JUST MEGAN

After a season of loss, pain, and personal evolution, Megan Thee Stallion is no longer hiding behind alter egos.

- Ashley C. Ford

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NICE IS FAKE." It's an August Sunday in Los Angeles and Megan Thee Stallion-the at once benevolent and brutal queen of the Hotties-is reintroducing herself. "Playtime is over and all that nicey, nicey? That's done." ¶ The Megan on her latest album, Traumazine, which will be released the following week, isn't exactly brand new-it's more her. The Megan in front of me today, though, laughing wearily, says she is on hour 44 of her workday: "I feel like we've been up for a week straight." Aside from her being a bit quiet, it would be hard to tell if she were tired. Her mood sets the tone of the room, and when she smiles, which she does often, so do all the people watching her. Everyone is watching her. ¶ On top of doing radio spots, late-night interviews, and photo shoots like this one, Megan is still tinkering in the lab with her team to get the album's visuals just right. "I wanted everything to be black-and-white because that's how plain I'm making it," she tells me. It's true that the album's lyrics leave little to no room for guesswork. It's hard to imagine Megan being any clearer about what she's trying to say and to whom she's speaking. Consider "NDA," the first track: "Sick of bein' humble/'Cause you bitches don't respect that." It's a warning; two tracks later, "Not Nice" is a threat: "I'm on my fuck-you shit, bitch / I'm done bein' nice/And when it come to cuttin' people off/ I don't think twice." In other words, if loyalty isn't a skill you possess, you're better off staying away from Megan.