Continuing the serpentine theme introduced with her debut single ‘Cobra’ in November 2023, this marks Megan’s second official release as an independent artist under her own label, ‘Hot Girl Productions’. She does not hold back on ‘Hiss’ released on Friday, as she decides to “get this s*** off [her] chest and lay it to rest”, addressing all those who have supposedly wronged her over the years.

During an interview with ‘The Breakfast Club,’ Megan elaborates on the metaphorical meaning behind ‘Hiss,’ stating, “When a snake feels like you’ve been playing and doing a whole bunch of swaying, it’s basically telling you to back off”. Navigating through the aftermath of the 2020 Tory Lanez shooting case, where the Canadian singer faced a ten-year prison sentence, to a very public break-up with Pardison Fontaine, fans have speculated that Megan is making direct references to her ex, Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Tory Lanez.

Thee Stallion raps “He can’t move on, can’t let it go, he hooked, nose full of that Tina Snow/ And since n***** need Megan help to make money, b****, come be my h**”. Speculation abounds, with many suggesting that Megan is addressing her rapper and songwriter ex-boyfriend Pardison, theorizing that he might be struggling to move on, using her name to stay relevant and secure an income.

Adding to the narrative, Megan includes the line “These h*** don’t be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan’s Law” – alluding to a US legal provision mandating authorities to disclose information about sex offenders to the public. Numerous individuals, including Nicki Minaj, interpreted this as Megan subtly addressing her, particularly since Nicki’s husband, Kenneth Petty, received a house arrest order in September 2023. This ruling stemmed from his failure to register as a sex offender when relocating from New York to California in 2019.

Nicki Minaj went live on Instagram, teasing a snippet of an unreleased track that seemingly references the gunshot injury Megan suffered on her foot during the Tory Lanez altercation. In her rap, she says “Bad b**** she like six foot, I call her Big Foot/ The b**** fell off, I said get up on your good foot”. In the midst of the livestream, Nicki also remarked “You have three Grammys and you have to learn how to rap on the beat and be comfortable in the music”. The banter did not cease there, Nicki took it to X (formally known as Twitter), showcasing her manicured feet and liking tweets written by fans about Megan. Shortly afterward, Megan shared a photo of herself laughing on her Instagram story.

The brewing conflict between Megan and Drake appears to originate from a lyric Drake included in his 2022 track ‘Circo Loco’, where he raps “This b**** lie ’bout getting shots, but she still a stallion”. Speculations arose that he was alluding to Megan rather than generalising about women who undergo surgery and deceive. Many have interpreted Megan’s lyrics “These n***** hate on BBLs and be walkin’ ’round with the same scars” and “Cosplay gangsters, fake-ass accents” as direct jabs at Drake. In the past, Drake faced allegations of undergoing abdominal surgery, with figures like Joe Budden and Pusha T making these assertions. Concurrently, a continuous discussion persists regarding the legitimacy of Drake’s ‘recently adopted gangster persona’. Megan closes the song with “Download JPay since y’all n***** got so much to say/ Or schedule a conjugal visit or somethin’, hahaha/ D*** ridin’-a** n*****”, referring to a technological system implemented by prisons providing services for inmates such as financial transactions, emails and video visitations, whilst a conjugal visit refers to the spouse of an inmate typically having the opportunity to spend an extended period in private with the incarcerated partner.

While Megan has not revealed the official release date for her upcoming album, the anticipation among fans continues to rise following the success of her two hit tracks.

Written by Lashana Camille