A nearly unparalleled feat, Megan Thee Stallion has topped the Billboard 100 with her de facto diss track, “HISS.” Last week, she lit social media feeds, and subsequently ignited a feud with Nicki Minaj with the single. Now, the song brings home a second #1 debut for the Houston rapper.
Megan Thee Stallion & “HISS” Top Billboard Amid Ongoing Nicki Minaj Feud
If you somehow missed the moment-to-moment chaos in the wake of Meg’s latest release, “HISS” became an instant headline for its incendiary lyrical content. Above all else, the line “these h*** don’t be mad at Megan / These h*** mad at Megan’s Law” was a powder keg, largely interpreted as a shot at former collaborator Nicki Minaj and the highly publicized controversy surrounding her husband’s life. While Minaj took to Instagram Live and Twitter for a flurry of responses in the hours after the song’s release, a true response wouldn’t come in earnest until a few days later. “Big Foot,” a 4-minute counter-diss that contained both a pointed verse and threatening spoken outro, instantly elevated the spat into 2024’s first bonafide rap beef.
New Achievement Catapults Meg Into Chart History
Importantly, the spat between the two artists didn’t end with just releasing music, as no doubt both artists recognized how commercial performance of their songs would play into public perception of who “won.” A microcosm of chart-rending strategy abound in the industry, both rappers’ singles either dropped alongside or received updates of new versions. As it stands, “HISS” has been rendered as an instrumental, a chopped and screwed version and as a DJ edit. Likewise, “BIG FOOT” rolled out with its a cappella.
In an ironic parallel, with “HISS,” Megan Thee Stallion becomes the second female rapper to debut two songs atop Billboard, her first being “WAP” alongside Cardi B. The only such artist to do so before her? Nicki Minaj, hitting that achievement with the successes of “Super Freaky Girl” and a feature on 6ix9ine’s “TROLLZ.”
Since the whirlwind controversy that began the dispute last week, things have seemingly cooled down between Meg & Minaj—at least for now. As one of the biggest stories in the early goings-on of 2024, we’ll be here to cover whatever occurs next though, so stay locked in to musicdaily.com.
