Megan Thee Stallion, a rapper, has shown no signs of slowing down since breaking into the music scene in 2019. She has expanded her business from $500 engagements in her hometown of Houston to rubbing elbows with some of the big companies.
She has collaborated on music with Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, BTS, and Dua Lipa. In business, her collaboration with Fashion Nova was an instant success in 2020. She generated $1.2 million in sales in the first 24 hours, according to TMZ. The 106-piece collection is centered on a “premium denim look with corset bodysuits, tops with matching pants, dresses, and outerwear,” according to ABC News.
Also, in 2020, she collaborated with Cardi B on WAP which got nearly 2 billion streams on YouTube and Spotify. “That was the song for her. I don’t think it would have made sense for anybody else,” Cardi B told Forbes. “She added that spark.”
Three years after her collaboration collection with Fashion Nova, the artist has amassed an enormous wealth. She told Forbes in a recent interview for a cover story in November 2022, “I’m trying to really build something.” Megan Thee Stallion made history that same year by becoming the first Black woman to grace the cover of Forbes 30 under 30. According to the interview, she made an estimated $13 million from royalties, ticket sales, endorsements, and merchandise.
“I’ll take a break when I’m dead,” she told Forbes. “I’m trying to really build something.” She added, “When I start sitting, I feel like I’m not doing enough or I’m giving somebody else the opportunity to pass me.”
The superstar rapper has amassed a good number of endorsement deals that only A-list artists can imagine, regardless of her X-rated songs. She has endorsement deals with Nike, Revlon, Cash App, and Popeyes. “A roughly $1 million deal with Popeyes gave Megan a signature ‘Hottie Sauce’ and $250,000 for her own Popeyes restaurant,” Forbes wrote. Time Inc. also paid her $3 million to produce a documentary on her life, the magazine said.
Megan Pete was her name before she became Megan Thee Stallion. Holly Thomas, her mother, was a bill collector and wannabe rapper who reared her in Houston’s South Park, a Black community. She then went on to study nursing at Prairie View A&M, one of America’s largest historically Black institutions.
Megan Thee Stallion started making YouTube videos in college, which drew the notice of hip-hop manager Travis Farris. 1501 Certified Entertainment, a Houston-based independent label, signed her in 2018 for a $50,000 advance. And, since the release of her maiden project, Tina Snow, in 2018, she has never looked back, merging her music with commercial ventures.