Nothing Can Keep Megan Thee Stallion Down

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

On Tuesday, thousands of fans in cowboy hats, short skirts, booty shorts, and mesh streamed into Madison Square Garden to celebrate the arrival of Megan Thee Stallion, in town for her inaugural headlining tour. Burning embers emblazoned across a triptych of screens as the rapper emerged to the opening notes of her latest chart-topping hit, “Hiss,” her statuesque silhouette illuminated by a red background. “Y’all, this is my first tour ever!” she squealed before graciously accepting a bouquet of flowers from a fan. It would be the first of several to come throughout the show, with each moment of appreciation nearly bringing her to tears.

More than an arena performance, the Hot Girl Summer Tour was a celebration of an artist’s return after years of overwhelming, destabilizing change. During her rise to stardom, which included three Grammy wins and an erotically charged megahit in “WAP,” Megan was plagued with tragedy and misfortune: She lost her mother and great-grandmother in March 2019, had a protracted fight to leave her former label after she accused it of signing her to an exploitative recording contract, and was subjected to racist, misogynist criticism from the music industry during her three-year-long legal battle with Tory Lanez. These events would overpower most stars, let alone a rising talent. But in the Garden, Megan stood tall, defying the limited expectations of the detractors who had publicly claimed that the rapper was “not an arena artist.”

As a performer, Megan commanded the stage with an intoxicating mix of charm, excitement, and precision. For 90 minutes, she was Beyoncé, Tina Turner, and Pam Grier wrapped up in a southern emcee package. Her set list ran the full breadth of her catalogue, from early freestyles like the 2017 “Stalli Freestyle” that made her a viral sensation to crowd-pleasing hits like “Savage Remix.” “Thot Shit” showcased the starlet at her best, with Megan employing her signature double-time rhyming schemes and finding pockets to pause and join her dancers in sultry majorette-styled choreography. “Body” transitioned into an inspired dance break mixed with the instrumentals to Bey’s “Get Me Bodied.” “Cognac Queen” turned into a crowdwide sing-along, the audience chanting, “I’m on that ’Gac, I wanna dance / Come get yo’ man / Before I put him in a trance.” She transformed her new cheeky pop single “BOA” into a call-and-response exercise, the entire Garden screaming “womp womp womp womp womp whomp” while she worked through the chorus. Meg then flipped the camera onto the fans as they unleashed their own inner hot girls. A young man eagerly lifted his shirt up to show off his undulating waist, a girl showcased her own Megan’s knees while holding onto a railing, and fellow hot girls danced in anime cosplay and posed for photos. In the waning moments of “Cobra,” someone in my section proclaimed, “She’s a star! A star!”

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Later, Meg asked, “Y’all ready to cut the fuck up?” before revealing her big surprise for the night: New York native Cardi B, who emerged to a deafening reception, waving and grinning from ear to ear. The crowd was so loud that the Bronx rapper struggled to properly hear their 2023 collab “Bongos,” but she was able to play off her natural chemistry with Megan before transitioning into a live performance of “WAP,” the audience reciting each verse word for word. Opening act GloRilla soon joined them, as Cardi rapped her standout verse on “Tomorrow 2.” “We’re having a motherfucking hot girl summer,” Megan screamed. “Turn this bitch up!” The trio of women, celebrating each other onstage, was a brief flash into what modern “fandom” should be: not breathlessly supporting one act while forsaking all other entertainers, but reveling in the success of all women in hip-hop and finding joy in continuing to collaborate with and support one another.

As the arena lights came up, the Garden filled with affirmative chatter: “She did that!” one fan said. The Texas-born rapper had put all lingering critiques about her ability to deliver a top-notch arena show to rest. But more than that, it felt as though she was actively choosing happiness in her work despite the many people who had seemed intent to rob her of it. At one point during the show, she appeared in a stained-glass cocoon, defiantly rapping the lyrics to her scornful single “Plan B” in lockstep with the audience. By the second verse, she had taken her mark at the center of the stage, forsaking the cocoon for newfound butterfly wings that had been projected behind her. For Megan, the statement was clear: She was emerging from the ashes, shedding the skin of the trauma that had encased her, and declaring an era of dominance for the rest of this Hot Girl Summer, one stage at a time.