Megan Thee Stallion Drops Second LP “Traumazine”
Image Courtesy of That Grape Juice/300 Entertainment
Image Courtesy of That Grape Juice/300 Entertainment
By Dean Roberts
Ever since songs like “Savage” and the Ben Shapiro-approved Cardi B collab “WAP” only a few years ago, Megan Thee Stallion has gone through quite a bit: She lost her mother and grandmother in one month, she became the second female rapper to win the Grammy for Best New Artist, she went through a legal battle with Tory Lanez over an alleged shooting, and she made deals with Netflix and A24 to produce and star in television series and feature films. In short, she has been through some ups and downs. Megan Thee Stallion’s new album Traumazine, her second LP, is the raw sound of a woman who has been through all this, good and bad, and come out on top.
Victory does not arrive, of course, without a few wounds. The first line of the album, off the raging non-disclosure agreement centered diss track “NDA”, is “I ain’t perfect…”but also “y’all deserved it.” The opening track is a true artist statement: one of honest vulnerability and also aggressive confidence, something the record oscillates between quite violently sometimes. Songs like “Ms. Nasty” or “Red Wine” are downright dirty thirst pieces while the song “Anxiety” starts out with “I’m a bad bi*** and I got bad anxiety.” This is clearly acknowledged, as the cover art suggests a split personality. For Megan, the process of writing and producing Traumazine has been a reconciliation.
In a recent interview on the album with Apple Music, she said that “I don’t write songs about how I feel, I write songs about how I want to feel” but, with Traumazine, “it’s probably the first time I’ve figured out how to […] express myself a little more”.
Either way, not a single one of the tracks would be allowed to play on WCUA. Traumazine clocks in at a reasonable 51 minutes but, at a track count of eighteen, it can start to be tedious.
The album’s biggest hit with over 170 million listens on Spotify so far, Dua Lipa collab “Sweetest Pie”, is all the way at the end. The first half is weaker than the second, with fewer collabs and seemingly less variety. Some of the songs, especially between the 3rd and 9th started to blend together too much. However, by the eleventh track “Flip Flop,” which has a wonderful melodic refrain, everything is back on track. Megan has a powerhouse voice with excellent flow when rapping and a handle on melodies when they come. There is just enough variety in the album to sustain the runtime with departures like the nineties throwback “Plan B” and the smooth dance hit “Sweetest Pie”.
Traumazine has eleven features with Future on “Pressurelicious” and the previously mentioned Dua Lipa appearance garnering the most attention. The former feature was unmemorable, but that may come from my personal distaste of the rapper’s vocals. On “Sweetest Pie”, Dua Lipa’s refrain is pleasant and catchy but does not show off her vocals as much as it could. Latto has my personal favorite verse on the album with “Trips y’all can’t pronounce, big jets to Phuket.” I immediately rewound to listen again. None of the other features make a lasting impression. Key Glock’s verses on second track “Ungrateful” only make Megan’s vocals look better. Jhene Aiko, who found mainstream popularity in 2021 on the “Raya and the Last Dragon” soundtrack, has some satisfyingly smooth vocals on “Consistency”. Pooh Shiesty, Rico Nasty, Lucky Daye, Sauce Walka, Lil’ Keke, and Big Pokey also make appearances.
The writers and producers on Traumazine are a who’s who of international rap talent from French beatmaking YouTuber CashMoneyAP to “Bodak Yellow” and “Savage” producer J. White Did It, to rapper Juicy J, among many others. These are hitmakers and they are not slacking. Also of note, The Isley Brothers nab a writing credit due to samples on “Consistency” and “Southside Royalty Freestyle”. The samples overall are not notable, though.
Longtime fans of Megan Thee Stallion will have already listened to Traumazine a few dozen times but it does have much to offer newcomers. While its lyrics are certainly as foul-mouthed as can be, the music itself is not abrasive. Despite its angry, thirsty, or angrily thirsty subjects, a listener, perhaps even a reviewer, could easily wash dishes and do the laundry to it. “Sweetest Pie” is probably the best entry point which corresponds with it being the biggest hit off the record. For fans of dirty clapback rap, there are few albums better produced than Traumazine. 71/100.
