Megan Thee Stallion’s mother was the source of her rap talents.
The Grammy-winning ‘Body’ performer, 29, paid tribute to her fellow singer mum Holly Thomas by saying she sharpened her skills by getting them involved in rap battles with each other.
She told Shannon Sharpe’s ‘Club Shay Shay’ podcast: “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 and I thought she was just the coldest rapper ever.”
Megan’s mum used to go by the stage name Holly-Wood before her death from brain cancer in March 2019.
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She added: “My mama was my best friend. It used to really just be me, her and my dad before he passed.”
The rapper’s father died when she was 15 years old and a freshman in high school, and she added about the impact of his passing: “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.”
When asked what female rap artists she listened to growing up, Megan – born Megan Jovon Ruth Pete – again stressed her mum’s strong influence, saying: “I used to wanna be just like (her) because she was a rapper.”
The performer also said the late Biggie Smalls and Lil’ Kim, 49, was her mother’s “favourite female rapper” and recalled being introduced to her when she was young.
She added: “(My mum) put me on Biggie before she put me on Lil’ Kim, and I used to love Biggie so much. I still love Biggie.
“But she was like, ‘If you like Biggie, I got something for you that’s gonna f*** you up’.
“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 favourite.”
Before Megan became famous, her mum made music from 2001 to 2007 and later became her daughter’s manager.
A year after her mother’s passing, in May 2020, Megan posted a tribute to her on Instagram that said: “Happy birthday mama (three yellow heart emojis.) I miss you everyday!”
Megan’s now-deleted post included a throwback photo of her mother, with the rapper adding: “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.”
