TIME Magazine revealed its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world today and rapper Megan Thee Stallion graced one of the covers! The Weeknd, J Balvin, Selena Gomez, and Halsey were among the notable musicians named on the TIME 100 list.
Megan Thee Stallion’s entry was written by actress Taraji P. Henson. “I remember hearing Megan Thee Stallion on one of those famous DJ radio shows a few years ago. She rode the beat like I’d never heard anybody ride the beat in a long time,” Henson wrote. Find TIME’s full list here.
Check out Megan’s cover below:
Henson said about Megan, “I don’t like to put the stigma of the word “Strong” on Black women because I think it dehumanizes us. But Megan — she’s got a strength. She is the epitome of tenacity,” Henson began.
“She was shot this summer and still people tried to tear her down,” Henson said, referring to an incident in July where rapper Tory Lanez shot her after an argument in an SUV.
In Megan Thee Stallion’s TIME 100 interview, she talked about how she grew up. With her father in prison, Megan grew up with her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.According to her, they always made her feel like a princess, regardless of whether or not they were struggling.
In her interview, Megan also talked about her WAP music video with fellow rapper Cardi B; the uproar it caused among American politicians. The 25-year-old rapper said she was “taken aback”.
The TIME 100 honoree also spoke about female collaborations in the industry. Megan has collaborated with living legend Beyonce, as well as both feuding rappers Nicki Minaj and Cardi B.
Megan represents a fresh and wholesome era in the rap game; where women support each other rather than play into public puppetry and start beefing. With two songs on No. 1 and 2 of the Billboard HOT 100s, it is clear that Megan’s only competition is herself.
Megan Thee Stallion became a platinum-selling artist with the viral hit Hot Girl Summer; and multiple No. 1 songs in the past year, Savage and WAP. She is a symbol of female sexual liberation and self-expression.
But according to Taraji P. Henson, “you would be a fool to think that’s all there is to her. She’s deep. She’s enrolled in college. Megan is an entertainer. She’s a free spirit; I see that in her.”
“The industry might try to pigeonhole her in this rap game, but she’s got a plan that’s much bigger. And we got her. I just want her to keep winning,” Henson concluded.
