Making Megan Moves

A list of music made in 2020 by Black women

On September 22, ​Time ​released their annual list of influential people, the “TIME 100”. The issue features Megan Thee Stallion placed prominently on the cover. The author substantiates Megan’s placement by citing the trials and tribulations she faced this year. She was literally shot in the foot and still criticized. Despite this, Megan still came on top with the release of her EP, ​Suga​, and multiple No.1 singles including “WAP” and her collaboration with Beyonce, “Savage”. While she had multiple chart-topping singles, Meghan was still relentlessly criticized all over the media for being a woman in the rap industry. This is a reality for many Black women in the music industry, as they tend to lack media exposure and acclaim, especially in comparison to their male counterparts. This is a list of songs released in 2020 to bring some awareness and praise to the revolutionary music released by Black women this year.

1. Megan Thee Stallion - “​Savage Remix (feat. Beyonce)”

You may have heard this song when it was released as part of her album “Suga”, but, after getting much recognition for it, she released a remixed version featuring Beyonce. This gave the song a new summer vibe. This remix went on to top charts for the summer, becoming a viral song over all social media platforms and inspiring many dances on TikTok.

2. SZA - “​Hit Different (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)”

After calling out her record label, Dawg Entertainment, in multiple sets of now deleted tweets criticizing them for holding back the release of her new album, SZA gave us all a long anticipated single. This song gives you everything that you would expect in a SZA love song. It gives you a sense of the stages of complicated and tainted love.

3. Rico Nasty -​ “IPHONE”

After becoming a viral sensation on TikTok, “IPHONE” became one of the songs of the summer. This song is different from other Rico Nasty songs, as it features production by 100 Gecs instead of her usual producer, Kenny Beats. The song gives Rico room to explore her sound, as well ascatering to her fans by keeping her sugar trap aesthetic strong.

4. BOSCO - “​Paid in Full”

BOSCO, an up-and-coming artist from Georgia released her first album, ​Some Day This Will All Make Sense​. Her debut for this album was through the YouTube channel COLORS, where she performed “Paid in Full” live, garnering 800,000+ views. This song gives you all the jazz and downtempo R&B rhythm you would want from a song.

5. Noname -​ “Song 33”

Noname came out with this song to comment on the killings of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, and as a retort to “Snow on Tha Bluff” by J. Cole, in which he made comments about her. In this song she addressed this by saying, “He really bout to write about me/When the world is in smokes?” Later Noname apologized in a Tweet saying her song ended up being a distraction when it was meant to draw attention to the issues she cared about. Later, she announced that part of the proceeds will go to various mutual aid funds.