Just When We Thought ‘Cobra’ Couldn’t Get Any Better …

On November 3, Megan Thee Stallion finally dropped her much teased first single as an independent artist with “Cobra.” The vulnerable rap-rock track already got a lot of play, and now she’s possibly dropped an even better version with the Spiritbox remix.

On backdrop of sexy horror visuals, Megan raps about her struggles with depression and stacking traumas in “Cobra.” This includes things like the pubic ridicule after Tory Lanez shot her and the death of her parents (and grandparents). Additionally, Megan touches on infidelity, tackling mental health with alcohol, and more. While she touched on these same themes in Traumazine (2022), many expressed surprise at the lyrics in “Cobra.”

The media and her former label continue to frame her solely as a “pussy rapper”—not that there’s anything wrong with that. However, Megan continues to push out of this box musically, career wise, and every which way. The sonic departure in her first song as a free agent and its remix is just the latest example.

When “Cobra” dropped, music critic Henny praised the rock and jazz influence in the work. I didn’t hear anything beyond the rock and hip hop until they pointed this out—specifically the fuzzbox (sound distortion) melody coming from “After the Cosmic Rain” by Return to Forever. The late jazz-fusion pianist and band’s lead Chick Corea produced “After the Cosmic Rain” in the early ’70s. Now, the first remix amps up the gothic sound by featuring the experimental metal band Spiritbox.

A half century of crossover

This wasn’t just a collaboration of vibes, because as I’ve come to learn, members of Spiritbox and the H-Town Hottie have a lot of cultural and musical commonalities. Forming out of Iwrestledabearonce, many Spiritbox bandmates grew up across the south in states like Alabama and Louisiana. Recently observing B-Day (Beyoncé’s birthday), Spiritbox lead singer Courtney LaPlante has talked extensively about her vocal inspirations, many of which are Black vocalists pushing and experimenting in the genres of pop, R&B, and hip hop.

Rap rock, as a genre, has an interesting and complicated history. I’m sure a genuine desire to make interesting music influenced the fusion, and good musicians listen across genres. For example, sample culture laid the foundation for rap and hip hop in the ’70s. All genres are fair game, from musicals and jazz to rock and disco. However, the music industry’s desire to maximize profits influenced rap rock’s adoption as an effort to “legitimize” rap to white audiences.

Unsurprisingly, this history, paired with sexism, led to more opportunities and successes with men. This includes songs like “Walk This Way” by Run D.M.C. and Aerosmith, “Bring the Noise” by Public Enemy and Anthrax, and “Numb/Encore” by Jay-Z and Linkin Park. Even racists like Kid Rock, who started as a rapper-ish, built their career off rap rock. That lack of recognition is part of what makes Megan and Spiritbox’s crossover extra special. She may be independent, but Megan is too big and mainstream to ignore or bury.

(featured image: screencap via Hot Girl Productions)

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Alyssa Shotwell

(she/her) Award-winning artist and writer with professional experience and education in graphic design, art history, and museum studies. She began her career in journalism in October 2017 when she joined her student newspaper as the Online Editor. This resident of the yeeHaw land spends most of her time drawing, reading and playing the same handful of video games—even as the playtime on Steam reaches the quadruple digits. Currently playing: Baldur's Gate 3 & Oxygen Not Included.

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