After releasing the introspective tell-all single, “Cobra,” Megan Thee Stallion calls the shots with her latest single, “Hiss.” She bagged a #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making her the first independent Black woman artist to reach number one on the chart. She teased the track through a series of Instagram posts on Monday, January 22nd, leaving fans wondering what type of music the rapper will release. After all, the Houston rapper has a catalog of songs that tell versatile stories, from the sobering tracks of loss, such as “Anxiety,” to hard-hitting disses like “Plan B.” On Wednesday, January 24th, she posted a short video, saying, “I just wanna kick this shit off by saying fuck yall.” Here, she’s laying all the cards on the table. On January 26th, the coveted rapper released “Hiss.”

Hear Her Hiss 

“Hiss” is Megan’s catchall diss for every detractor in the industry and online. She incorporated her alter ego, Tina Snow, which is a play on Pimp C’s Tony Snow, to call out those who partook in her trauma over the past few years. It breaks the formula of your typical song, containing over three minutes of straight bars. One after another, each one more venomous than the last. But for Megan, “Hiss” is a warning. She likens the record to a snake giving off a warning hiss with the desires to be left alone. In an interview on the radio morning show, The Breakfast Club, the rapper tells host Charlamagne Tha God and DJ Envy, “I’m saying a hit dog gon’ holler… Whoever feel it, feel it.”

Feasting on Visuals  

The “Hiss” music video is a hot topic across the internet. As of Sunday, January 28th, the video stood at over 4.1 million views and is trending at number one on YouTube. Known to use elements of surrealism and horror into her music videos, Megan Thee Stallion continues to further her visual story with “Hiss.”

As an anime fan, Megan has weaved her love for the artform in her music and visuals. With her latest releases, the Houston rapper incorporated snake and ghoul imagery. Whereas “Cobra” takes elements from popular Naruto characters, such as Orochimaru and Sasuke, “Hiss” pulls from the harrowing anime, Tokyo Ghoul. Here, Megan likens herself to the anime’s main character, Kaneki Ken. 

Megan Makes Herstory

This track marked her second release as an independent artist, following a tumultuous split from her past label, 1501. But the Houston rapper is already seeing a bright start to her new journey in the independent space. On TKTK, she appeared on Good Morning America, revealing to fans that a full length studio album is in the works — including a tour. Locking in a historic music distribution deal with Warner Music, she has retained both her masters and publishing rights under Hot Girl Productions, LLC. After the news, she took to Instagram Live to celebrate the number-one placement on the Billboard Hot 100 chart by previewing new music. With new music, an album, and a summer tour on its way, It’s quite clear that 2024 will be the year for Megan Thee Stallion.

Want to read more on Black artists, music and culture? Read about the season two release of .Paak House Radio with Victoria Monét, Saweetie, and more!

, ,