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Traumazine

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Traumazine
Studio album by
Megan Thee Stallion
ReleasedAugust 12, 2022 (2022-08-12)
Genre
Length51:05
Label
Producer
Megan Thee Stallion chronology
Something for Thee Hotties
(2021) 		Traumazine
(2022) 		Megan
(2024)
Singles from Traumazine
  1. "Sweetest Pie"
    Released: March 11, 2022
  2. "Plan B"
    Released: April 22, 2022
  3. "Pressurelicious"
    Released: July 21, 2022
  4. "Her"
    Released: August 15, 2022

Traumazine is the second studio album by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion, released on August 12, 2022, by 300 Entertainment and 1501 Certified.[1] This album marks her final release under the labels before her departure in October 2023 after two years of lawsuits.[2]

Upon release, Traumazine received positive reviews from critics, who complimented its production and Megan's flow. It was nominated for the BET Hip Hop Award for Album of the Year.[3] The album's lead single, "Sweetest Pie" with English singer Dua Lipa, peaked at number 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Commercially, the album debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 becoming Megan Thee Stallion's fifth US top-10 album, but did not achieve high placements in international charts, starting a lawsuit by the rapper for the label's low interest in its promotion. The album was later certified gold by the RIAA for selling over 500,000 units.

Background and label lawsuit

In 2020 Megan Thee Stallion filed suit against her record label 1501 Certified Entertainment to renegotiate her contract, after her management company Roc Nation found it "iffy".[4][5] When Something for Thee Hotties was released the record label didn't recognize it as an album, because it has 29 minutes of new material instead of 45, so the rapper would have to release two more albums in addition to Something.[6] On February 18, 2022, Megan filed suit against the label claiming that Something respects the definition of an album with at least 45 minutes of material.[5][7]

On August 11, 2022, Megan took to Twitter to announce that her second studio album Traumazine would be released the next day.[8] The rapper also wrote about the lawsuit, expressing her disappointment and emotional distress at the difficulty she is experiencing in releasing her music, but ending her message to fans with the phrase "we almost out".[9] Megan defined the album title as referring to a chemical released in the brain when forced to deal with "painful emotions caused by traumatic events and experiences. See synonyms: self-realization".[10][11]

After the low promotion of Traumazine by the label, Thee Stallion has started a second lawsuit, accusing the company of contributing to the album's poor sales and marketing.[12] On October 19, 2023, lawyers from 1501 Certified Entertainment confirmed that they and Thee Stallion had reached a confidential agreement to resolve their legal differences by parting amicably.[13]

Composition

Lyrically, Traumazine contains themes related to self-expression, the empowerment of African-American women, death, and overcoming difficult moments in life.[14][15] In an interview with Ebro Darden and Nadeska Alexis of Apple Music, the rapper discussed the meaning of the record project:[16]

Usually when I write songs […] I could be sad. […] I don't write songs about how I feel, I write songs about how I want to feel. So I feel like, on this album, it's probably the first time I figured out how to talk about what I want to say… express myself a little bit more. So that's just how I've been living life. And I feel like it's been so easy for people to tell my story for me, speak on my behalf because I'm a nonchalant person, I feel like. […] But like I see now that it can get out of control so I feel like I wanted to just take control of my narrative, take control of my own story. Tell it my way, tell it from me.

The album featured several collaborations from Dua Lipa, Future, and Key Glock, and additional guest appearances from Latto, Pooh Shiesty, Rico Nasty, Jhené Aiko, Lucky Daye, Sauce Walka, Lil' Keke, and Big Pokey.[17]

Promotion

The first single was "Sweetest Pie", with English singer Dua Lipa, released on March 11, 2022. The second single was "Plan B", released on April 22, 2022. It was followed by the collaboration "Pressurelicious" with Future, released on July 21, 2022, and "Her", released three days after the release of the album. A music video for "Ungrateful" featuring American rapper Key Glock was released on September 6, 2022.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.5/10[18]
Metacritic80/100[19]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[20]
Clash8/10[21]
The Guardian[22]
MusicOMH[23]
NME[24]
Pitchfork7.1/10[25]
Rolling Stone[26]
Slant Magazine[27]
The Telegraph[28]

Traumazine was met with a very positive response from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album has an average score of 80 based on 11 reviews.[29]

Time journalist Moises Mendez II wrote that the rapper "alternates between knocking down every obstacle that stands in her way and realizing that some obstacles will take longer to get past than others", adding "with Traumazine, we see her dig deeper into her insecurities", citing the "most gut-wrenching lines in the album", referring to her parents' death. Mendez additionally noted the "dark and ominous" production tone, with lyrical references to the difficult rise for an African American woman in the music industry and the legal battle to dissolve her 1501 Certified record contract.[15]

NPR editor Sidney Madden defined the album as a "huge artistic step" because "tracks are offset with deep contemplations about the trauma she's experienced in her life so far and, more pointedly, the double standards in society that black women carry with them when they're objectified". Madden states that it is comparable to a diary in which "she's having a stream of conscious. [...] It's raw. It's real. And it can't be faked".[14]

In a more reserved review for AllMusic, Fred Thomas described the album as, "solid but inconsistent, with one foot in formula-tested mainstream rap and the other in a more confessional, emotionally bare territory that's new for Megan Thee Stallion. Despite its occasional unevenness, the album is exciting in both its moments of audience-tested hitmaking and when Megan cracks the veneer of her invincible persona to share feelings that are difficult, messy, and real."[20]

Commercial performance

Traumazine debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 with 63,000 album-equivalent units (including 8,000 pure album sales), becoming Megan Thee Stallion's fifth US top-10 album.[30] It descended to number 9 the following week, selling 29,000 units, and then to 23 in its third week.

Track listing

Traumazine track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."NDA"
  • HitKidd
3:21
2."Ungrateful" (featuring Key Glock)
  • Bandplay
2:34
3."Not Nice"
  • Pete
  • Travis Simmons
  • Duevon Desir
  • Sean Porterfield
  • D-Sims
  • P.Raw
  • SSV
2:46
4."Budget" (featuring Latto)
3:22
5."Her"
2:17
6."Gift & a Curse"
2:52
7."Ms. Nasty"
  • Pete
  • Diego Avendano
  • Joel Banks
  • Shawn Jarrett
  • Taylor Banks
  • Bankroll Got It
  • Diego Ave
  • Source
2:12
8."Who Me" (featuring Pooh Shiesty)
1:58
9."Red Wine"
2:34
10."Scary" (featuring Rico Nasty)
2:34
11."Anxiety"
  • Pete
  • Kevin Price
  • Go Grizzly
2:15
12."Flip Flop"
  • Pete
  • Julian Mason
  • Kelton Scott II
  • Kelvin Bradshaw
  • Lloyd Turner
  • Timothy Hoyle
  • Walter Scott
  • William Aquart Jr.
2:08
13."Consistency" (featuring Jhené Aiko)
3:40
14."Star" (featuring Lucky Daye)
3:30
15."Pressurelicious" (featuring Future)
  • HitKidd
  • Payday
2:53
16."Plan B"
  • Rob Holladay
  • Omar Grand
2:44
17."Southside Royalty Freestyle" (featuring Sauce Walka, Big Pokey and Lil' Keke)
4:03
18."Sweetest Pie" (with Dua Lipa)
  • Parker
  • Platinum Libraries
  • Romano
  • Koz[a]
3:21
Total length:51:04

Note

  • ^[a] indicates an additional producer

Personnel

  • Colin Leonard – mastering (1–14, 17)
  • Mike Dean – mastering, mixing (15, 16, 18)
  • Jaycen Joshua – mixing (1–14, 17)
  • Shawn Jarrett – engineering (1–14, 16–18)
  • Joshua Queen – engineering (10)
  • Zeke Mishanec – engineering (15)
  • Mark Shick – engineering (18)
  • Sage Skofield – additional mixing (4)
  • DJ Riggins – mixing assistance (1–14, 17)
  • Jacob Richards – mixing assistance (1–14, 17)
  • Mike Seaberg – mixing assistance (1–14, 17)
  • Sean Solymar – mixing assistance (15)
  • Tommy Rush – mixing assistance (15)

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for Traumazine
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[44] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for Traumazine
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Various August 12, 2022
[45]
August 15, 2022 CD [46]

References

  1. ^ Moore, Sam (August 10, 2022). "Megan Thee Stallion shares funeral-themed teaser for 'Traumazine'". NME. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  2. ^ Renshaw, David (October 23, 2024). "Megan Thee Stallion says she's an independent artist, is funding her own album". The Fader. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  3. ^ Grein, Paul (September 7, 2023). "Cardi B & 21 Savage Lead Nominations for 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards: Full List". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  4. ^ "Megan Thee Stallion suing record label over 'album' definition". BBC News. 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  5. ^ a b Wu, Ashley Shannon (2022-08-11). "What's Up With Megan Thee Stallion's Messy Label Legal Battle?". Vulture. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  6. ^ Gallagher, Alex (2022-02-23). "Megan Thee Stallion files lawsuit against label over "album" definition". NME. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  7. ^ Dillon, Nancy (2022-03-21). "Megan Thee Stallion's Label Countersues After She Claims 'Ruse' to Lock Her in Contract". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  8. ^ Torres, Eric (August 11, 2022). "Megan Thee Stallion Releasing New Album Traumazine Tonight". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  9. ^ William Cowen, Trace (2022-08-11). "Megan Thee Stallion Thanks Fans for Support During Ongoing Label Issues: 'We Almost Out'". Complex. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  10. ^ Wang, Steffanee (11 August 2022). "Megan Thee Stallion To Release New Album 'Traumazine' This Friday". Nylon. Retrieved 2022-08-17.
  11. ^ "Megan Thee Stallion: il titolo del prossimo album è "Traumazine"? Le ipotesi dei fan". Billboard Italia (in Italian). 2022-08-05. Retrieved 2022-08-17.
  12. ^ Donahue, Bill (August 22, 2022). "Megan Thee Stallion Demands $1M in 1501 Lawsuit, Implies Label Helped Leak 'Traumazine'". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  13. ^ Valdez, Jonah (October 21, 2023). "Megan Thee Stallion settles lawsuit against her label as both parties agree to part ways". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Chang, Ailsa; Madden, Sidney; Scott, Brianna; Handel, Sarah (2022-08-12). "Megan Thee Stallion gets vulnerable on hot sophomore album 'Traumazine'". NPR. Retrieved 2022-08-17.
  15. ^ a b Mendez II, Moises (2022-08-12). "5 Key Takeaways From Megan Thee Stallion's Traumazine". Time. Retrieved 2022-08-17.
  16. ^ Williams, Aaron (2022-08-15). "Megan Thee Stallion Talks 'Traumazine' & Expressing Herself In Music". Uproxx. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  17. ^ Legaspi, Althea (August 11, 2023). "Megan Thee Stallion Details 'Traumazine' Album, Reveals Tracklist". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  18. ^ "Traumazineby Megan Thee Stallion". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  19. ^ "Traumazine by Megan Thee Stallion". Metacritic. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Thomas, Fred (August 12, 2022). "Megan Thee Stallion - Traumazine Albums, Reviews, Songs and More". AllMusic. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  21. ^ Swingle, Emily (August 12, 2022). "Megan Thee Stallion - Traumazine". Clash. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  22. ^ Petridis, Alexis (August 12, 2022). "Megan Thee Stallion: Traumazine review – bruising brilliance from rap's reigning queen". The Guardian. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  23. ^ Devlin, Ben (August 19, 2022). "Megan Thee Stallion – Traumazine". MusicOMH. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  24. ^ Williams, Kiann-Sian (August 15, 2022). "Megan Thee Stallion – 'Traumazine' review: the good-time Houston Hottie lashes out". NME. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  25. ^ Haile, Heven (August 16, 2022). "Megan Thee Stallion: Traumazine Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  26. ^ Dukes, Will (August 12, 2022). "Megan Thee Stallion's 'Traumazine' Is A Multi-Faceted Mood". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  27. ^ Erickson, Steve (August 15, 2022). "Megan Thee Stallion Traumazine Review: The Rapper Gets Real and Gets Even". Slant Magazine. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  28. ^ McCormick, Nial (August 12, 2022). "Kasabian shed their aggression, Megan Thee Stallion dials back the sex – the week's best albums". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  29. ^ Traumazine by Megan Thee Stallion, retrieved 2022-08-17
  30. ^ Caulfield, Keith (August 21, 2022). "Rod Wave's 'Beautiful Mind' Bows at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  31. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 22 August 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1694. Australian Recording Industry Association. August 22, 2022. p. 6.
  32. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. August 22, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  33. ^ "Ultratop.be – Megan Thee Stallion – Traumazine" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  34. ^ "Ultratop.be – Megan Thee Stallion – Traumazine" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  35. ^ "Megan Thee Stallion Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  36. ^ "Lescharts.com – Megan Thee Stallion – Traumazine". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  37. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. August 22, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  38. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  39. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  40. ^ "Megan Thee Stallion Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  41. ^ "Megan Thee Stallion Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  42. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  43. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  44. ^ "American album certifications – Megan Thee Stallion – Traumazine". Recording Industry Association of America. September 1, 2023.
  45. ^ Traumazine release formats:
    1. "Traumazine Digital Album". 300 Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
    2. "Traumazine by Megan Thee Stallion". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  46. ^ "Traumazine CD". 300 Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
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