MEGAN: ACT II

Near the end of “Bigger in Texas,” the opening track on Megan Thee Stallion’s new deluxe album MEGAN: ACT II, the Houston superstar lets everyone know where they can put their opinions. “Always beggin’ me to crash out with these losers, shut up, enjoy this music/Y’all gon’ learn I move on my time and not for none of y’all amusement,” she raps, a none-too-subtle message that she’s moved past the noise and distractions. Much of Megan’s ascension to the upper echelon of celebrity has been imbued with The Shade Room-style nonsense, social media criticism mixed with harassment, and a litany of voices trying to tell her which way is north. On ACT II, she’s back to having fun.

Since her profile rose with the 2018 mixtape Tina Snow, Megan’s balancing act has manifested in a slew of full-length releases that attempted to satisfy everyone, and it wasn’t always a perfect fit. Compared to the patchy conglomeration of styles and lyrical themes on its predecessor, this July’s album MEGAN, ACT II is more precise. Megan hones in on the magnetic bawdiness and charisma that first endeared her to fans in freestyles recorded on radio station microphones and video clips filmed in suburban Texas. The album feels spiritually aligned to her Tina Snow and Something for Thee Hotties tapes: a creative recentering marked by funny, well-varnished raps that arrive with a refreshing lightness and freedom.

That isn’t to say that Megan doesn’t have smoke for others on ACT II—her brand of vendetta produced some of the best moments from MEGAN, like the poison-tipped “Hiss” and “Rattle.” But here the jokes arrive with an air of superiority, not as necessary counterpunches. “Bitch need a pen pal, can’t spit a bar/Spit your best when you’re tryna get a nigga off,” she raps in the middle of a lengthy verse on “Bourbon,” sounding completely at peace on the sinister, stripped-down beat from frequent collaborators Bankroll Got It and Shawn “Source” Jarrett. Sure, there are some corny lines (looking at you, “spaghetti” wordplay on “Right Now”), but Megan’s in top form on loose, freewheeling stretches where it sounds like she’s cutting up with a couple of friends. Breathlessly rattling off Jordin Sparks and Warren G references to boss herself up on “Number One Rule” hits all the notes: confidence, sexuality, and security.