Photo Credit: Marcelo Cantu
We first met Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, professionally known as Megan Thee Stallion, through 2017’s Make It Hot mixtape. Which now serves as a stark caveat of what was still to come for the 25-year-old Texas rapper. After three years of what seems like several whirlwind successes, the Houston “hot girl” is no longer on the JV squad, she’s taken over as captain of the whole freaking team (within the rap game that is). As if right on cue, comes her debut effort Good News. Straight out of the gate, Meg comes in like a lyrical machete on the blistering “Shots Fired.” Using a Notorious B.I.G. sample to pack solid punches as if she’s a finalist on an MTV Raps cipher episode: “I told him you’re not poppin, you just on the remix,” she spews, referencing the July 2020 shooting involving Canadian rapper Tory Lanez.
Popular southern rapper Da Baby lends a helpful hand on the briefly fun and infectious “Cry Baby”, boasting one of the better guest features on the album. As things progress, the combination of old school hip hop sampling and fire lyrics start to blend in with ease throughout, and she does the former perfect justice. For instance, on tracks like the Adina Howard sampled “Freaky Girls” with SZA, she talks transparently about her self-proclaimed player ways. On singles like the Jazmine Sullivan themed “Circles”, she twists up the soulful love ballad with diplomacy but void of emotional overhaul. As she raps: “Why you wanna do the bad b*tch wrong, bout to make this every bad b*tch song // Don’t you hate when you hold somebody down and he switch up and turn out to be a clown.”
With that said, like the previously released radio-friendly singles like “Savage”, “Don’t Stop”, and “Body” already indicated, there’s a little something for everyone throughout this LP, including plenty of sexual innuendos for the fellas and “hot girl” anthems for young women. With surprisingly great hooksthrough the duration of the project, this proves to be her strongest attribute and Meg is a master at it. Catchy and attention grabbing, this ability carries a good part of Good News, serving as the common denominator to bring everything together. This is evident on songs like the bold and blaring “Sugar Baby” and the free-flowing snares of “Outside.” Both of which probably won’t even be released, but even the samples that got airplay were incredibly good. “I’m a hot girl, I do hot sh*t, spent this income on a outfit,” she reaffirms on “Girls in the Hood.”
Albeit, Good News comes in at around a lengthy 20 songs, encompassing tracks that are mostly all under 3-minutes long. As a result, about halfway through the compilation starts to feel more like an elongated mixtape (i.e. Tina Snow and Suga) more so than an official studio album. Ensuing a few hiccups that could have been avoided (mainly collaboration wise). Meg is at her best when she stays on her matter-of-fact type of flows. Confidence and bravado is her strength, but only when she doesn’t compromise.
“Go Crazy” featuring Big Sean and 2 Chainz is not terrible, but isn’t memorable and the Lil Durk assisted “Movie”, despite being one of the better produced tracks featuring a slick signature trap based background, is unfortunately only saved by Meg’s pinpoint rhymes. The track “Do It On The Tip” is flanked by the Miami party-based group City Girls who provide an enjoyable sensually charged provocative feature, but it’s nothing we haven’t heard from fellow female MC’s before.
Good News showcases all sides of Megan Thee Stallion’s repertoire. Personally, professionally and artistically. From college girl to “hot girl”, to switching up her wigs, she continues to show us that she can indeed do it all, in the sweetest multitude of ways. And this time with Meg’s debut, it was no different. With that said, one has to wonder what she’ll come with next! Stay tuned.
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