Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words follows a culmination of events leading up to “The Trial”. The hearing in question involved an incident back in 2000 where artist Tory Lanez shot Megan in the foot. The documentary delivers Megan at her most open and vulnerable; an incredible perspective never before given by the superstar.
The documentary is broken down into chapters, like an easy-to-follow storybook:
I: Birth of Thee Stallion
II: Alone in the Spotlight
III: The Savage Within
The documentary features a series of interviews with Megan as she tours the globe and shares archival footage, taking us through her matriculation from a fledgling youth freestyler to a global icon. In “The Birth of Thee Stallion”, we get a front-row seat to her life as a young girl in Houston, Texas who idolized her mother. An animated sequence shows a young woman driving her young daughter with the former freestyling over music from the radio. Her mom was her first and biggest influencer.
Around her family, close and extended, she received positive reinforcement from all angles every day. Unbeknownst to her, a change in environment (school) would introduce a harsh dose of reality that was hard for her to stomach: children can be mean. Days at school would be brutal after receiving constant backlash for being tall and pretty and things would worsen after her father’s death her freshman year of high school. The importance of this chapter is reinforced by a cache of raw, behind-the-scenes footage of Megan with her mother, who ultimately died from a brain tumor.
The pandemic will always be a moment in time that represents something different for everyone. While some experienced sickness and loss, others were able to learn new skills and jumpstart new beginnings. For Megan, it meant her track “Savage” would be the No. 1 song in the country. In a short period (we’re talking six years), her name would skyrocket into worldwide recognition and receive global acclaim. With both her parents deceased, she leaned hard onto her friends and those who had been with her since her early days of uploading tracks to YouTube. Not long after we’re introduced to her friend Kelsey, a video casually divulges a male friend, Tory Lanez, who would end up dominating the lion’s share of the film. When reflecting on their time together, she mentioned a quote her dad taught her when she was young, “Everybody that grin ain’t ya friend.”
She was able to go into the ordeal with her and Lanez in great detail and provided context to her reasoning during the altercation. Since this came on the heels of the death of George Floyd, she was extra fearful of police and attempted to protect Lanez from the harshest outcome: a police-led death. Not meaning he shouldn’t be punished whatsoever, but as a Black woman who was conscious of the country’s rising tension between Black people and police, she didn’t want him dead. The use of animated sequences throughout the film was able to paint a broader picture of Megan’s stories.
Chapter Two, “Alone in the Spotlight”, places audiences in the backseat of the most emotional ride of the global icon’s life. Feeling alone in crowded rooms and unsafe amongst the masses, her mind begins to wander and oftentimes gets lost. A lack of trust and mounting self-doubt took a toll on her mentally and physically while the proper support was nowhere to be found. With depression lingering in the shadows, the timing of the Gayle King interview and the fallout that came afterward only exacerbated the situation.
After her appearance on Saturday Night Live, an audio clip alerts us to a home invasion. Megan’s California home had been compromised, and if that wasn’t enough, celebrities like Drake had come forward to diss her in support of Torey Lanez. It was after this combination of events that the rapper took to Twitter to announce she was taking a break.
A two-week stint at a mental health institution turns into a month and she intimately discusses how the period was the darkest time in her life. The documentary will surely be remembered for her level of vulnerability and pose as a warning for others who experience similar situations. Giving multiple therapies as the reason she was able to come out on the other side as a new person, she’s been an outspoken advocate for mental health and its importance in life.
When I’m rapping I get to pretend to be somebody stronger than what I am.”
Megan Thee Stallion
“The Savage Within” is the final chapter of the documentary and sings the song of a comeback story. Physically and emotionally fit, she’s ready to see out the remainder of the trial and pray for a proper ending.
The animation was quite helpful in designing the structure of past stories for a modern audience. Seeing her animated will surely beckon calls for a series or short of some sort. It’s not often audiences get to see Black women in their full, authentic body types that misalign with European expectations. The premise behind her lying to Gayle King and authorities after the shooting will surely be a hot topic of discussion for weeks to come. Whenever police brutality destroys a Black community in America, Black women are always to first to defend, comfort, and condemn their actions.
Even though we’re past the trial, it’s still a topic of discussion online and amongst her haters. The only difference between the Meg of now and then? Now, she could care less about what’s being said about her. An admitted former addict to social media, she would surf the web constantly in search of some reprieve in the form of a defender to her plight. Those days are long behind her as her mental health stint turned her into a new woman with new priorities.
Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words gets a 9 out of 10. Years worth of overcompensating to appear strong (which she states her mother would want) brought about a stiff halt in her life. Just as the pandemic will always be known as a marker in time, for Megan, hers will be her month mental health break. Under the surface of that always-tough persona, was a young woman who loved others before herself and was in desperate need of time. Time to mourn, heal, and surround herself with authentic loved ones who supported her unconditionally.
The Hotties (her fanbase) will approve.
Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words is available now on Prime Video.
-Jon Jones
Photo: From Megan’s Social Media Account