LOS ANGELES, March 15, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Rapper Megan Thee Stallion on
Sunday won the coveted Grammy for Best New Artist, capping her banner year
that featured collaborations with superstars Beyonce and Cardi B.
It was the second Grammy of the night for the 26-year-old, who bested
strong competition from fellow rapper Doja Cat and singer-songwriter Phoebe
Bridgers.
“Every artist that was nominated for this award is so amazing,” the
statuesque artist, wearing a vivid orange Dolce and Gabbana gown with a hip-
high slit, said outside the Staples Center on a balmy Los Angeles afternoon.
“It’s been a hell of a year but we made it.”
The win was a cherry on top of the artist’s meteoric rise to fame.
She released her EP “Suga,” her debut studio album “Good News,” a remix of
her smash hit “Savage” with Beyonce, and her much-touted collaboration with
Cardi B, “WAP” — a bawdy bop the pair will perform later in the ceremony.
Both singles hit number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, while both albums
vaulted into the industry tracker’s Top 10 album chart.
Sunday’s gala marked the first time the Houston-born artist had earned
Grammy nominations, snagging four in the general and rap categories. With her
Best New Artist win, she was two for two.
The Best New Artist category almost exclusively featured female artists,
following years of criticism that the gala honoring music’s best leans
towards white and male talent.
Despite this being her maiden Grammys success, Megan Thee Stallion has
certainly won other accolades since owning the summer of 2019 by declaring it
“hot girl summer” and releasing her mixtape “Fever.”
The rapper — whose ferociously tight flow has earned praise from the
genre’s old guard — made Time’s list of most influential people in 2020. She
has won a number of BET awards and MTV VMAs, along with a Billboard Women in
Music honor.