Breakout rapper Megan Thee Stallion has called the nationwide protests in the U.S. and the growing Black Lives Matter movement around the world "part two of the civil rights movement."
In a new interview for a digital cover feature with British music website NME, Megan discussed her role as a celebrity when speaking out against the injustices of the world and how she's learned to use her platform to effect change, as seen on her social media channels. Over the past few weeks, Megan has remained vocal about the heated sociopolitical state of the U.S. She's recently taken to social media to demand justice for George Floyd and has called for the arrest of the police officers who killed Breonna Taylor.
"Sometimes being a public figure," she told NME, "you don't wanna say the wrong thing because you don't want to be insensitive to people or get too opinionated. But I will always say what I feel. I don't speak on things that I don't know about, and I won't speak on things I don't believe in."
In the interview, she goes on to discuss the pressures of being a strong Black woman and the stereotypes surrounding it.
"Let me tell you, Black women are strong," Megan, who cites her late mother, grandmother and all the other "really good examples of women in my life" as role models, told NME. "We can be going through whatever and still put on a good face. I know there were times that my mother might have been going through things but I never knew, because she wanted me to feel safe and okay."
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Megan also tells NME about the unexpected breakout success of her 2020 single, "Savage," which went viral on TikTok and later secured a remix featuring Beyoncé; the remix, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S., helped raise funds for COVID-19 relief efforts in the singers' hometown of Houston.
Megan also talked about her recent performance at the virtual 2020 BET Awards, her newfound life as a role model to her fans, and her current and upcoming projects, which include a gig as a judge on HBO's new voguing reality competition TV series, "Legendary."
