Megan Thee Stallion recently appeared as a musical on SNL where she took time out of her set to remember Breonna Taylor and criticize Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron for her not indicting the police officer who murdered her. Showing the power of her voice, Megan explained her activism in Tuesday’s New York Times op-ed Why I Speak Up For Black Women.
In the piece, Megan gets candid about her experience as a Black woman in the music industry and revealed that she blames the media for spinning false narratives around her relationships with other female rappers. The rapper talks how “women are pitted against one another” in hip-hop, saying it seems like the male-dominated industry can “handle only one female rapper at a time.” Speaking specifically to non-existent beef between her and Nicki Minaj, Megan wrote:
“I’ve received quite a bit of attention for appearance as well as my talent. I choose my own clothing. Let me repeat: I choose what I wear, not because I am trying to appeal to men, but because I am showing pride in my appearance, and a positive body image is central to who I am as a woman and a performer. I value compliments from women far more than from men. But the remarks about how I choose to present myself have often been judgmental and cruel, with many assuming that I’m dressing and performing for the male gaze. When women choose to capitalize on our sexuality, to reclaim our own power, like I have, we are vilified and disrespected.
In every industry, women are pitted against one another, but especially in hip-hop, where it seems as if the male-dominated ecosystem can handle only one female rapper at a time. Countless times, people have tried to pit me against Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, two incredible entertainers and strong women. I’m not ‘the new’ anyone; we are all unique in our own ways.”
Elsewhere in her writing, Megan talks about the importance of teaching Black girls about the major accomplishments of Black women in history, her wish to see Kamala Harris become vice president, and how many tried to discredit her experience as a shooting victim.
Read Megan’s full op-ed here.
Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Media artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.