Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (born February 15, 1995), known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion (pronounced "Megan the Stallion"), is an American rapper. Originally from Houston, Texas, she first garnered attention when videos of her freestyling became popular on social media platforms such as Instagram. Megan Thee Stallion signed to 300 Entertainment in 2018, where she released the mixtape *Fever* (2019) and the extended play *Suga* (2020), both of which reached the top ten of the *Billboard* 200.

She released her debut studio album *Good News* (2020) to critical acclaim, appearing on several year-end best album lists. She earned her first and second number-one singles on the US *Billboard* Hot 100 with the remix of her song "Savage" (featuring Beyoncé), and her feature on Cardi B's single "WAP"; the latter of which was her first number one in several other countries, as well as the *Billboard* Global 200 chart. In 2021, she was featured alongside Doja Cat on the remix of Ariana Grande's 2020 single "34+35", which reached number two on the *Billboard* Hot 100. She followed this with her debut compilation album *Something for Thee Hotties* (2021), which reached the top ten on the *Billboard* 200, and spawned the single "Thot Shit", which reached the top twenty in the US, and received a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance nomination.

In July 2020, Thee Stallion was shot by rapper Tory Lanez in Hollywood Hills, California. The shooting was a major element of her debut album, *Good News*. In December 2022, Lanez was tried and convicted on all counts in relation to the attack on her.

She has received several accolades, including six BET Awards, five BET Hip Hop Awards, four American Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, a *Billboard* Women in Music Award, and three Grammy Awards. At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, she became the second female rapper to win Best New Artist, after Lauryn Hill in 1999. In 2020, *Time* named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world on their annual list. Outside of music, she has focused on her education, graduating from Texas Southern University with a Bachelor of Science in Health Administration in 2021.

### Early Life

Megan Jovon Ruth Pete was born on February 15, 1995, in San Antonio, Texas, and her mother, Holly Thomas, immediately moved to Houston after her birth. Thomas rapped under the name "Holly-Wood" and would bring her daughter with her to recording sessions instead of putting her in daycare. Pete was raised in the South Park neighborhood of Houston before moving with her mother to Pearland at age 14, where she lived until she turned 18. Pete began writing raps at age 14. When she eventually showed Thomas her rapping skills at age 18, Thomas required that Pete wait until she was 21 to pursue rapping as a career. Her mother commented that her lyrics were too sexually suggestive for her young age. Pete attended Pearland High School and graduated in 2013. Her father died during her freshman year of high school.

In 2013, while Pete was a student at Prairie View A&M University, she began uploading videos of herself freestyling on social media. A clip of Pete battling against male opponents in a "cypher" went viral. The exposure helped Pete gain a larger digital presence and following on social media. She garnered fans by posting her freestyles on her Instagram while in college. She refers to her fans as "hotties" and credits her hyperactive fan base for her early success. After taking time off from school, Pete resumed her studies at Texas Southern University. She graduated on December 11, 2021, with a Bachelor of Science in health administration.

She adopted the stage name "Megan Thee Stallion" because she was called a "stallion" in adolescence due to her height (5 ft 10 in (178 cm)) and "thick" body frame; voluptuous and statuesque women in the Southern United States are colloquially called "stallions.