Megan Thee Stallion - Megan: Act II (Album Review)
Tuesday, 29 October 2024
Written by Jack Butler-Terry
It seems inevitable these days that whenever a major artist releases a new album, it’s swiftly followed by a deluxe re-release within about six months. Such is the case with ‘Megan: Act II’, which follows just three months behind Megan Thee Stallion’s eponymous third album.
Part expanded edition, part mixtape-packaged-up-with-the-album, ‘Megan: Act II’ actually does away with several of its parent record’s issues. The production feels tighter, the subject matter more varied and her rapping shows flashes of being at an all-time high, particularly on openers Bigger In Texas and Bourbon.
The remix of Mamushi also elevates the original to a higher plane, although removing Kohh’s feature does do away with some of the charm it once carried.
‘Act II’ gets its mixtape status from the fact that tracks are delivered here in doses, which is evidence of their previous cutting-room-floor status.
They have been fleshed out enough to warrant release, but the results are often tantalising enough that it’d be nice to get a full song, rather than a sub-two-minute flash in the pan.
Nowhere is this more painfully evident than on the Spiritbox-featuring TYG. Their prior collaboration on Cobra [Rock Remix] went like gangbusters and Megan’s willingness to branch into far darker, heavier territories gave her an edge, but the track here never really gets off the ground, feeling more like an idea rather than a finished product. The band’s involvement feels minimal, reducing TYG to little more than a headline grabber.
Elsewhere, though, Roc Steady is a top-tier cut of prime Megan Thee Stallion, and Flo Milli’s input results in a cascading back and forth that puts both artists’ strengths on full display. Neva Play, too, signs the disc off with an attitude-filled flourish.
All told, ‘Act II’ delivers more of ‘Megan’ with roughly the same results. The world would have kept turning whether this came out or not, but Megan Thee Stallion fans have been eating well this year. Give it a few months and we might well have a third entry…
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