Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion, is an American rapper, songwriter, and actress. She gained initial recognition through viral social media freestyles, leading to record deals and mainstream success. She is widely known for her chart-topping singles, commercial mixtapes, and award-winning studio albums.

Born on February 15, 1995, in San Antonio, Texas, she was raised in Houston by her mother, Holly Thomas, a rapper known as "Holly-Wood." Her father was incarcerated during her early childhood and passed away during her freshman year of high school. Raised in Houston and Pearland, she graduated from Pearland High School in 2013. She attended Prairie View A&M University before transferring to Texas Southern University, graduating in December 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in health administration. She adopted her stage name during adolescence after being called a "stallion" due to her height of 5 feet 10 inches and statuesque body frame.

Megan Thee Stallion began writing raps at age 14 and launched her music career with her 2016 debut single, "Like a Stallion." After releasing early mixtapes and the 2017 EP Make It Hot, she signed with 1501 Certified Entertainment in 2018, releasing the EP Tina Snow. She subsequently signed with 300 Entertainment and secured a management deal with Roc Nation in 2019. Her 2019 commercial mixtape Fever reached the top ten of the Billboard 200 chart and featured breakout tracks such as "Cash Shit," alongside her hit single "Hot Girl Summer."

In 2020, she released the EP Suga, which contained the viral hit single "Savage." A remix featuring Beyoncé reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and won two Grammy Awards. That same year, she guest-featured on Cardi B's number-one single "WAP" and released her debut studio album, Good News. The album included the successful single "Body," making her the first female artist to achieve three number-one songs on the Streaming Songs chart in a single calendar year.

She released the top-five compilation album Something for Thee Hotties in 2021. Following contractual disputes and a trial after being shot in the foot by Tory Lanez, she left 1501 and 300 Entertainment after releasing her second studio album, Traumazine (2022). In 2023, she founded her own independent record label, Hot Girl Productions, releasing her third studio album, Megan, in 2024. The album produced the single "Hiss," which became her first solo song to top the Billboard Hot 100 and made her the first solo female rapper to debut at number one on the Billboard Global 200 chart.

Her accolades include three Grammy Awards, six BET Awards, five BET Hip Hop Awards, four American Music Awards, and four MTV Video Music Awards. At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, she became the second female rapper to win Best New Artist. Named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2020, she has also expanded into film and theatre, headlining the 2024 documentary Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words and joining the 2026 Broadway production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical.