The Most Important Takeaways From Megan Thee Stallion's New Documentary
The rapper gets candid about her life in the emotional documentary and reclaims her own narrative.
Spoilers ahead.
After a tumultuous handful of years, the time has come. Megan Thee Stallion is reclaiming her narrative.
The rapper's new documentary Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words released on Prime Video at the end of October. The latest release is divided into three critical chapters about her life. Within these, the Grammy-winning artist reveals intimate details about her rise to fame, the untimely death of her mother Holly (who also managed her), and the 2020 Tory Lanez shooting and ensuing trial. Throughout its 112-minute run time, we see some of darkest moments of her life, up close. We also witness the joy and her lighthearted moments sprinkled throughout.
There's a lot that is shown in the documentary, including career-defining moments like Megan's performance on Saturday Night Live and her collaboration with Beyoncé for the "Savage" remix. The new release, directed by Nneka Onuorah, also sparks critical conversations about the double standards of embracing sexuality when it comes to gender. Read on to learn more about the documentary and the moments not to miss.
The First Chapter
The first chapter of the documentary is titled "The Birth of Thee Stallion," and it dives into the rapper's (born Megan Pete) childhood in Houston, Texas. It offers an ode to Megan's mother, Holly Thomas, who inspired her to pursue rapping. Thomas had a heavy influence on her music and coached her through the creation and performance process. However, Thomas passed away unexpectedly in 2019 after suffering several seizures that left her brain dead. The rapper discusses the painful decision she had to make to remove her mother from life support and let her go. She revealed that this experience left her numb and was the catalyst for the events that unfolded following her mother's death.
"When my mama passed away, I really forgot who I was and I lost a lot of confidence," she said in the documentary. At this point, Megan began drinking heavily and losing sight of what she represented.
Fast forward to 2020 when a global pandemic shut down the world and TikTok became a form of escapism, Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion gave the world a remix of Megan's song "Savage," skyrocketing her career at an unprecedented rate.
Though her career continued gaining traction, Megan was then heading towards her next challenge: being shot at the hands of rapper Tory Lanez. He entered Megan's life that same year her mom passed. In the documentary, Megan revealed the pair grew close and became friends until the confrontation at a July 2020 party where he shot her. This documentary marks one of the first times Megan gives in-depth details about that devastating night, on her own platform, reclaiming her own story.
A heated argument after the party in a car with Lanez and her best friend/assistant, Kelsey Harris, resulted in her stepping out, when Lanez pulled out a gun and shot her, Megan explained in the documentary. During this same time, tensions between law enforcement and the Black community were high after the murder of George Floyd. Despite the violence she experienced, Megan explained she didn't want to see Lanez experience the same fate, so she lied to the police officers who arrived at the scene that night. Though hospital tests showed bullet fragments lodged in her foot, people online criticized Megan and tore her apart, suggesting she fabricated the story.
"The betrayal, the constant torture online, everything that happened after the shooting definitely made it, like, a hundred times worse," the rapper said.
Despite this, she soldiered on creatively. She featured on Cardi B's August 2020 "WAP" single, which went viral for its video and lyrics that encourage women to own their sexuality. The song also brought up the never-ending double standard conversation about gender and sexuality to the forefront. People online also claimed Meganwas lying is she was able to talk about sexual pleasure, the documentary shows.
The Second Chapter
The second chapter titled "Alone in the Spotlight" discusses the tumultuous time before the trial and her 2022 interview with Gayle King. During the interview, the rapper said she lied about her sexually intimate relationship with Lanez, explaining that she didn't want their relationship to negate the fact this did happen to her. This interview with King was an earlier attempt to reclaim her voice, but it didn't have the effect she was hoping for.
Following the interview and several appearances, Megan reached a breaking point and made the decision to cancel shows in Australia and check herself into a mental health facility after her SNL performance. A visit that was supposed to be a couple of weeks turned into a month-long stay to receive the necessary treatment to process her trauma.
The Final Chapter
The third and final chapter titled "The Savage Within" shows Megan's preparation for the trial against Lanez for the 2020 shooting. Her intensive therapy sessions at the retreat helped alleviate her nerves about this process, but she was still on edge about testifying against Lanez in court.
"I need to show up for Megan Pete," she recalled in the documentary. "Today is not about trying to look strong."
Her emotional testimony helped move the jury to convict Lanez of three felony charges. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The 29-year-old rapper was overcome with relief, and she let all of her emotions out on-screen. This became a turning point in her life. The rapper's healing journey began as she entered a new era of music and self-discovery. For those unfamiliar with Megan Thee Stallion or who criticized her for speaking her truth, this documentary sheds light on the rapper like never before. It's a raw and emotionally driven project that follows a young woman navigating a heap of intense obstacles while managing to come out the other side. Megan is stronger than ever.
