Megan Thee Stallion Shares The Meaning Behind Her Album Title ‘Traumazine’
Megan Thee Stallion’s newest album Traumazine is filled with the typical twerk bops and nasty talk that fans love. But she also raps about the pain she has faced over the last few years. From the passing of her mother when her career was just beginning to take off to allegedly being shot by Tory Lanez and dealing with the public criticism that stemmed from it and her ongoing legal battle with her label 1501 Certified Entertainment, Megan has experienced a lot of trauma. Traumazine, which debuted at number five on Billboard’s R&B/ Hip-Hop charts, is a reflection of everything that the Houston native has been through over the last few years–success, love, and tragedy.
In an interview with The Cut, the “Pressurelicious” artist talks about her mom/ manager Holly Thomas and how her passing affected her, holding the reins in her career and the meaning of Traumazine.
While the Grammy award-winning artist has never been shy to vocalize how she feels in her music, she is in a place where she is focused on being on her grown woman sh-t in her music and outside of music. With her songs such as “NDA” and “Not Nice,” it’s clear that Megan is taking aim at those who have a lot to say about her.
“When you are nice for so long and you don’t really ever give too much back talk and nobody’s ever seen you step out of character, they assume what your character is,” Megan explained. “They assume you’re not going to stand up. That’s when people start to try you.”
Before Meg’s mom, Holly passed from a brain tumor, the self-proclaimed H-town hottie always had her mom in her corner. Holly was not only a supportive mother but she was also Meg’s manager. Since her death, the “Hot Girl Summer” rapper has had to learn to not only navigate her personal life without her mom but also her career. “Me and my mom had this good-cop, bad-cop thing going on,” Megan said. “So she would come in the room like, ‘This what we ain’t doing. F–k that.’ And I’d be like, ‘Okay, so, guys, she means …’"
“But now I don’t have the luxury of having somebody who could be my bad cop. Now I have to be both,” she added.
While she has had massive success from sold-out shows to countless awards, her hard work is sometimes overshadowed by drama. The Texas Southern University graduate has been going back and forth with 1501 Certified and claimed that she fulfilled her contract and accused them of withholding payments and royalties. She has reportedly filed a $1 million lawsuit against the Houston-based label for damages.
And she is also due in court soon after allegedly being shot by singer Tory Lanez in 2020. Megan referenced the shooting in her song “Who Me” from Traumazine where she raps “I feel like Biggie, who shot you?/ But everybody know who shot me, b–h.” In the interview, she defined Traumazine as “the chemical released in the brain when it is forced to deal with painful emotions caused by traumatic events and experiences.”
“I might have been pissed off one month and so the name of the album was something angry, and I might have been super-sad another month so the name of the album was something sad,” she explained.
“Everybody has gone through their own trauma in their own way, and to me, Traumazine is me facing the things that I’ve been running from about myself.”
Megan is hoping that her album title is a reflection of not just what she’s been through but for other people who are experiencing hardships. “It’s comforting to know that other people are going through the same thing that you might be feeling. When something happens to people, they feel like, Oh my gosh, this is only me. This is not normal, or I’m probably the only person in the world that feels like this,” she said.
“But to hear somebody else talking about something that you’re probably feeling, it’s more comforting and more familiar. That’s why people resonate with hearing other people’s stories.”
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Featured image by Noam Galai/Getty Images for ABA
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Sheila Rashid's Androgynous Approach To Unisex Clothing Is A Lesson In Embracing Individuality
The ItGirl 100 List is a celebration of 100 Black women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table.
For Sheila Rashid, it all started with some free-hand drawings and a few strokes of paint.
The Chicago-based clothing designer and creative director of Sheila Rashid Brand recalls using her spare time in high school to hand paint designs on t-shirts and distressed hoodies, distributing them to classmates as walking billboards for her art.
Rashid sought to pursue fashion design at Columbia College in Chicago but eventually took the self-taught route to build upon her knack for crafting one-of-a-kind, androgynous pieces.
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Thanks to the mentorship of local designers taking her under their wings, Rashid was able to gain valuable experience in putting together collections and creating patterns; equipping her with them with the necessary skills to pursue her own collections.
After two years of living in New York, Rashid returned home to the Chi and uncovered the unique flair she could offer the city. “I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world,” she tells xoNecole. “That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
For the Midwest native, inspiration comes from her time around creative peers and the city’s notorious winters — known to be a main character in many Chicagoans stories. “It's a different perspective and mindset when I'm making stuff because of the weather here,” she explains. “When we get summer, it’s ‘Summertime Chi’ — it's amazing. It's beautiful. Still, I find myself always making clothes that cater to the winter.”
"I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world. That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
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Many designers have a signature aesthetic or theme in their creations. In Rashid’s design story, dancing between the lines of femininity and masculinity is how she’s been able to distinguish herself within the industry. Her androgynous clothing has garnered the eye of celebrities like Zendaya, Chance the Rapper, WNBA star Sydney Colson, and more — showing her range and approach to designs with inclusivity in mind.
“I think I do reflect my own style,” she says. “When I do make pieces, I'm very tomboyish, androgynous. My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes.” From denim to overalls, and color-drenched outerwear, Rashid has mastered the structure of statement pieces that tell a story.
“Each collection, I never know what's going to be the thing I'm going to focus on. I try to reflect my own style and have fun with the storytelling,” she shares. “I look at it more like it's my art in this small way of expressing myself, so it's not that calculated.”
"My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes."
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Still, if you were able to add up all the moments within Rashid’s 20-year career in design, one theme that has multiplied her into becoming an “ItGirl” is her confidence to take up space within the fashion industry as a queer, Black woman. “Being an ItGirl is about being yourself, loving what you do, finding your niche, and mastering that,” she says.
No matter where you are on your ItGirl journey, Rashid says to always remain persistent and never hesitate to share your art with the world. “Don’t give up. Even if it's something small, finish it and don't be afraid to put it out,” she says, “It's about tackling your own fear of feeling like you have to please everybody, but just please yourself, and that's good enough.”
To learn more about the ItGirl 100 List, view the full list here.
Featured image Courtesy