It's crazy what can change in a year. This time last fall, Megan Thee Stallion was rapping her heart out at local shows, balancing classes at Texas Southern University and occasionally dropping a fire freestyle video shot in a suburban cul-de-sac driveway. Since then, the brilliant and bodacious Houston rapper has ascended to major festival stages, become one of the most sought-after features on other stars' songs and electrified late-night television.

Though she's dubbed herself a stallion because of her tall and voluptuous frame (Meg stands 5 feet 10 inches without heels,) the 24-year-old rapper has proven herself to be a workhorse when it comes to consistency. Her viral 2019 freestyles shot her exposure online through the roof and whichever alter ego she chooses in the moment — Tina Snow, Hot Girl Meg, Stalli — she's maintained the spotlight all year thanks to a steady stream of new music, an engaging personality and her own viral social media campaign, Hot Girl Summer.

Megan's lyrical content lies in subverting established sexual dynamics and no matter the level of raunch she deploys, empowering women remains Meg's manifesto. Co-signs from all across hip-hop, from Q-Tip to Nicki Minaj to Chance the Rapper, have only bolstered her appeal and validated her bars in the eyes of the genre's cultural gatekeepers.

As part of a spectacular 2019 victory lap, Megan Thee Stallion will perform at NPR's Tiny Desk Fest, backed by a live band (Phony Ppl) for the first time, on Monday, Oct. 28. Catch the performance in its entirety live on this page, beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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