous albums. Gwee wrote that "Megan was often lashing out; here, she stings with venomous precision" and she "sprawls out, mining different aspects of her identity and personality at her leisure".[21] Maria Sherman of the Associated Press also found that the rapper "sounds as strong as ever, atop chugging riffs and fluttering synths", because "on this album, Megan is most interested in exorcising the demons given to her by haters".[26]
Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian praised the rapper's "satisfyingly brisk and crisp" flow, in which she explained that "Megan's world is one of false friends, mutually adulterous relationships and incessant betrayal, spurred by jealousy", which however "feels merely like the depressing apex of this oppressively navel-gazing rap phenomenon's isolation".[20] Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork defined Megan as "an uneven album so preoccupied with giving every single type of fan exactly what they want", even though he understood the "pressures, especially in rap, where hit-making women have historically been discarded quickly".[22]
Commercial performance
Megan debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, (earning 64,000 album-equivalent units including 16,000 pure sales).[27] The album also accumulated a total of 62.67 million on-demand streams of the album's songs.[27] The album marks the biggest debut, by units, for a rap album released by a woman in 2024, alongside the first top 10-charting album by a female rapper in 2024.[27]
"B.A.S." contains a sample of "Out on a Limb", written and performed by Teena Marie.
"Otaku Hot Girl" samples the bumper music from its second season of Jujutsu Kaisen, and it features an uncredited spoken intro from American voice actor Adam McArthur, who dubs the anime's protagonist Yuji Itadori.
"Find Out" contains a sample from "Do U?", written and performed by Do or Die, Twista, and Johnny P.
