Behind the Bodacious Stage Name Megan Thee Stallion

When you think of a stallion, it’s likely images of big, muscular horses come to mind. Those creatures bucking domestication and anyone trying to tame them. Manes flying in the chaos, hind legs kicking back, vocal cords exclaiming in the fight.

It’s evocative. And it’s no wonder why the popular, eye-grabbing rapper born Megan Jovon Ruth Pete adopted the concept as her stage name.

Megan Jovon Ruth Pete

It’s hard to go a day without hearing something about Megan Thee Stallion. Whether it’s her bodacious performances on big stages and festivals, her legal battle with singer Tory Lanez or the fight with her recent record label, the artist seems a constant in news cycles.

Born on February 15, 1995, in San Antonio, Texas, the rapper rose to fame thanks to social media. There she shared videos of her freestyle rapping, which helped earn her a record deal with 300 Entertainment in 2018. Shortly after albums like Fever and Suga began to chart high on the Billboard 200.

WAP, Fame

While she became more popular each year (Meg released her debut studio LP Good News in 2020), it was her featured vocal and acting in the video for Cardi B’s “WAP” that made her a global sensation.

Since then, Meg has gone on to work with artists like Doja Cat, Ariana Grande and more. She has garnered three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist.

The Mom, The Name

Megan Jovon Ruth Pete’s mother was named Holly Thomas. She was also a rapper who used the moniker, “Holly-Wood.” She took her daughter to recording sessions in Houston in lieu of daycare.

Megan herself began writing raps at 14 and began to demonstrate skills to her mother when she was 18. But her mother, knowledgeable about the business, told her she had to be 21 to pursue it seriously as a career. Her mother also, much like Meg’s critics today, said her lyrics were too sexual at the time.

While in college, Meg began uploading videos of herself rapping. One video in 2013 went viral and her social media began to grow. She posted more and more freestyles to Instagram while still in college. In 2021, she graduated with a degree in health administration.

Meg took on the name, Megan Thee Stallion, as a point of bravado and as a way of acknowledging her stature and physical presence. As a teenager, she grew to five-foot-ten-inches and has always had what she calls a “thick” body. Megan has said that in the South, statuesque women are called stallions.

Tina Snow and Hot Girl Meg

But along with Megan Thee Stallion, the rapper also has an alter-ego. It began around 2018 when she signed with 1501 Certified Entertainment, a Houston-based indie label owned by former MLB player Carl Crawford. While Meg has had issues with the label over the years, including legal battles, she released a 10-song EP called Tina Snow in the summer of 2018. The record was named after her alter ego, which Meg has described to outlets like Vibe as a “more raw version” of herself.

The concept, Meg said, was inspired by rapper Pimp C’s alias, “Tony Snow.” But Meg didn’t stop there, she also says she has the alter ego “Hot Girl Meg,” which is akin to a sorority party girl. No wonder she has so many songs, Meg is many people!

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella