Fans Speculate Megan Thee Stallion Addresses Nicki Minaj Beef on 'Hiss' as She Sinks Fangs into Haters on New Track
The rap superstar dropped the second single off her forthcoming album on Friday
Megan Thee Stallion is coiling herself around her haters like a cobra, sinking her fangs in and devouring them.
On Friday, the rap superstar, 28, shared “Hiss,” the second single off her forthcoming third studio album and a rapid spitfire diss track.
The hip-hop artist (whose real name is Megan Pete) channels a sort of serpentine fearlessness on the track — hissing back at those who can’t keep her name from out of their mouths. As the song doesn’t have a chorus, she spits fierce verse after verse on the wordy track while a piano and drill beat slithers beneath her.
The Houston Hottie begins the track by asserting her dominance with an introduction: “I just wanna kick this s--- off by sayin' f--- y'all / I ain't gotta clear my name on a motherf---in' thing / Every time I get mentioned, one of y'all bitch-ass n----s get 24 hours of attention / I'm finna get this s--- off my chest and lay it to rest, let's go.”
Throughout the song, the Grammy winner addresses how other artists frequently name-drop her in the media and online. “Why every time one of y'all Z-list hoes do an interview, I get mentioned? / I don't give a f--- who think what, you n----s is typin' for nothin' / On the internet typin' this s--- to me? / Write him a letter or somethin'.”
Many fans are speculating that Hot Girl Meg is firing back at fellow rap superstar Nicki Minaj, among others, on the song, due to several lyrics.
Related: Megan Thee Stallion Teases New Music After 'Cobra' Marked a 'New Chapter': 'Stay Tuned' (Exclusive)
“These hoes don't be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan's Law / I don't really know what the problem is, but I guarantee y'all don't want me to start,” she raps at one point, referring to the law that requires sex offenders to register with the state.
Some listeners have alleged Meg’s mention of Megan’s Law on the track is a direct reference to Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty, who is registered at a level two sex offender in New York state. (Petty, 45, served four years in prison after being convicted of attempted rape in the first degree in April 1995 for an assault the previous year of a then-16-year-old girl.)
Shortly after “Hiss” dropped, the “Savage” rapper opened up about who she’s taking aim at on Friday’s episode of The Breakfast Club. “It’s for these bitches and hoes, bitches and hoes alike, men or women,” she revealed. “Every time one of these motherf---ers uses Megan Thee Stallion name, they get 24 hours of attention.”
She added, “Basically, I understand what y’all doing, and I want y’all to get up off me. Use something else. Do something different. Use another tactic. This one getting old.”
Although the superstar wouldn’t name any names, she said, “I’m saying, a hit dog gon’ holler. That’s it. Whoever feel it, feel it.”
As fans have pointed out, Minaj, 41, appears to have fired back. After “Hiss” dropped, she went on an Instagram Live that fans recorded and reshared on social media.
During the live stream, she repeatedly played a snippet of an unreleased song that seemingly references Megan Thee Stallion and how she survived being shot in the foot by Tory Lanez in July 2020. “Bad bitch she like six foot / I call her Big Foot / The bitch fell off / I said get up on your good foot,” the “Barbie World” artist raps.
She also said at one point, “Not three Grammys and can’t find the beat.” (Megan Thee Stallion has won three Grammy Awards.)
Following Minaj’s Instagram Live, the “Body” rapper seemed to share her reaction by posting a selfie of herself laughing on her Instagram Story.
The two stars previously collaborated on the track “Hot Girl Summer” back in 2019, along with Ty Dolla $ign, and it’s unclear what led to their alleged falling out.
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Fans have speculated that Meg teaming up with Cardi B on “WAP” (and eventually again on “Bongos”) contributed to their beef, which the “Super Bass” artist seemed to address on her 2023 song “Red Ruby Da Sleeze.” “But I don't f--- with horses since Christopher Reeves,” she says, seemingly referring to the rapper’s moniker and the late actor who was paralyzed from the waist down following an equestrian competition.
“Hiss” arrives several days after the hip-hop star began teasing it on social media on Monday. At the time, she posted the single artwork featuring a shot of her profile with a white snake — fangs and all — wrapped around her shoulders and head.
Throughout the week, the hitmaker promoted the release on Instagram by sharing audio of the track’s introduction and another image of herself in a red dress with peek-a-boo cutouts and her hair styled long with bangs to tease the release.
Hours before the track dropped, the longtime anime fan compared the track to the character Kaneki from the series Tokyo Ghoul in a post to Instagram. “Remember when Kaneki really turned into KANEKI … yeah thats how i feel lol #HISS OUT AT MIDNIGHT,” she wrote in the caption of a carousel featuring a screengrab from the series and shots of herself wearing a Louis Vuitton bomber jacket and holding a duffle from the brand.
“Hiss” follows the release of “Cobra,” another empowering song from the rapper that sees her exploring how she’s persevered through many personal challenges. The two songs were released by her own independent imprint Hot Girl Productions and will appear on a forthcoming album, likely due out later this year.
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