• Gov't Name: Megan Pete
  • Age: 24
  • Reppin': Houston
  • Twitter: @theestallion
  • Instagram: @theestallion
  • Notable Releases: Singles: “Stalli Freestyle,” “Big Ole Freak,” “Sex Talk”; EPs: Make It Hot, Tina Snow; Project: Fever; Guest Appearances: Wale’s “Poledancer,” Bhad Bhabie’s “Bestie,” Young Nudy’s “Shotta”
  • Label: 1501 Certified Entertainment/300 Entertainment
  • Currently Working On: As-yet-titled debut album due in 2020.
  • Surprised About Who Is Missing: “It would literally have to be Asian [Da Brat] or Maliibu Miitch. I feel like they just working hard for a real long time. They really enjoy doing this shit. It ain’t nothin’ where they just woke up one day and said, ‘Hey, I’ma do this!’ They’ve been making they craft for years. I want them to get they recognition as well. Those are my homegirls.”
  • Influenced by: “Pimp C, The Notorious B.I.G., definitely Juicy J.I just feel like it’s a sound, it’s the confidence, it’s the bars, everything that they bring to the table. I feel like I want to be the female version of that.”
  • As a Freshman in High School: “[I was] damn near the same way. I’ve been like this forever. I’m sweeter, probably, but me and my homegirls were a little buckwild, ya know? And it only got worse.”

TRUTH ON BEING AN XXL FRESHMAN: "First of all, I was talking shit. I was like, I’m not about to be a Freshman. They don’t even like real niggas like Meg! So, 300 [hit me], and [was] like, ‘Megan, guess what?’ I’m like, ‘What?’ She’s like, ‘You got it. You’re in.’ I was like, ‘You’re fuckin’ lying!’ Just imagine me, waking up, tired as shit, poof, you’re an XXL Freshman. What?! Shut the fuck up!

Tierra Whack, that’s my bitch, I love her. Me and Rico, we cool. Gunna, we signed to the same label. Y’all niggas did the right thing this year. Y’all made a good decision. I’m glad we here. I was just fuckin’ mindblown. I’m still really shocked. I wasn’t even thinking nothing of it after I left [the XXL office after my pitch meeting].

I’m like, Who, me? I am fairly new. I ain’t saying I ain’t been putting in no work. I’ve been deserving. I got here solely based off of me rapping. It ain’t no antics, ain’t no nigga put me on. I ain’t dated nobody. I’m just a real person, not a caricature. How I am in the booth, how I am when I meet you, that’s how I am in general. I feel like I’m a real-ass bitch. I’ma just rap and do me. Whoever fuck with it, fuck with it. Whoever don’t, don’t.

Everything that’s a milestone, like a stepping stone, is an honor. Just to know that this year is probably gonna be the turn. This is an honor to be on the cover where we got muthafuckas that go hard on it. I feel like we turning the corner.

Being an XXL Freshman means that I actually grinded a lot to get here. I have to just keep goin’ hard, all the time. When I drop a freestyle, I’m like, This freestyle gotta go hard or when I do something it’s, How can we top this? I don’t really feel like I done made it all the way. I feel like, OK, we did this. Then we grinded enough to get to this point. Now we gotta grind enough to get bigger and bigger, you know?

I think I’m the first Houston Freshman.[Editor’s note: XXL had Houston native Kirko Bangz in the 2013 XXL Freshman Class.] That’s a big ol’ thing. Houston is gonna be fuckin’ lit. They’ll probably throw me a damn party. They gon’ be fuckin’ crunk. They been on the roller coaster, too, so I feel like we got a win for the Hotties. I think [the cover will] definitely let more people know who I am. A lot of people are gonna go check on me that didn’t know me. So, I think it’s gonna be, like, gaining more Hotties. With the Hotties there comes little haters, but I will gain more Hotties. I gotta keep grindin’. Hopefully we’ll get some awards soon. I just really wanna take over [the] summer, ya know?”

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MEGAN THEE STALLION’S 2019 XXL FRESHMAN INTERVIEW

With her popularity seemingly rising every day and more opportunities coming her way, Houston's own Megan Thee Stallion understands the value of never giving up. Coming to prominence due to her edge, outright technical skill, strong pro-woman stance and liberated image, Megan provides a different energy in hip-hop; her fans simply love her. That supportive energy has carried her to incredible heights, from her "Big Ol Freak" video breaking 20 million views, to an opening slot on Future and Meek Mill's Legendary Nights Tour. In 2019, she took her career by the reigns and struck while the iron was hot; it won't be cooling off any time soon. With all her talent and incredible momentum, Megan was selected as a 2019 XXL Freshman and accepted the honor, breezing through all the different aspects of the shoot like a pro. At just 24 years old, the sky is the limit for her.

In her early days, then just a teenager known as Megan Pete, she was on the road to stardom. Under the tutelage of her late mother, who rapped under the name Holly Wood, Megan worked hard at her craft as a young girl, writing her own rhymes during her mother's studio sessions. As she grew up, she started to take her mother's instrumental CDs and write her own verses to them, eventually becoming known as a rapper while she studied at Prairie View A&M University. After revealing her talent, the mother-daughter duo worked as a team, with Meg being shown the ins and outs of artistry by her mom, who served as a her manager. The lessons from her mother remain a large part of Megan's personality, which she shares in her 2019 XXL Freshman profile interview. "I was raised by a woman who was her true and authentic self," she explains. "So I feel like it's very important to put on for people who aren't that confident or people who don't realize the value in self-love."

Those early studio sessions produced her first project, 2016's Rich Ratchet, followed by 2017's Make It Hot. That year was Megan's turning point, with her "Stalli Freestyle" video taking off, a lyrical exercise over a remade version of XXXTentacion's "Look At Me."
In 2018, she dropped the EP Tina Snow, featuring the song that would change her career: "Big Ole Freak." Megan is still visibly amazed by how quickly things have been unfolding. "Tina Snow was more turnt up than anything I ever dropped, it's my alter ego," she shares. "It's a mixtape, and 'Big Ole Freak' is on Billboard!"

The sultry single is about Megan's views on sex and romance, with a focus on her taking full control of what she wants. The subject matter doesn't mean the lyrics took a dip. Meg is spitting on this track. All these parts mixed with an entrancing beat turned Megan from a bubbling young artist to a name to watch, as the song slow-burned and really picked up in 2019, after she signed her deal with 300 Entertainment and dropped its accompanying video

The release of her first project with 300, Fever, helped solidify her name and only served to make her even more popular. The young girl from H-Town is fully grown and coming into herself now, setting herself apart from the fray of very talented rappers, man or woman. Preparation and talent can take you very far with Megan's journey just beginning. "Five to 10 years from now, I'm gon' be an icon," Meg exclaims with confidence. "We gon' be a household name!" Now alongside 10 of the hottest artists 2019 has to offer, she is well on her way.

Get to know Megan Thee Stallion in her 2019 XXL Freshman interview above.

See Photos of Megan Thee Stallion Behind the Scenes at the 2019 XXL Freshman Cover Shoot

MEGAN THEE STALLION’S 2019 XXL FRESHMAN FREESTYLE

On the 2019 XXL Freshman cover, the ladies are surely making their presence felt, a reflection of the direction hip-hop has been going in these last few years. Megan Thee Stallion, one of the three women featured this year, has worked very hard to advance her career, from writing raps as a teen with her mother, to her new reality of magazine covers and national tours. Fully embracing the moment, Megan truly turned up for her Freshman freestyle, a staple of being an XXL Freshman.

Of course, Megan never forgets where she came from, letting that hometown pride shine through. "They done fucked and let Houston Texas get up in here/They sayin' I'm a Freshman, but I spit like I been here," she brags.

She keeps the bars coming: "I had to wipe a couple of bitches out to make it clear/I'm the teacher not your muthafuckin' peer/Don't compare me to no hoe or try and tell me who I am/If you were so fuckin' smart, you'd be standing where I stand."

Later on in the freestyle, she explains why she ignores any hate and also gives a shout-out to her late mother, who was instrumental in her introduction to hip-hop. "So I don't never give a fuck when they be talkin' 'bout the dumb shit/Even in your best night, ’cause bitch you know I run shit/Going show to show, niggas thought I was on tour/Mama really raised a hustler, ain't no option to be poor," she delivers.

Check out the rest of Meg's freestyle in the video at the top of the post. Stay tuned for more Freshman content, too.

MEGAN THEE STALLION’S ABCs

Rap has always been driven by acts who have both talent and personality to spare. In the case of 2019 XXL Freshman Megan Thee Stallion, she's no slacker in either department. Taking hip-hop by storm over the last year, Meg has carved out her lane through strong music and a bubbly personality. Something like taking part in XXL's ABCs is hardly a challenge, where she plays a quick game of word association on the day of the Freshman cover shoot.

Meg, who delivered a strong XXL Freshman freestyle, starts off on a wild note with her first letter. "A is for ass," she says. "Because I got a lot of that," before ending her sentence with a smack. Some of her later word choices link directly to who she is, too. She does this on back to back letters: "G is for get money because that's what I do. H is for hot girl because that's what the fuck I am!"

She also has plenty to say to anyone out there doubting her. For instance, for K, she picks "Karate 'cause I'll whoop you hoes' ass." Then for letter Q, she says the word quit "because that's what y'all bitches need to do, thinking that y'all better than me."

As she nears the end of the alphabet, her choices are positive. For U, she takes some time to thank her dedicated fan base, the Hotties, who have supported her throughout her journey. The letter V is for Valentine's Day, just one day before her birthday. She uses the occasion to ask for double the gifts, a fair ask.

For the rest of Megan Thee Stallion's ABCs, check out the video at the top of the post.

DABABY, MEGAN THEE STALLION, LIL MOSEY AND YK OSIRIS' 2019 XXL FRESHMAN CYPHER

With each new XXL Freshman class comes a new set of rappers on a mission to prove they are ready for the hip-hop world. The 2019 inductees are no different. A divergent new crew of 11 artists were crowned XXL Freshmen this year, but despite their contrasts, they have one consistent goal to help raise the bar; a common theme in the roundtable interview with DaBabyMegan Thee StallionYK Osiris and Lil Mosey.

“When you a Freshman and, shit, you either made it or you the next to go crazy,” says Seattle’s Lil Mosey of the cover’s stamp of approval. “That’s like the biggest platform. If you there, everybody’s watching, like, ‘These the niggas that’s next up and shit.’”

YK Osiris agrees there is a certain amount of responsibility that comes with being one of the select few chosen. “A lot of people didn’t make it, you know? So, for you to make it, a lot of people gon’ be watching and your career is going to go up and up,” the Florida native says. “They expect more outta, you know? You can’t just do no dumb junk. You gotta go crazy after that.”

With over a decade of Freshman magazines in the books, most of the class is young enough to have literally grown up checking for the covers before they were rapping.

“It’s definitely something all of us used to look at. You look at that shit, it make you put your eyes on somebody. So, it’s big, big. It’s extra-large,” says DaBaby, who has already collaborated with fellow Freshmen YK and Megan on tracks.

Houston hot girl Megan Thee Stallion believes the 2019 XXL Freshman class has set a new standard. “I’ma just say, I feel like this class is one of the best in a minute,” she opines. “We got some rappers on here. Some people that actually take their craft pretty seriously. After this, I feeling like you gotta raise the bar for the next people y’all pick because we did the damn thing this time.”

Peep DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, YK Osiris and Lil Mosey’s XXL Freshman roundtable discussion above.

DABABY, MEGAN THEE STALLION, LIL MOSEY AND YK OSIRIS' 2019 XXL FRESHMAN ROUNDTABLE INTERVIEW

With each new XXL Freshman class comes a new set of rappers on a mission to prove they are ready for the hip-hop world. The 2019 inductees are no different. A divergent new crew of 11 artists were crowned XXL Freshmen this year, but despite their contrasts, they have one consistent goal to help raise the bar; a common theme in the roundtable interview with DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, YK Osiris and Lil Mosey.

“When you a Freshman and, shit, you either made it or you the next to go crazy,” says Seattle’s Lil Mosey of the cover’s stamp of approval. “That’s like the biggest platform. If you there, everybody’s watching, like, ‘These the niggas that’s next up and shit.’”

YK Osiris agrees there is a certain amount of responsibility that comes with being one of the select few chosen. “A lot of people didn’t make it, you know? So, for you to make it, a lot of people gon’ be watching and your career is going to go up and up,” the Florida native says. “They expect more outta, you know? You can’t just do no dumb junk. You gotta go crazy after that.”

With over a decade of Freshman magazines in the books, most of the class is young enough to have literally grown up checking for the covers before they were rapping.

“It’s definitely something all of us used to look at. You look at that shit, it make you put your eyes on somebody. So, it’s big, big. It’s extra-large,” says DaBaby, who has already collaborated with fellow Freshmen YK and Megan on tracks.

Houston hot girl Megan Thee Stallion believes the 2019 XXL Freshman class has set a new standard. “I’ma just say, I feel like this class is one of the best in a minute,” she opines. “We got some rappers on here. Some people that actually take their craft pretty seriously. After this, I feeling like you gotta raise the bar for the next people y’all pick because we did the damn thing this time.”

Watch DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, YK Osiris and Lil Mosey’s XXL Freshman roundtable discussion above.

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