Since the debut of Hot Girl Summer in 2019, Megan Thee Stallion’s increase to cultural dominance seems to have been obscured by heartbreak, deception, public scrutiny, online bullying and. In answer to that, she’s thrown up a set of inspirations, each ferocious, flirty, and amusing than the last: Tina Snow, Suga, Hot Girl Meg!. On her album, the shock update Traumazine, Meg takes on many challenging roles: herself. Songs for Jay-Z’s 4th album: 44 and Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Motivation the Big Steppers is the latest update to the therapy-rap series, Megan takes on the daunting task of assembling a palatable and diverse album about her pain in a community and musical genre, and it incredibly disparages Black people and abandons their hurt — and all the while supposedly becoming thwarted by her group. Overall, Her need to sustain an unaffected pic takes priority over true introspection and evolved risk-taking, a blatant screwup on an album advertised as her many vulnerable to deadline.
But Meg is really unwrapping the strands and trying to show us a different side to her. Sure scenes, Traumazine says the lyric style of a record introduction. On “Anxiety” she opens about her struggles with mental health, and provokes the history of famous women whom the difficulties have been similarly selected apart by the press: Marilyn Monroe, Britney Spears, Whitney Houston. But also when she evokes emotionally raw thinking, the voice of the producer doesn’t somehow game the gravity of her speech. The helpful and uplifting music stricken Meg’s heartfelt ruminations that he’ll never have to create again to her late mother. On “Flip Flop” a closer timbre match, Megan adheres to the durability and a bit of liveliness which has allowed her to thrive in the business and in life.
He spoke out about the relationship deception she felt on Good News and Something for The Hotties, including in insightful op-eds and conversations, Traumazine marks the first time Meg has completely influenced socio-political comments into her song, with the exception of the short “Justice for Breonna Taylor” note in “Shots Fired.” On “Not Nice” she raps, “The neck was not light adequate/My pronunciation is not adequate/Or perhaps I’m not really shaping the way that creates these hats which offers a fuck” shining a light on the rampant misogyny she endured these past couple of years. Meg is known for celebrating her body in visuals and lyrics, but in this context, it’s a call to those who enjoy her sexualized image but refuse to acknowledge her personhood. She continues this thread through multiple mentions of embracing her natural hair and beauty: “I’m Black, Biggie… Biggie Black… My Afro my Powerpuff.” So he’s recapturing her skin from anyone who’s selected her separately, from the trashiest social networks poster to the United States Supreme Court, and she ranked off “Gift & a Curse” with the edge, “My Motherfucking Body! /My choice.”
When it involves taunts, Megan nonetheless breaks down. She provides lines that make you thankful you’re not her focus: “You got the roaches in your crib, sharin’ snacks with your kids.” Although her quips are not quite as strong as in past songs, on ’90s-inspired songs like’ “Plan B” and “Not Nice!” She hammers into the tenacity of a war emcee and the energizing force of Queen Latifah to show that songwriting and distribution are her arms. Yet on messy producer — the Murda Beatz label’s move threatens to mark a new turning point “Gift & Curse” and the quirky theremin test on “Scary” — her tone remains steadfast and deadly. When she appropriates the bouncy house rhythm and staccato lyrics of a waltz song for a TikTok-ready song “Her” Her distribution highlights the effort she has put in to fit the imagination.
The featured artists are a mixed bag. Megan and Latto are a real group on the board “Budget”: Two Southern people whose braggadocious attitudes add one another make it sound like they’re spewing on naysayers. Side twice, it feels like Meg climbed onto her collaborator’s music rather than on her own. She fits the music power of “Sweetest Pie!” a partnership with Dua Lipa that says a repetitive Future Nostalgia template. Lucky Daye glows on “Star Wars” an airy Zara dressing room musical where Megan sang the in a similar style to her Instagram active songs. It’s a nice change of scenery to listen to Meg corny in fondness on a song, Jhen é Aiko’s nice vocals are worse than vital on “Consistency.” Futures ‘underwhelming capacity to serve “Pressurelicious” it really isn’t worth the 250,000 for it price.
On “Southside Royalty Freestyle” the Meg who hooked the internet’s focus with superstar passages in parking lot encryption today results in her possess. On a music labeled by concerns of deception and solitude, it’s relaxing listening to Houston artists Sauce Walka, Lil ‘Keke, Big Pokey — the noise of Meg’s urban support system supporting her up. Sauce Walka’s stream-of-consciousness diatribe over strong drums and an Isley Brothers test offer the song the feel of an active video or further strengthen Megan’s position as the pioneer of a new generation of Southern music. Like centuries before her, he’s received the chewing disparage songs, intoxicating confidence, and adaptability to move between genres. Greatest notably, She’s earnest as she remains to even further a social investigation of the vilification of Black people within music. A concept music, Traumazine is an awkward drug. But as a definition of the word “Healing is not linear” its relevance couldn’t become more straightforward.
