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
4 July 2024
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.
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."
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