Megan Thee Stallion Credits Late Mother For Rap Talents
In a heartfelt episode of Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast on July 1, Grammy-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion, 29, revealed that her rap talents are a legacy from her late mother, Holly Thomas. Megan fondly remembered her mother, who rapped under the stage name Holly-Wood, as her inspiration and biggest influence.
“Me and my mama used to be going back and forth. She was really the one, and I just wanted to beat her, and I wanted to impress her. I thought she was just the coldest rapper ever.”
Megan, known for hits like Boa and Cobra, recalled the close bond she shared with her mother, who passed away from brain cancer in March 2019. “My mama was my best friend,” she shared.
Megan’s father also passed away when she was just 15 years old, making her relationship with her mother even more significant. “It used to really just be me, her and my dad before he passed. I ain’t care about having a bunch of friends and stuff because — and I was a very friendly kid — but I was the only child. So I just loved being around my mom,” she said.
Asked about the female rap artists she listened to growing up, Megan emphasized her mother’s influence. “I used to wanna be just like her because she was a rapper,” she said. Megan also mentioned that her mother’s favorite female rapper was Lil’ Kim. “She put me on Biggie before she put me on Lil’ Kim, and I used to love Biggie so much. I still love Biggie,” Megan reminisced. “But she was like, ‘If you like Biggie, I got something for you that’s gonna f— you up.’”
Megan recalled her mother introducing her to Lil’ Kim’s music, saying, “So then she started playing me Kim, and I was like, what is this? So I definitely was on Kim early, but definitely my mama was my favorite.”
Megan’s mother made music from 2001 to 2007 before she became a global rap star. She would later become her daughter’s manager. In a 2019 interview with Vulture, Megan remembered spending afternoons in the studio watching her mom record tracks.
“My mom is the first female rapper I’ve ever known. I’m thinking, like, ‘Okay, yeah, this is normal. Everybody’s doing this,’” she stated.
Megan revealed that while her mother thought she was busy with coloring or watching TV, she was actually eavesdropping. “Really, I was ear to the door, thinking, Yeah, uh-huh, I’ma do that, too.”
In May 2020, one year after her mother’s death, Megan paid tribute to Thomas on Instagram with a touching caption: “Happy birthday mama 💛💛💛 I miss you every day!”
“I know you’re watching over me rooting for me and keeping me going. I don’t have you physically here telling me what I should do so I’ve been trying to figure it out on my own remembering all the advice and lessons you’ve taught me before,” she added in the post, which has been deleted.
