Megan Thee Stallion is ending this summer on a sizzling note with her album “Traumazine.” The rap star has been making music since 2016 and her 2019 project “Fever” earned her a place in the game. Her latest release, “Traumazine,” features legendary artists such as Future and Key Glock along with Murda Beatz on production. The hour-long album gives fans everything they expect from Meg: aggressive lyrics and heart-hitting beats lie side by side with seductive love songs.
Pride is always a theme in Megan’s work and she doesn’t shy away from it in “Traumazine.” Her intro track, “NDA,” hits the ground running with her notable intense lyrics and a beat to match. She talks about her superiority to others in the industry.
She mirrors this in “Not Nice,” where she denies plastic surgery claims and refuses to back down and play the nice girl. She talks about the racism in the music industry, saying, “I guess my skin not light enough, my dialect not white enough.”
“Gift & a Curse” is more than just a power twerk anthem. She addresses current political turmoil rapping, “my mother****ing body, my choice,” to let her audience know exactly where she stands.
“Pressurelicious” features long-standing rap legend Future but otherwise the song doesn’t add much to “Traumazine.” The track repeats similar lyrics and beats as her other songs on “Traumazine” and past projects. “Ungrateful,” which features Key Glock, leaves a similar taste in my mouth but can be redeemed by its smooth rhythm. “Who Me,” featuring Pooh Shiesty also falls into the dud category for this album, with the feature artist taking up most of the song and doesn’t give Megan’s audience what they’re looking for.
On the flip side, Megan explored new sounds on “Traumazine,” with spacey “Star” being the most genre-bending on the album. The track features alternative R&B’s Lucky Daye, who offers melty, singy lyrics and a groovy beat. This feature was unexpected but not unappreciated.
Megan also gives fans a possible Halloween anthem with fellow female rapper Rico Nasty on “Scary.” This track comes complete with theremin elements and horror movie references throughout. This interesting addition to Traumazine could pop up soon with the upcoming fall season.
In songs “Her” and “Sweetest Pie” featuring Dua Lipa, Megan gets housey with the soft, poppy touch her audience wants.
Of course, Megan can’t resist a good seductive track. “Red Wine” proves that she can be gangster and sexy at the same time, and “Consistency” pairs Megan’s sexually charges lyrics with Jhene Aiko’s notable softness.
On “Anxiety,” Megan lets down her guard, rapping, “Excuse me while I get into my feelings for a second, usually I keep it down, but today I gotta tell it.” The artist talks about her struggles with her mental health and the pressures of the industry. On “Flip Flop,” she opens up about dealing with the death of her parents.
While the album contains some classic, albeit overdone, Megan Thee Stallion features, she also steps away to explore new avenues, which I applaud. Hot Girl Meg has proven that she will not back down and she’s not done yet.