The remixed version of Megan Thee Stallion’s 2020 hit ‘Savage’ – which famously features Beyoncé – initially included more explicit lyrics. But as the former Houston rapper explained in a new interview, those lyrics were toned down at Beyoncé’s request.
Earlier this week, Megan sat down with ELLE to explore the “hottest” moments in her career thus far, beginning with the story of her Beyoncé collab. She explained that the Destiny’s Child icon blindsided Megan and her crew with the remix, but made one small request: “Beyoncé was like, ‘Could you please make your verse, like, a little bit cleaner?’
“I went in my living room and I recorded it right then. Beyoncé didn’t have to tell me twice, I sent that verse right back! But it was amazing – like, everybody knows that I am obsessed with Beyoncé, so when I got to collab, like, being from Houston with her, I was just appreciative. Like when I saw people dancing to the song, vibing to it, loving it – how many famous people [were] dancing to the song – I was like, ‘Oh my God, y’all know me.’”
Have a look at the interview below:
The original version of ‘Savage’ appeared on Megan Thee Stallion’s third EP, ‘Suga’, which arrived in March of 2020. The remix dropped a month later, later appearing on Megan’s debut album ‘Good News’ that November. Notably, all proceeds raised by the song were donated to Bread Of Life’s COVID-19 relief efforts in Houston.
‘Savage (Remix)’ went on to be the second-most acclaimed song of 2020, making it onto end-of-year lists from more than 30 publications (including NME, where it came in at Number 30 on a list of 2020’s best songs). It also won a slew of awards, including Best Rap Song and Best Rap performance at the 2021 Grammys.
Meanwhile, this week also saw Megan issue a “final” response to the 2020 incident that led to Tory Lanez being found guilty of shooting her in 2020. “I don’t want to call myself a victim,” she wrote in an essay. “As I reflect on the past three years, I view myself as a survivor, because I have truly survived the unimaginable.”