Song of the Week is Consequence‘s weekly series that highlights the latest and greatest new tunes. Find these new favorites and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist, and for other great songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Megan Thee Stallion has a lot to get off her chest on “Hiss.”
For the past several years, Megan Thee Stallion has been at the center of negative attention after a 2020 incident in which rapper Tory Lanez was found guilty of shooting her in the foot. With her new single, “Hiss,” Megan fires back with venomous lyrics going after the biggest names who called her a liar.
The most scathing lines take a thinly veiled jab at Nicki Minaj, whose 2023 song “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” features the lyric, “That .40 cal a make ’em dance like a go-go,” in a not too subtle reference to the Tory Lanez shooting. On “Hiss,” Megan appears to reference Nicki’s husband, registered sex offender Kenneth Petty, when she raps, “These hoes don’t be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan’s Law.”
Next up on her list is Drake, who alluded to “a stallion” lying about “getting shots” on 2022’s “Circo Loco.” Besides responding to Drake’s double entendre about gunshots and butt injections by alluding to rumors he got an ab sculpting procedure himself (“These n****s hate on BBLs and be walkin’ ’round with the same scars”), Megan comes after “cosplay gangsters” with “fake-ass accents.” Given Drake’s penchant for adapting a new accent every few months and self-proclaimed mob ties, the shoe fits.
The H-Town Hottie also takes a moment to seemingly address her ex, Pardison Fontaine (“He can’t move on, can’t let it go”), but “Hiss” isn’t all disses.
There’s a moment of triumph when Megan calls herself “the Teflon Don in the courtroom.” Much like Mafia boss John Gotti, she’s emerged mostly unscathed from the scrutiny of the Tory Lanez shooting trial and a vicious legal battle with her former label 1501 Certified Entertainment.
Now that Megan has moved past the Tory Lanez trial and formed her own label, Hot Girl Productions, she’s finally free from the weight of the past few years. Based on “Hiss,” Megan’s pen is sharper than ever, which is good news for everyone who’s been rooting for her and bad news for those foolish enough to stand in her way.
— Eddie Fu
News Editor
Honorable Mentions
Cakes da Killa — “Mind Reader” Feat. STOUT
To accompany the announcement of his upcoming album Black Sheep, Cakes da Killa has dropped “Mind Reader,” a hip-hop banger that reaches absurd levels of danceability. With a beat straight out of the ’90s club scene, Cakes da Killa spits like it’s a race, keeping the energy and speed as high as the music will allow. STOUT’s sung hook comes in as the icing on the cake… the icing on the Cakes da Killa, rather (we like to have fun here). — Jonah Krueger
Chastity Belt — “I-90”
The highway I-90 is the longest interstate in the country, and “I-90,” the jangly new Chastity Belt single, captures how it feels to be young and cruising along a seemingly never-ending road. “This feels like flying,” the band’s Lydia Lund murmurs, reminiscing on a bike ride before arriving at a stark contrasting remark: “You said, ‘I feel like dying.'” She delivers the line coolly, like it’s only natural for those extreme opposing feelings to occur within mere moments of each other. Life might feel like one extremely long freeway, and that’s just as daunting as it is exciting. — Abby Jones
Courtney Bell — “Westside” feat. Royce Da 5’9
“I’m what you get when Illmatic collab with Chronic and Snoop,” Courtney Bell spits in his new song with Royce Da 5’9, “Westside.” The slick, boastful claim opens Bell’s rapid-fire verse in the song’s second half, and he doesn’t lose any energy from there. The track and its corresponding video revolve around a concept inspired by The Matrix, complete with trippy black-and-green visuals and a suspended sense of time and space. Oh, and Royce’s verse is immaculate: “I’ll take all of my George Washington dollars/ Bury them in my backyard to save my George Washington Carvers” is just one of several highlights. — Paolo Ragusa
Drahla — “Default Parody”
You know what rocks? Quality, artsy post-punk. You know what rocks even harder? Quality, artsy post-punk with prominent saxophone — and, oh boy, does Drahla’s “Default Parody” deliver. The lead single to their newly announced LP angeltape grooves away as vocalist Luciel Brown provides snarky, near-spoken verses. Eventually, the track gives way to the all-mighty squeal of the saxophone, finally bringing the controlled chaos of the song to a close. — J. Krueger
Emily Yacina — “Trick of the Light”
Indie pop singer-songwriter Emily Yacina said that, while writing her new single “Trick of the Light,” she kept thinking of the word “imaginationship” — “the inner world, and how it can sometimes be disrupted by another person.” The Rostam-produced track is Yacina at her most sonically complex, layering tons of dreamy elements until the result is something transcendent. — A. Jones
Emotional Oranges & Nonso Amadi — “In My Head”
Music from duo Emotional Oranges tends to be shockingly smooth; with Blended, their collaborative new EP release, they’ve recruited Nigerian singer-songwriter Nonso Amadi to the equation, and the results are excellent. All four tracks on the project are worth a listen, but this crew wisely chose to lead with “In My Head,” a sizzling, moody mid-tempo cut co-produced by Amadi. Emotional Oranges tend to excel at tracks that dabble in themes of yearning, and Amadi’s vocals tie the whole thing together. — Mary Siroky
fanclubwallet — “Band Like That”
Hannah Judge’s indie project fanclubwallet is getting the full band treatment — Our Bodies Paint Traffic Lines will be the first fanclubwallet release as a quartet, and their new song, “Band Like That,” celebrates that collaborative spirit. Every aspiring musician can relate to Judge’s ambitious dreams: “You could see it right?/ Me in a band like that,” she rhetorically asks in the refrain. It’s a song about wanting to be apart of something bigger than yourself, and the kind of deep desire that can be spawned by watching a band killing it onstage. And all the while, her band is sounding bigger and better than ever. — P. Ragusa
Grace Cummings — “On And On”
“On and On” by Australian folk artist Grace Cummings offers an ’80s-esque, near sophisti-pop style of music that allows for the soaring vocal melodies to take center stage. The single is from her upcoming album titled Ramona, which is set to bring orchestral movements and new pomp to her previous folk stylings. The song’s lyrics see a powerful sense of loss, which is supported by the strong, emotive vocals. Cummings begs, “Could it be so happy/ Just you and me alone/ Do you feel happy,” demonstrating a sense of uncertainty within a relationship that is relatable to all. The song is powerful and moving. — Venus Rittenberg
Jane Penny — “Messages”
The lead single from pop artist Jane Penny’s upcoming solo EP, Surfacing, is a dreamy, captivating track. Lyrically, the song is about not getting messages from a certain special person. Be this a literal interpretation, such as texts, or a metaphorical one, such as gestures of affection, is a decision that Penny leaves wide open for the listener. The song is somber, but the tranquility makes it feel light and beautiful. — V. Rittenberg
Junodream — “Fever Dream”
After six years of outstanding singles, expansive EPs, and sonic maturation, English band Junodream have finally shared their debut album, Pools of Colour. The album’s opener, “Fever Dream,” captures everything that made the band so enjoyable throughout the last few years: Soaring vocals, dreamy guitars, and a driving, shapeshifting rhythm section. But you can still track the band’s evolution from early standouts “To the Moon” and “Fire Doors” to “Fever Dream.” Pools of Colour is the statement piece that they’ve seemingly always envisioned, and the song and album serve as a triumphant reminder of their stratospheric potential. — P. Ragusa
