Track Review: Megan Thee Stallion, "Thot Shit"
After running Summer 2019 with "Cash Shit (feat. DaBaby)" andSummer 2020 with the Beyoncé-assisted "Savage," Megan Thee Stallion is looking for a three-peat with "Thot Shit." Earlier this year, Megan picked up three Grammys and has continued to bask in the success of Good News. "Thot Shit" marks a departure from that project and the return of her beloved alter ego, Tina Snow.
To put it plainly, "Thot Shit" doesn't bring anything new to the table, but the way in which Megan has packaged the song and its message seems to indicate both a return to Tina Snow and some progression from Good News. Produced by LilJuMadeDaBeat ("Freak Nasty," "Big Ole Freak") and OG Parker (Migos' "Walk It Talk It" and PARTYNEXTDOOR's "Loyal"), "Thot Shit" has a surprisingly haunting sound that pulls from bounce music and incorporates echoey vocalizations. The beat is fine. It's unimpressive, but it doesn't detract from the rest of the song. What this instrumental does do, however, is distract from the intriguing juxtaposition that Megan is attempting lyrically. "Thot Shit" is a combination of stacked cypher-esque verses and a hook that seeks to be a club anthem. On paper, and on first listen, the combination shouldn't work. After some time, Megan's vision clicks because, ultimately, the carefree energy of the hook is only achievable through the way Megan handles business and remains in control in the verses. In that vein, the beat should have either been more aggressive or more enticing to dance to. Instead, it falls in the middle and lacks the urgency to keep up with the rest of the song.
As for Megan, her rapping is as tight as ever with some more experimentation in her delivery and a particularly lethal flow switch in the third verse. On "Thot Shit," Megan sounds straight out of her Tina Snow era, but the energy here isn't hunger. With this track, Megan is sending out a reminder to her competitors and detractors about who exactly they're dealing with. She isn't proving herself because she's already done that. Her double entendres are cold ("No, I'm not a patient, but I let him treat me/I gotta be a doctor how I’m orderin' CCs") and she's added a new element to her arsenal of flexes ("I don't give a fuck 'bout a blog tryna bash me/I'm the shit per the Recording Academy"). In fact, when Megan slows down her delivery and slightly changes her vocal inflection to emulate the prestige of the Grammys, it's the best part of the track. On the other hand, some lines and flows sound a bit familiar like "LVs, double C's, Birkins, I'm workin'/My chain ain't hittin' if a bitch ain't hurtin'."
"Thot Shit" is good. It's not as instant as "Savage" or "Body," but it's also not as biting as "Realer" or "Tina Montana." At best, the song is the soundtrack to what is arguably Megan's best music video yet, and a strong teaser for her upcoming project.
Score: 64
