Last Friday, Megan Thee Stallion delivered her third single, "Pressurelicious," featuring the reigning "Toxic King" himself, Future. Surprisingly, this Hitkidd-produced track makes no attempt to snatch the "Song of the Summer" title from Hitkidd's current hit, "FNF," featuring Glorilla.
Where is the summer hit, Megan?
Instead, Megan gives us a run-of-the-mill track that follows a similar formula as other collaborations between male and female rappers. This does not result in a "trash" song, but as many said with Drake's album, it could easily get lost in the shuffle if it's not playing in the clubs.
Megan does her best to elevate this track with her ability to flow confidentially over Hittkid's eerie and semi-catchy beat, while Future is serviceable doing what he does. But "Pressurelicious" lacks the catchiness of "Sweetest Pie," the nostalgic hard-hitting vibe of "Plan B," and the hook sure isn't hooking the way it did on "Thot Shit."
HOUSTON, DO WE HAVE A PROBLEM?
Putting my petty issues aside, the song will probably still chart, and for most fans, that is all that matters. However, with girls who I feel have the "It Factor," talent, and drive to be one of the best, I think beyond Billboard's Hot 100 Charts.
Even though we are in a "singles era" where Hip Hop albums are more like mixtapes than cohesive bodies of work. I want Megan to buck that trend, follow in her fellow Houstonian's footsteps, Beyonce, and put together an album with a storyline, continuity, songs with high replay value, and artwork/visuals that bring it all together.
I want the Hip Hop Lemonade.
So far, I think Megan is doing fantastic with the visuals; I have no complaints. However, I already see some issues when it comes to continuity. For example, "Plan B" is a good song with a good music video; however, they were not good together. That music video did not fit that track's tone or vibe, and so it became a wasted moment.
Bringing it back to "Pressurelicious," Megan dropped stunning promo photos for the single. I LOVE THOSE MUTHAFCK'N PHOTOS with the gas can and the "American Horry Story" influence cover art. But then she,
for whatever reason, drops photos of herself as a lioness and another of herself sitting on the world. I, again, have no issues with the pictures. I thought they looked great...for another song.
There was no rhyme or reason for dropping those photos that appeared totally different, though equally stunning, from what she initially dropped. So I thought, well, maybe it's related to the music video, but as I write this on Tuesday, there is no music video. This is the continuity shit that bothers me. She is definitely not the only one with this problem, but she is the only one I care about right now.
Megan needs to be like Beyonce - "purposeful." Don't just drop photos cause they are AH-mazing, and you want IG likes. There must be a reason and a clear connection to the music.
Speaking of the music, there is nothing about "Pressurelicious" that screams, "I NEED TO BE A SINGLE! In fact, I will go as far as to say, this song should have been put on "Something For Thee Hotties," and "Megan's Piano" should have been saved for the album and treated like a proper single. Also, y'all know I am a huge fan of albums with interludes/skits, so I am still baffled how "Tina Snow Interlude" and "VickeeLo and Dino Btw Skit" were both scrapped from Meg's album, yet we are sitting here with "Pressurelicious" as a third single.
"Pressurelicious" does not drive conversations the way "Thot Shit" did with Black feminists, the way "Sweetest Pie" did with Rap-Pop fans, or the way "Plan B" did with Hip Hop heads who were happy to see Megan returned safely from Pop-istan. It does not move the needle for Megan up or down. It's playing it safe. So, why da fck is it a single?
When I asked myself this question, I remembered when Megan opened up on Stationhead about trying to find the balance between her Houston sound and putting out music she loves vs. what the label loves and the audience they want to cater to. "Pressurelicious" sounds like the label won the "3rd single" battle, and now I am concerned about how many battles they won regarding Megan's upcoming album.
Audio Courtesy of Thee Hottie Ranch - Stationhead
I understand Megan/label's concern about possibly alienating part of the market if she sounds too Houston/southern. However, we are in a time when rappers are all hopping on the same hot sound, and a growing number of rap fans are wondering if regional Hip Hop is going extinct. Many want rappers to sound like what's hot in their area, not what is hot in general.
I see this as an opportunity for Megan Thee Stallion, who already has girls and some boys wanting to be H-Town Hotties. Just like when Outkast had everyone, including myself, forgetting where we were from and claiming ATLien, Megan's album can have the same effect when it comes to Houston.
Meg needs to make the listener feel like they are rolling through Houston in a slab without them even leaving their couches. She needs to be the one who MAKES REGIONAL RAP INTERNATIONAL AGAIN!
*While I was writing, Megan announced her album is done....😳
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