The Lowdown: The original Houston hottie is back with her Suga EP — an ironic title since itās lyrically and sonically one of Megan Thee Stallionās most abrasive projects to date. It also serves as a victory lap after a very public lawsuit with her label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, which nearly prohibited her from releasing new music. Despite these obstacles Megan has had to face in her short career, Suga is a potent reminder of the emceeās resilience and unwavering dedication to hip-hop. From bludgeoning the competition with relentless bars in her freestyle days to collaborating with the likes of Juicy J and Nicki Minaj, Megās steady rise has been a pleasure to watch.
As mainstream women rappers become more plentiful and amass the respect they rightfully deserve, Meganās authenticity — next to her rapturous execution of verses — has always been one of her most beloved traits. That’s why “Hot Girl Summer” — in which the rapper brazenly became the nucleus — ,morphed into a movement from a hashtag while its leader relished in her realness. Suga, then, in all of its rawness, finds Megan expressing who she is while dabbling in the kind of experimentation young artists are famished for.
The Good: Opening track āAināt Equalā is saturated with classic Megan Thee Stallion braggadocio, but we are finally privy to the vulnerability she,ās been shielding us from since gaining prominence. Lyrically, nothing is off-limits as she acknowledges devastating loss — and tenacity — as she says: āI lost my mommy and my granny in the same month/ A bunch of bitches talking down ācause Iām coming up/ Iām dedicated, this my passion in me, canāt nobody take it/ Bitch, you know your favorite rapper could never keep up with Megan.ā On āSavageā, Megan paints herself as āthe hood Mona Lisaā while celebrating her complexity. The sexcapades on āCaptain Hookā bring us back to her Tina Snow days. āB.I.T.C.H.ā feels like a makeshift feminist anthem (and possibly pays homage to Queen Latifahās āU.N.I.T.Yā) until it becomes evident that the song centers on Meganās relationship with a petulant lover. Regardless of the interpretation, she wholeheartedly brings herself to each and every track.
The Bad: Although āHit My Phoneā boasts an appearance from R&B songstress Kehlani, and honors the classic G-Funk era, it falls a little flat with its run-of-the-mill chorus. And while the last three tracks — āStop Playingā (with Gunna), āCrying in the Carā and āWhat I Need” — feature production by Timbaland and The Neptunes, they tend to lead Megan into unnecessary vocal and Auto-Tune terrain. Displaying her more sensitive side seemingly came at the cost of the kind of creativity she flourishes in and is known for.
The Verdict: Suga is a solid and cohesive EP that showcases Megan Thee Stallionās unfettered appetite for destruction; she obliterates any beat she comes into contact with without batting an eyelash. Although the majority of the project is an exhilarating listen, its own ambitions prove to be its biggest challenge. Meg has never needed the validation of anyone, industry peers or otherwise. Because of this, Suga reinforces the power of mastering your craft until your title as the best–especially in the rap game–becomes worth fighting for.
Essential Tracks: āAināt Equalā, āSavageā, and āRichā
Album Review: Megan Thee Stallion Hones Her Craft on the Suga EP
Michael Roffman