Megan Thee Stallion graces the cover of Essence magazine as her alter ego

Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion on the cover of Essence magazine.

Photo: Essence Magazine

Houston-native rapper Megan Thee Stallion appears in Essence magazine’s September/October issue dripping in diamonds and designer clothes as her alter ego, “Tina Snow.” The success of the magazine holds today.

The Grammy Award winner appears in looks from Norma Kamali, Christian Dior and more. On the cover, “Show No Mercy” talks about his new album, his musical influences and his style. Here is part of what she said:

Why her alter ego, “Tina Snow” is an ode to Houston rapper Pimp C:

“My mom was always playing Pimp C, UGK, all the Houston legends so that was my vibe, my flavor…Being in Houston, TX in general, I feel like circling and freestyle is just what we do . No matter where you are, who you’re with, someone’s gonna have a rap battle. I was seeing boys together and they were rapping, so in my head, that’s what you do. I wanted to make sure that I was still sharp and that I could do it…”

On using music to make political statements:

“Social media has really given a lot of people a voice that I didn’t feel like they needed…When I saw these men and women talking like crazy, I was like, let me put that in a video, because that’s my answer…”

On what keeps her centered:

“There are probably about four people around me on a daily basis. I don’t see a lot of people, I don’t talk to a lot of people, because I feel like it’s not good for me. I realized that my personal space is what keeps me balanced and it’s what keeps me centered…”

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• joy of sewing

  Joy is the Chronicle’s lifestyle and culture columnist, focusing on pop culture, style, parenting, social justice and race. The Houston native is the author of “Ava and the Prince: The Adventures of Two Rescue Pups,” a children’s book about her own rescue boxer dogs. Joy is also the founder of Year Of Joy, a non-profit organization, to spread joy to children in underserved communities. In 2020, she was one of five “unsung heroes of Houston” featured in the “Monuments of Craig Walsh” exhibit at Discovery Green Park in downtown Houston. A former competitive ice skater, Joy became Houston’s first African-American figure skating coach while in college. She is currently vice president of the Houston Association of Black Journalists.