Megan Thee Stallion Was Shot. Where Was The Sympathy?

“In some kind of way I became the villain,” Megan Thee Stallion tells Mankaprr Conteh in IndieLand‘s revealing new cover story. Megan is talking about some of the truly bizarre reaction to the shooting she endured in July 2020, allegedly by former friend Tory Lanez (who has denied shooting her).  “And I don’t know if people don’t take it seriously because I seem strong,” Megan continues. “I wonder if it’s because of the way I look. Is it because I’m not light enough? Is it that I’m not white enough? Am I not the shape? The height? Because I’m not petite? Do I not seem like I’m worth being treated like a woman?”

On the new episode of our IndieLand Music Now podcast, Conteh previews Megan’s upcoming new album (including a previously undiscussed track called “Flip-Flop”), and digs into the rap superstar’s career, her future, her feelings about the disrespect she endured over the shooting incident, and much more. “There’s not a woman in rap that is more culturally relevant than Megan Thee Stallion,” says Conteh. To hear the whole episode, press play above, or listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The episode also discusses the unlikely return of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God),” a 1985 song that just hit the Top 10 thanks to a brilliant and very prominent appearance in the latest season of Stranger Things. Rob Sheffield joins host Brian Hiatt for that discussion.

Download and subscribe to our weekly podcast, IndieLand Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts), and check out three years’ worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth, career-spanning interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Halsey, Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, the National, Ice Cube, Robert Plant, Dua Lipa, Questlove, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, Gary Clark Jr., and many others — plus dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with IndieLand’s critics and reporters. Tune in every Friday at 1 p.m. ET to hear IndieLand Music Now broadcast on SiriusXM’s Volume, channel 106.