Is Megan Thee Stallion Lazy…Or Are You Uninformed?  

By Aaron Curry

As days go on we get closer to the release of Megan Thee Stallion’s 3rd act album. So far she’s dropped two “Tina Tuesdays” which are a twist on her freestyle rap series “Megan Mondays” from her album Something for Thee Hotties– and they were amazing. All three tracks each had their own energy, sharing punchy but funny lyrics like “like I’m a planet, I keep me a son.” “Thin Ice” and “Is You Cool” are my two favorites; The former has an aggressive rock feel with a sample by Limp Bizkit, and the latter has a smooth sound that you would play while riding in your Cadillac. 

But with every release there’s the same conversation surrounding it: That Megan Thee Stallion’s flows all sound the same, and she raps about the same stuff. I don’t agree. I think there’s a large confusion between flow and rhythm. People are assuming her use of the triplet flow, commonly used by southern rappers, is her just being lazy. Which I argue is the complete opposite, instead it shows her study of the craft. And the idea that she raps about the same stuff is just plain wrong. Yes, the songs that people make popular may sound the same, but if you really listen to her music besides those, you’ll hear the difference in subject matter. 

WHAT’S FLOW? 

To start off, flow is NOT rhythm. Flow is referring to the cadence of a delivery. She doesn’t hold the same cadence, she actually flips between multiple types regularly. Melodic flow can be heard in tracks like “Star”, “Crying in the Car”, and “Best Friend”. Then there is double time flow, which is when someone packs more syllables in each bar. This can be on heard in tracks like “Whenever”, “BOA”, and “Cocky asf”. Her most common flow –the one people seem to think she doesn’t change from– is the triplet flow. This one is best described as the swingy bounce used by most southern rappers like Project Pat, UGK, etc. 

Now that you know the difference between flow and rhythm, before you continue reading I encourage you to turn these songs on and hear what each flow style sounds like. You’ll also begin to notice how she switches between those three types a lot on each track as well. It’s very rare to listen to a song of hers that’s written with the same type. 

FROM THE SOUTH…

Not only do I think this discussion stems from that confusion, a lot of this conversation stems from ignorance of the southern rap artform. Many of the people who say these things couldn’t tell you what chopped n’ screwed means or who Mannie Fresh or Jeezy is. 

There’s a disregard of information that I see a lot whenever it comes to this discussion, or music discussion period. While this may seem lazy, or boring to you, there’s an entire part of the country that bumps this regularly. And some of the music you hear today is heavily influenced by Southern hip-hop. 

Of course I can’t deny people from saying their opinion – freedom of speech! But I do think before people make broad claims they should have enough information to back them up when they’re inevitably given a counter argument. And said information should be correct too. 

GIVE US SOMETHING NEW…

The claim of Megan rapping about the same stuff has always been flawed to me as well because she doesn’t. Flat out. The idea that she raps about the exact same subject matter in every track neglects the other records she has that speak about her mental health, struggle, and  redemption. In “Cobra”, she raps about her mental state after the loss of family and the hatred she faced by the public. 

“Breakin down and I had the whole world watchin

But the worst part is really who watched me?”

In another song “Crying in the Car” she raps what sounds like a prayer. 

“Please don’t give up on me Lord

Promise to keep going hard” 

She also shares that what she’s gone through is the reason why she continues to work. 

“And that’s why I keep going harder. 

And harder.” 

Lastly, on her track “Worthy”, she raps affirmations continuously for the chorus.

“I’m worthy, Not worthless” 

“I shouldn’t have to beg for your love, I deserve it.” 

In these songs we see the growth from struggle to redemption. I don’t mean to sound like a super fan with this article, but I do think it’s important to look at all factors, and do the proper information before we make claims on another person’s art form.