Megan Thee Stallion - “Good News” Review
After making waves in the music industry for the past few years, Megan Thee Stallion finally released her debut studio album, “Good News,” Friday. The rapper kept the album a secret until announcing its release on Nov. 12 and the tracklist on Nov. 17.
The rapper made huge statements with her debut album. Stallion tackles subjects like body positivity, sexual liberty, fame, money and more. Her lyrics are fun and catchy, even though her music is targeted toward a mature audience.
Stallion is often lumped in with other popular female rappers of today like Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat and CupcakKe, who all sing about similar topics and tend to have similar sounds. However, with the release of “Good News,” Stallion has begun to develop a distinct, unique sound, and her music has made many strides.
“Good News” features 17 unique tracks, a couple of which had been released as singles prior to the album’s debut. The first two singles, “Girls in the Hood,” released in June, and “Don’t Stop (featuring Young Thug),” released in October, both made the Top 30 of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, but each only spent one week on the charts.
The most recent single on “Good News,” “Body,” debuted at the same time as the album. Stallion also released a music video for the song, which included appearances by celebrities like Blac Chyna, Taraji P. Henson and Jordyn Woods. Stallion said in a YouTube “Released” interview that “Body” was inspired by her appreciation for her “fluffy and thick” quarantine body.
One of Stallion’s most popular songs, “Savage Remix (featuring Beyonce),” makes a reappearance on “Good News.” The song spent several weeks on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #1. Many called “Savage” the song of the summer after it went viral on TikTok in April 2020.
While fans were excited to see some old favorites on “Good News,” Stallion also debuted many new songs that had never been heard before. The first song on the album, “Shots Fired,” samples “Who Shot Ya?” by The Notorious B.I.G. and is Stallion’s attempt at a diss track toward rapper Tory Lanez, in response to their feud earlier this year. Other standout tracks include “Circles,” “Sugar Baby” and “Work That.”
Stallion collaborated with several other artists to create this album. DaBaby, City Girls, 2 Chainz, Big Sean, SZA and Lil Durk are only some of the big names featured in tracks on “Good News.”
Behind the scenes, artists such as Jay-Z, Juicy J, P. Diddy, Missy Elliott, Ice Cube and Mary J. Blige all contributed to writing some of Stallion’s songs. Additionally, 16 different producers worked with Stallion to create a diverse sound for the album.
Every song on the album is unique in its theme but still fits Stallion’s typical hip-hop vibe. Each track has a specific inspiration behind it and sends its own message. All of the work that went into this proves Stallion’s prominence in the rap game of today.
Stallion’s “Good News” is a huge step forward in terms of her career. After releasing 12 singles, two EP’s, one mixtape and several featured singles over the last four years, the rapper can finally put a full-fledged studio album to her name.
Rating: 8/10
Favorites: “Circles,” “Sugar Baby,” “Body”
Least Favorites: “Don’t Rock Me To Sleep”
Sarah Simpson is a junior majoring in film-video. To contact her, email sus816@psu.edu.
