Megan Thee Stallion – B.I.T.C.H.

Amidst label controversy, some non-troversy…

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[6.17]Ryo Miyauchi: “B.I.T.C.H.” simultaneously accentuates hyper-local styles adjacent to Megan’s home of Houston and blur them into an ambiguous, one-size-fits-all rap feature. It’s heavily influenced by Los Angeles with the 2Pac interpolation but also the beat’s fat, hydraulic bounce as well as the sweet G-funk hum — tropes not at all foreign in Houston’s own low-rider-friendly hip-hop. Megan tackles it no different than the Juicy J-produced raps of Fever, weaving acrobatic, Memphis-bred triple time instead of lounging to the mellow beat like her stoned-out California counterparts.
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Brad Shoup: Adding the sung portion turns this into 2Pac by way of Kevin Parker, and she chops it up like T.I. in his chart prime.
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Tobi Tella: Megan is in complete control, like always. Even when revealing vulnerabilities through the stream of consciousness verses and one of the strongest hooks of her career, there’s never a moment where it feels like she’s not a woman who knows what she wants. Part of me wishes more of it was instant; the hook is catchy, but it takes a few listens for the verses to really hit; but another part of me realizes that it doesn’t need my approval.
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Alfred Soto: Irresistible in the car, fine at home, okay under scrutiny, “B.I.T.C.H.” benefits from a performer whose exuberance I expect general audiences to fall in love with too, thanks to Lizzo’s inroads. If my oldest niece were a teen, I wish she’d play it alongside Taylor Swift’s “The Man.”
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Nortey Dowuona: A washed out synth waves over to Megan on the shore, as the bass flashes a fin in the waves with the percussion and snare sliding through the sand trying to avoid her hooves. Usually, Megan thunders along the sand with her crew. Today, it’s just her and a friend, musing over the past few weeks.
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Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: A pleasantly nothing song — Meg glides over this chintzy beat like she’s Vol 2 era Jay-Z, sounding commanding and relaxed over lusher production. It lacks a hook (spelling out “bitch” doesn’t count) but it’s fun enough without one that the absence is not too strongly felt.
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