Megan Thee Stallion Bio
Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion, is an American rapper, songwriter, and actress. Born on February 15, 1995, in San Antonio, Texas, she rose to global prominence in the late 2010s with a string of chart-topping singles and award-winning releases. She is the founder of her own independent music and entertainment company, Hot Girl Productions, and continues to shape the sound and image of contemporary hip hop.
Early Life and Background
Megan Jovon Ruth Pete was born on February 15, 1995, in San Antonio, Texas, and moved to Houston shortly after her birth with her mother, Holly Thomas. Holly, a rapper who performed under the name Holly-Wood, often brought her young daughter to recording sessions in place of daycare, giving Megan an early window into the music industry. An only child, Megan grew up in Houston’s South Park neighborhood and later moved to Pearland with her mother at age 14, where she attended Pearland High School and graduated in 2013.
Megan’s father, Joseph Pete Jr., was incarcerated for the first eight years of her life and passed away during her freshman year of high school. She has described herself as a quiet, observant child who was sometimes bullied for those traits, an experience that ultimately pushed her toward standing up for herself and for others. She cites her mother as her primary influence, along with hip hop figures such as Pimp C, the Notorious B.I.G., Lil’ Kim, Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott, and Beyoncé.
Megan began writing raps at age 14, often writing over instrumentals she borrowed from her mother. By the time she revealed her skills to her mother at 18, Holly insisted she wait until 21 to pursue rapping professionally because her lyrics were considered too sexually suggestive for her age. She later enrolled at Prairie View A&M University and ultimately completed a Bachelor of Science in health administration at Texas Southern University on December 11, 2021.
Path to Rapper
While studying at Prairie View A&M University, Megan posted freestyling videos on social media, including a cypher in which she battled male opponents. Those clips went viral and helped her build a devoted fan base she calls the Hotties, who she credits for her early success. After taking time off from school to focus on music, she returned to her studies at Texas Southern University, eventually balancing both worlds.
She adopted the stage name Megan Thee Stallion after being called a stallion during her adolescence, a colloquial Southern term for tall, voluptuous women. The name suited her 5 foot 10 inch frame and confident persona. Her early SoundCloud mixtapes Rich Ratchet and Megan Mix, along with her 2017 EP Make It Hot and the viral track Last Week in HTx, established her as a rising voice in Southern hip hop before any major-label deal.
Megan Thee Stallion Career
Early Career (2016–2018)
Megan Thee Stallion released her debut single Like a Stallion in 2016 and followed with SoundCloud-exclusive mixtapes Rich Ratchet and Megan Mix in 2017. The same year she issued the EP Make It Hot, featuring the viral fan favorite Last Week in HTx. She also released Stalli (Freestyle), a rework of XXXTentacion’s Look at Me!, that further showcased her rapid, confident delivery.
In early 2018, she signed with 1501 Certified Entertainment, an independent Houston label run by T. Farris and owned by former baseball player Carl Crawford, becoming the first female rapper on the label. She performed at SXSW Festival in March 2018 and released the EP Tina Snow in June 2018, named after her raw alter ego. The project drew critical praise from outlets including Pitchfork and The Fader, and she later signed with 300 Entertainment in November 2018, becoming the first woman on that label as well.
Breakthrough (2019–2021)
In 2019, Megan released the single Big Ole Freak, her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 65. Her mixtape Fever, released May 17, 2019, received wide critical acclaim and featured standout cuts such as Realer, Cash Shit, and Hot Girl Summer. The Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla Sign-assisted Hot Girl Summer became her first top 20 single, reaching number 11 on the Hot 100 and topping the Rolling Stone 100. She was also selected for the 12th edition of XXL’s Freshman Class and signed a management deal with Roc Nation in September 2019.
In early 2020, she released the EP Suga and the single Savage, which exploded on TikTok thanks to a viral dance challenge. The April 2020 remix of Savage featuring Beyoncé became her first number one hit in the United States and earned two Grammy Awards. Her appearance on Cardi B’s WAP that August became her second Hot 100 number one. On November 20, 2020, she released her debut studio album Good News, which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, led by the chart-topping single Body.
At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2021, Megan Thee Stallion won Best New Artist, becoming the second female rapper to do so after Lauryn Hill in 1999, and took home Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for the Savage Remix. She won four awards at the 2021 BET Awards and tied with Cardi B for the most wins at the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards. She released the compilation album Something for Thee Hotties in October 2021 and graduated from Texas Southern University in December 2021.
Notable Works and Milestones
Megan Thee Stallion’s signature projects include the mixtape Fever (2019), the EP Suga (2020), the studio albums Good News (2020), Traumazine (2022), and Megan (2024), and singles such as Savage, Hot Girl Summer, Body, and Thot Shit. She has been named to Time’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world and received three Grammy Awards, six BET Awards, five BET Hip Hop Awards, four American Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, and a Billboard Women in Music Award.
Continued Success (2022–2025)
In 2022, Megan released the single Sweetest Pie with Dua Lipa and performed We Don’t Talk About Bruno at the 94th Academy Awards. Her second studio album Traumazine arrived on August 12, 2022, and became her fifth US top 10 album. After settling her contract dispute with 1501 Certified Entertainment in October 2023, she founded the independent label Hot Girl Productions and released her third studio album Megan on June 28, 2024, through a distribution deal with Warner Music Group.
The album produced her first solo number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with the single Hiss, making her the first solo female rapper to debut atop the Billboard Global 200. A reissue titled Megan: Act II followed on October 25, 2024. She also headlined the Hot Girl Summer Tour in 2024, which grossed over $40 million, and in May 2025 announced an anime series in collaboration with The Boondocks producer Carl Jones.
Megan Thee Stallion Award Nominations
Megan Thee Stallion has earned nominations across all major music awards ceremonies, including four nominations at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, eight nominations at the 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards, and six nominations at the 2020 People’s Choice Awards. She was the second most nominated act at the 2020 American Music Awards and tied with Cardi B for the most nominations at the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards, with nine categories each.
Megan Thee Stallion Awards Won
Megan Thee Stallion has won three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Performance, all earned in 2021. She has also won six BET Awards, five BET Hip Hop Awards, four American Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, and a Billboard Women in Music Award. In 2021, she took home the most awards at the BET Awards with four wins, and at the 2021 American Music Awards she tied with Doja Cat and BTS for the most wins of the night with three each.
Megan Thee Stallion Family
Megan Thee Stallion was raised by her mother, Holly Thomas, a rapper who performed under the name Holly-Wood, and her father, Joseph Pete Jr. Her father was incarcerated for the first eight years of her life and passed away during her freshman year of high school. Her mother died in March 2019 from a longstanding cancerous brain tumor, a loss she later honored with the song Flip Flop on the album Traumazine. In February 2022, Megan launched the Pete and Thomas Foundation in honor of her late parents, an organization that supports underserved communities in Houston, Texas, through education, housing, and health and wellness initiatives.
Personal Life
Megan confirmed her relationship with fellow rapper Pardison Fontaine via Instagram Live on February 19, 2021, and the pair ended their relationship in 2023. She was later involved with soccer player Romelu Lukaku and basketball player Torrey Craig. In 2025, she confirmed that she is in a relationship with NBA basketball player Klay Thompson. Outside of music, Megan is a self-described anime fan whose favorites include My Hero Academia and Naruto, and she has publicly cosplayed characters from both series as well as Sailor Moon.