Savage (Remix)

### Songwriter(s)

Beyoncé • Megan Thee Stallion • J. White Did It • Bobby Session Jr. • Derrick Milano • The-Dream • Jordan Kyle Lanier Thorpe • Jay-Z • Starrah

### Producer(s)

J. White Did It

On April 29, 2020, a remix featuring Beyoncé was released. It was later included on Megan Thee Stallion's debut album, *Good News*. All proceeds of the song benefit Bread of Life Houston's COVID-19 relief efforts, which includes providing over 14 tons of food and supplies to 500 families and 100 senior citizens in Houston weekly.

## Production and release

Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé, both natives of Houston, Texas, first met each other at a New Year's Eve party in 2019. Megan recalled when she first learned that Beyoncé would remix the song: "I got a call one day and they were like, 'Yeah… Beyoncé's gonna do a remix of 'Savage' [...] I was like, 'Shut the f— up!' I didn't believe it." She explained she kept the surprise to herself, "respecting Beyoncé's method of working in silence." She explained the significance of the collaboration to herself, saying: "You grow up and you friggin' watch Destiny's Child, and you go to the rodeo to see them perform. You don't grow up and think you're gonna meet Be-yon-cé!"

The remix was written and recorded remotely. Songwriter The-Dream said that Beyoncé "always knows what she wants to say", which depends on "how she's feeling at the moment about whatever's going on in the world, what's going on in the culture, musically where she's trying to go". Beyoncé would then delegate sections to different songwriters. The-Dream added: "Most of the times when you hear something, it's not about that particular thing. It's about where we're going next."

J. White Did It, the producer of the original "Savage", spoke about how he did not know about Beyoncé's remix until the day of release. White said:

"I heard about it an hour before it was about to come out. I was just as shocked as you. I didn't know. All she [Megan] texted me was, like, 'I got fire for you.' I was like, 'what?' She said, 'I can't tell you.' She was like, 'I can't tell you yet, I can't tell you nothin.' That was tearing me up because I don't really like surprises. The first time we all heard the remix, we all heard it together... I sat there and heard the song and was literally like "WOW." Great song! This is really, really good. "Savage" has now arrived on the remix level, let's go! The song was already doing good by itself, but that remix… it took it to a whole new level."
A snippet of the remix leaked online on the same day of its release, and was then quickly uploaded on Tidal.

## Composition

Brooke Marine of *W* magazine noted "the remix itself is essentially an entirely new song, with the exception of the chorus which has remained the same." The remix finds Beyoncé rapping two full verses, as well as providing backing vocals. She raps in the flow established by Thee Stallion, while employing her "signature tongue-in-cheek lyricism to convey a message of female empowerment." Kiana Fitzgerald of *Texas Monthly* said Megan sounds "strikingly similar to the late Houston legend Big Moe, who was well known for his evocative singing."

The remix starts off with Megan Thee Stallion's first verse, whereafter Beyoncé gives a "cheeky verse and masterful delivery", with, as noted by *Insider*'s Callie Ahlgrim, "sharp, racy bars about women stripping on late-night Instagram livestreams, a phenomenon known as 'Demon Time', and a subscription service known for nude photos called OnlyFans." Beyoncé goes on to rap about her "famous posterior": "If you don't jump to put jeans on, baby, you don't feel my pain." She also alludes to the song's popularity on TikTok with the line "Hips tick-tock when I dance." Toward the end of the song, both artists take turns singing and rapping, with Beyoncé returning to "her usual heavenly vocals." Producer J. White Did It's beat is reworked on the remix to include minor instrumental changes, including an extended air horn in the background during Beyoncé's first verse, and a flattened soundscape during her second verse, which, as noted by *Texas Monthly*'s Kiana Fitzgerald, gives "Bey ample space to work with". Fitzgerald further noted Megan's confidence, as she "sounds like her usual captivating self, but she sounds tighter and deeper in her pocket alongside Bey".