In her second single in the past few months, Megan Thee Stallion is heated, continuing her snake-centric era on “HISS” while addressing critics, rival rappers and the industry as a whole.
“HISS” Sees Megan Thee Stallion Send Shots Far & Wide
Musically, “HISS” slides cohesively into the recent Megan Thee Stallion catalog. Built on a foundation of striking piano notes and hard-hitting 808s, a minimal arrangement instead cedes space for her on-mic persona to take center stage. Compare that to “Cobra,” her last single released in November, which had far more bells and whistles production-wise and potentially opened up a more experimental lane for the “Savage” rapper. As a pair, this is a sign that whatever full-length Meg pursues in the future is double-sided, threading the needle between new territory and her trademark Southern staples.
With that said, we can turn to the real attraction—the pointed and scorching lyrics that Megan lays over top. Upset with nearly everyone on “HISS,” Meg takes time to address both industry trends and criticism in the wake of the highly public Tory Lanez feud and subsequent trial. To that end, her answer to that situation is brief and conclusive: “Any man go against me, I handle s*** / I’m the Teflon Don in the courtroom / They be throwin’ that dirt don’t s*** stick.”
As for the more wide-ranging shots she takes, Megan chooses a few spots to address her male counterparts in the genre at large. First up is drug use promoted in music: “All these lil rap n***** so fraud, Xanax be they hardest bars.” Then comes the oft-maligned “fake streams:” “These n***** don’t have fans, they bots.” Finally, people pretending to be something they’re not: “Cosplay gangsters, fake-a** accents / Posted in another n***** hood like a bad b****.”
The Houston Rapper Ignites Beef with Nicki Minaj
But no doubt, the biggest headlines center around one lyric in the chorus. “These h*** don’t be mad at Megan / These h*** mad at Megan’s Law,” widely interpreted as a shot at fellow superstar Nicki Minaj. Without getting entirely into the details, Minaj’s husband is the connection, who to put it lightly, had a sordid past before tying the knot with the “Anaconda” rapper. Since the song dropped on Friday, she received and responded to the diss at length, over the course of an Instagram live, a teased response track and a few incensed tweets.
As of right now, “HISS” itself is the only volley on Megan’s side of things. With the lengthy initial response from Nicki, though, it seems fair to say that this won’t be the end of this potential feud, so stay locked into Music Daily for any updates in the near future. For now, you can find “HISS” on all streaming platforms, and find its accompanying visual on Meg’s YouTube channel.
