Review | Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Hot Girl Summer’ Tour

“HOTTIESSS GET READY TO COME HAVE SOME FUN WITH ME AT THEE HOT GIRL SUMMER TOUR.”

That was how Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion announced her very first stadium tour on March 13, 2024. It was in typical Megan, or as her fans (aforementioned Hotties) call her, Hot Girl Coach, fashion: loud, proud, and hot. When I first read the caption, all I could think about, besides my excitement, was how this seemingly playful and innocuous announcement had, actually, been a long time coming.

Megan Thee Stallion first gained mainstream traction with her massive hit “Hot Girl Summer” in 2019, a song that became so huge, it was a term I heard being used quite often with friends from every social sector of my life that year. In 2020, Megan earned two Billboard Hot 100 number one hits with “Savage” (featuring her longtime idol and massive superstar/fellow Texas native Beyoncé), and Cardi B’s “WAP.” She then went on to win multiple Grammys, including the coveted Best New Artist.

However, despite a meteoric career rise, Megan Thee Stallion has not gotten to where she is now without an unusual amount of poorly timed obstacles. In 2020, she was shot in the foot by Canadian rapper Tory Lanez. The shooting was covered on many major news outlets, and Megan processed a lot of the trauma she had to deal with in her later work. Lanez was later convicted on all counts in relation to the attack on her in 2022. After the trial, Megan then entered a prolonged legal dispute with her record label. In the aftermath, Megan Thee Stallion left her team at 300 Entertainment in 2023 and went independent. And despite these changes happening at the start of an exponentially growing time in her career, Megan has not stopped creating quality, inspired music. She’s also maintained a loyal fanbase, as shown by her sold out show at Crypto Arena in Los Angeles this past week.

In a fiery stage setup, Megan Thee Stallion took the stage with her new song “HISS,” a diss track allegedly aimed towards fellow rapper Nicki Minaj. Aptly titled, the track is full of venomous lines such as, “these hoes don’t be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan’s Law,” which confronts the fact that Minaj’s husband is a registered sex offender. She glided over the beats of her songs with ease, while simultaneously seamlessly performing full choreography. Megan played all of her hits with an ecstatic energy, leading the chanting crowd along with her as she rapped the verses. Highlights included “Thot Shit,” “Freak Nasty,” “Plan B,” and “Girls in the Hood,” the latter a viral internet hit where she boasts “I’m a hot girl, I do hot shit, spend his income on my outfit.”

The moment in the show that the crowd was clearly most passionate about was when she started “WAP,” rapping “pay my tuition just to kiss me on this wet ass pussy” as she twerked and beamed towards the audience. It was at once hilarious, insanely fun, and a total party, all in one. She then played a few more of her biggest hits, including “Don’t Stop” and “Body” before ending the evening on “Savage.” Confetti shot into the air as she playfully rapped, “I taste like sugar, but ain’t shit sweet, mwah,” then ended with her hand in the air, striking a pose for the crowd as the stadium erupted into cheers.

The thing about Megan Thee Stallion that made me a true fan was how outward her love of herself extended. During the show, Megan repeatedly encouraged the crowd to cheer for themselves, at one point yelling out: “If you love your body just the way it is, make some noise! If you love yourself just the way you are, make some noise! Make some noise for yourself!” She later invited audience members onto the stage with her, showering them with compliments. From these moments, as well as her socials and in interviews, she seems to not only know how great she is, but also constantly acknowledge that everyone else has greatness inside of them as well. It’s a confidence that supersedes the self; one that is unmoving because it stems from the firm belief that she is that great, because everyone is that great. It’s powerful, indisputable, and directed toward all people as opposed to just oneself.

And while being confident has long, since the beginning, been part of the Hot Girl Coach’s brand, through the thick of adversity that Megan Thee Stallion has not only worked through but conquered and risen above, Megan is embodying what she preaches at an entirely new level. She’s proving that you can still be all the things she encourages everyone to be, even through the worst and most unfair moments in life.

And she does it all while twerking (astonishingly well).