In a recent interview with Women's Health Magazine, Megan Thee Stallion spoke about the traumatizing experience she had after she was shot in the foot by fellow rapper Tory Lanez in July 2020. Lanez was found guilty of shooting the "Body" rapper in December 2022 and sentenced to ten years in prison.
Megan took the time to reflect on the shooting, and while she may have healed physically, she still is dealing with the aftermath of the event. She remarked on the sheer amount of hate sent her way when she came forward about Lanez, 31, shooting her after she "walked away" from him.
"A lot of people didn't treat me like I was human for a long time." In the aftermath of the shooting, Lanez, his team and his fans took a staunch stance against Megan, accusing her of lying about the shooting. In court, Lanez's lawyer went as far as to say that "she lied about everything in this case from the beginning."
Megan is widely known for her "hot girl" image, which emphasizes letting loose, having fun, and embracing your feminine prowess. The rapper's fans are even called Hotties. Because "everybody was always used to" this version of Megan, she "watched people build me up, tear me down, and be confused about their expectations of me."
She also addressed the fact that she felt that "As a Black woman, as a darker Black woman ... people expect me to take the punches, take the beating, take the lashings, and handle it with grace. But I'm human."
In an 2020 op-ed for The New York Times, Megan took the time to pen "Why I Speak Up For Black Women," a piece that dissects the intersection of misogyny and racism at the heart of the Lanez-shooting incident and its aftermath.
"Black women are still constantly disrespected and disregarded in so many areas of life," she wrote.
During the trial, Megan's lawyer emphasized that "this case matters" and that Lanez should be held accountable for "shooting Megan over nothing more than a bruised ego."
Most recently, Megan Thee Stallion appeared on Glorilla's new single, "Wanna Be." She is currently working on her next album, a name has yet to be announced, but both singles are snake-themed: "Cobra" and "Hiss." The upcoming album is "about rebirth" as Megan feels herself "becoming a new person physically and mentally."
Megan's last album, Traumazine, was released in 2022 to critical acclaim. Megan described the meaning of the album in an interview with Apple Music, saying, "I feel like I wanted to just take control of my narrative, take control of my own story. Tell it my way, tell it from me." The record released amid legal issues between Megan and her management at the time, Roc Nation. The two parties settled before parting ways in October 2023.
She told Women's Health that she is getting into a "better space with making music that is still true to myself but also true to my message."
"I am very much a flower, but my flower has thorns," she said.
