Megan Thee Stallion
photo: adweek · cc by 3.0 ↗Megan Jovon Ruth Pete grew up in Houston's South Park and Pearland, tagging along to her mother Holly-Wood's rap sessions before viral freestyle videos led to a deal with 1501 Certified Entertainment. Her 2019 mixtape Fever and 2020 EP Suga built her 'Tina Snow' alter ego straight out of Houston's slow, syrup-drenched rap tradition, pairing unbothered, sexually explicit bravado with the talk-rap cadence of the Southern and Memphis rap she grew up on. In 2021 she became only the second female rapper, after Lauryn Hill, to win the Grammy for Best New Artist.
Megan has said her dad played Three 6 Mafia around the house growing up and has called the group a major influence on her as a musician; her 2019 mixtape Fever samples them twice, including 'Big Drank,' which lifts directly from 'Sippin' on Some Syrup.'
listen forLine up Three 6 Mafia's 'Sippin' on Some Syrup' against Megan's 'Big Drank' — the same murky, syrup-slow bounce and hook, with Megan rapping straight over the same groove.
Megan has said she grew up on Pimp C and UGK, and built her 'Tina Snow' persona directly on Pimp C's alter ego Tony Snow, citing his 2006 solo album Pimpalation for its talk-rap delivery and cockiness.
listen forPlay UGK's 'One Day' and then Megan's 'Big Ole Freak' back to back — the same dragging, low-slung 808 pocket and unbothered, matter-of-fact brag delivery, just filtered through her Houston drawl.
Megan counts Biggie's lyrics among her core influences and has repeatedly freestyled over his instrumentals ('Big Poppa,' 'Hypnotize'); critics trace her trash-talking bravado back through Biggie and Lil' Kim's mid-90s New York rap.
listen forSet Biggie's 'Hypnotize' against Megan's 'Realer' — both open on ice-cold self-assurance, cramming dense internal rhyme into a strutting, hook-heavy boast.