Megan Thee Stallion isn’t about women tearing each other down. In a new profile for W Magazine, the “WAP” rapper chatted at length about the industry and shared how she was inspired by the many women in rap who came before her and paved the way for her success.
In her interview, Meg shouted out and praised several female rappers, defying the industry stereotype that women in hip hop are encouraged to tear their rivals down.
She acknowledged that one of the first female rapper’s who inspired her to get started was Nicki Minaj, saying “I had never heard a woman rapping that hard before. So it just instantly drew me to her. I was a freshman in high school, and me and all my friends were definitely jamming a lot of Nicki Minaj, and then, boom, Cardi B came out and it was like, Oh, sh*t, another girl rapping.”
Nicki and Cardi opened her eyes to the women who came years before, like Lil’ Kim and Eve. “I got old enough and realized that I needed to go back and do my homework,” she said. “I fell in love with Kim because she’s so raunchy and raw. She has bars, metaphors, but it’s still hard, and she doesn’t have a squeaky little voice. I don’t have a squeaky voice. My voice is pretty commanding. My first time looking at Eve, it was like, Oh my God, this lady is just supersexy. She was smooth, sensual. I just felt like that was my vibe.”
In the tradition of the Lil’ Kims, Trinas, and Missy Elliotts, Megan has also taken the liberty of being explicit in her songs. Still, being a woman in rap and owning her sexuality has had its difficulties. Just last month the rapper was shot in an alleged domestic dispute with Tory Lanez – and the public reaction was disheartening to say the least.
“It’s really mind-blowing to see the nasty things that people say to you. I don’t know if people think you not gon’ see it,” Megan said. “I feel like just being an artist, waking up every day, voicing your own opinions is a risk… Just talking. Being real is a risk.”
In the aftermath of this online retribution, Megan found an ally in Nicki Minaj. “It’s so important for women to feel inspired to achieve goals outside of social media, where the focus is usually placed on their bodies or who they’re dating at the time,” Nicki recently told Variety. “Women are more than just baby mamas, and we can continue to prove that by being goal oriented, bettering ourselves and being independent. Megan is the perfect example that we can have fun and be smart at the same time.”
It’s refreshing to see women supporting each other in a genre that is known for pitting them against each other. Megan and Nicki are just some of the female rapper’s embracing sisterhood and changing the narrative of women competing in rap.