Girls in the Hood

"Girls in the Hood" is a song by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion. It was released on June 26, 2020, through 1501 Certified Entertainment and 300 Entertainment as the lead single from her debut studio album Good News (2020). The song was written by Megan, Bobby Sessions, Ilyah Fraser, and Scott Storch, and was produced by the latter two. Writing credits were also given to Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre. Built around a sample of "Boyz-n-the-Hood" by Eazy-E, it is a hip hop song which features braggadocious lyrics. It was a critical success, and was praised by critics for repurposing the alleged misogynoir of Eazy-E's original to be an anthem for women.

"Girls in the Hood"
Single by Megan Thee Stallion
from the album Good News
ReleasedJune 26, 2020
GenreHip hop
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Megan Thee Stallion singles chronology
"Savage (Remix)"
(2020)		 "Girls in the Hood"
(2020)		 "WAP"
(2020)

"Girls in the Hood" debuted and peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA). To promote the song, Megan performed it live during the BET Awards 2020 and during her first virtual concert on Tidal.

Background and release
"Girls in the Hood" was built around a sample of the 1987 gangsta rap song "Boyz-n-the-Hood" by American rapper Eazy-E (pictured)

The song was announced on June 24, 2020 on social media.[1][2][3] After the song was teased, American rapper Reemarkable, the daughter of Eazy-E, spoke out regarding Megan sampling "Boyz-n-the-Hood" as, according to her, she and Eazy's other children were barred from recreating or sampling his music.[4] On June 26, 2020, prior to the song's official release, Megan teased the song with a video clip posted to Instagram of her twerking in a sundress set to a snippet of the song's instrumental.[5] The song was released later that day. The cover for the single features Megan in a pink paisley bra with a pink fuzzy hood and hoop earrings which read "Hot Girl" on the inside.[6] Merchandise for the song was created by black female artists.[7]

Composition

"Girls in the Hood" is a hip hop song whose instrumental heavily samples Eazy-E's 1987 song "Boyz-n-the-Hood", putting a "modern" spin on it, and features electric guitar with influences of rock music.[8][9][10]

Lyrically, the song mainly consists of braggadocious, self-asserted one-liners,[11] including the song's opening line, "Fuck being good, I’m a bad bitch/I’m sick of motherfuckers trying tell me how to live".[7] Kyann-Sian Williams of NME surmised that the lyrics were from the perspective of Megan's pimp alter ego, Tina Snow.[12] Several lyrics were directly inspired by Eazy-E's original lyrics, such as, "Cause the girls in the hood are always hard/Ever since 16 I’ve been having a job/Knowing nothing in life, but I gotta get rich/You could check the throwback pics, I’ve been that bitch".[5] She also references her love of anime as well as the Japanese manga series Naruto in the song.[12][13]

Critical reception

The song has received widespread critical acclaim. Pitchfork gave "Girls in the Hood" the title of "Best New Track", with Sheldon Pearce remarking that the song repurposes the misogynoir of "Boyz-n-the-Hood" "for those it disenfranchised", adding, "It feels like Megan is leading a revolt of the women mistreated in rap songs."[14] GQ's Olive Pometsey similarly commented on the original's misogynoir, writing that "Megan flipped the switch and turned it into a song that gives power back to women."[15] For All Songs Considered, NPR's Sidney Madden pointed out the misogynoir in the original as well, praising Megan for using "venomous, crushing one-liners" to "stomp out and shrivel up every last shred of male ego frailty."[16]

Kyann-Sian Williams of NME gave the song four out of five stars, calling the song a "banger" with "cocksure attitude" and writing, "The larger-than-life braggadocio is what we all love Megan for, and it’s in abundance on this single."[12] Chuck Arnold of New York Post named "Girls in the Hood" the number one "song of the summer", referring to it as a "rock-edged banger".[9] Billboard's Jason Lipshutz called the single "a distinctive anthem for herself [Megan] and for women everywhere" and "a fresh showcase for her skills", citing her wordplay as "top-notch" and her punchlines as "unexpected".[17] Consequence of Sound's Nina Corcoran wrote, "Megan Thee Stallion makes the music into something memorable by turning rapid-fire verses into a straight-up vocal flex, flaunting her skills not just as a rapper, but as a musical artist who continues to climb the charts."[8]

Commercial performance

"Girls in the Hood" debuted and peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[18][19]

Music video

A lyric video for "Girls in the Hood" was released on June 26, 2020.[20] The video featured a "colorful" compilation of pictures, videos, and animations of Megan.[21] The visual was directed by 7Lemons.[22]

Live performances

Megan gave her debut live performance of the song at the BET Awards 2020 on June 28, 2020, in a medley with "Savage (Remix)".[23] The Mad Max-inspired performance took place in the desert, and showed Megan riding an ATV and wearing feathers.[24][25][26] The performance was named the third best music video of June 2020 by Pitchfork's Eric Torres, who wrote, "In under five minutes, she sets the bar for any virtual awards show performances that dare follow," regarding it as the best performance of the night.[27] During Megan's first virtual live concert on August 29, 2020, which was streamed on Tidal, she performed the song for a second time.[28]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[29]

  • Megan Thee Stallion – vocals, songwriting
  • IllaDaProducer – production, songwriting
  • Scott Storch – production, songwriting
  • Bobby Sessions – songwriting
  • Dr. Dre – songwriting
  • Eazy-E – songwriting
  • Ice Cube – songwriting
  • Shawn "Source" Jarrett – engineering
  • Jaycen Joshua – mixing
  • Colin Leonard – mastering

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[39] Gold 500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various June 26, 2020
[40]

References
  1. Navjosh (2020-06-24). "Megan Thee Stallion Announces New Single 'Girls In The Hood'". HipHop-N-More. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  2. "Surprise! Megan Thee Stallion Announces New Single 'Girls in the Hood' - That Grape Juice". thatgrapejuice.net. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  3. "Megan Thee Stallion Announces New Single 'Girls In The Hood'". iheart. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  4. "Listen To Megan Thee Stallion's "Girls In The Hood"". Vibe. June 26, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  5. Legaspi, Althea (June 26, 2020). "Megan Thee Stallion Samples N.W.A in New Song 'Girls in the Hood'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  6. Slater, Georgia (October 31, 2020). "Ciara and Son Future, 6, Channel Cardi B and Offset for Halloween — and Cardi Loves It!". People. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  7. Murphy, Chris (June 26, 2020). "Listen to Megan Thee Stallion Sample N.W.A on New Track 'Girls in the Hood'". Vulture. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  8. Corcoran, Nina (June 26, 2020). "Megan Thee Stallion flips Eazy-E's classic in new song "Girls in the Hood": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  9. Arnold, Chuck (July 1, 2020). "Songs of the summer 2020: From Megan Thee Stallion to Blackpink". New York Post. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  10. Kasambala, Natty (July 3, 2020). "On The Cover – Megan Thee Stallion: "I'm really working on my dynasty right now"". NME. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  11. Hosken, Patrick (June 26, 2020). "Megan Thee Stallion Shouts Out Rihanna And Sasuke On Swaggering 'Girls In The Hood'". MTV News. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  12. Williams, Kyann-Sian (June 26, 2020). "Megan Thee Stallion's new song 'Girls In The Hood' – review". NME. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  13. Valdez, Nick (June 28, 2020). "Megan Thee Stallion Surprises with Sasuke Shout Out in Latest Track". Comicbook.com. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  14. Pearce, Sheldon (June 26, 2020). ""Girls in the Hood" by Megan Thee Stallion Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  15. Pometsey, Olive (August 31, 2020). "Megan Thee Stallion deserved to win all of the VMAs". British GQ. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  16. Madden, Sidney (June 30, 2020). "Heat Check: Underrated And Elevating". NPR. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  17. Lipshutz, Jason (June 26, 2020). "First Stream: New Music From Blackpink, Megan Thee Stallion, Haim & More". Billboard. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  18. Cantor, Brian (July 6, 2020). "Megan Thee Stallion's 'Girls In The Hood,' Kanye West's 'Wash Us In The Blood,' Trevor Daniel & Selena Gomez's 'Past Life' Debut On Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Headline Planet. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  19. Cantor, Brian (June 26, 2020). "CupcakKe's 'Discounts,' Megan Thee Stallion's 'Girls In The Hood' Enter Top 5 On US iTunes Sales Chart". Headline Planet. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  20. Komonibo, Ineye (June 26, 2020). "Megan Thee Stallion's "Girl In The Hood" Just Saved Summer". Refinery29. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  21. "Megan Thee Stallion Drops 'Girls In The Hood'". KIMN-FM. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  22. "Megan Thee Stallion - Girls in the Hood [Lyric Video]". YouTube. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  23. "BET Awards 2020: Watch Megan Thee Stallion Perform "Girls in the Hood" and "Savage"". Pitchfork. June 28, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  24. Venable, Malcolm (June 29, 2020). "The 2020 BET Awards Set a Bar for Award Shows in the COVID-19 Era". TV Guide. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  25. Coscarelli, Joe (June 29, 2020). "BET Awards Put Black Lives at Center of Socially Distant Show". The New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  26. Li, Shirley (June 29, 2020). "How One Network Absolutely Nailed Its Virtual Awards Show". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  27. Torres, Eric (July 1, 2020). "The 7 Best Music Videos of June 2020". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  28. Holt, Brianna (August 31, 2020). "Megan Thee Stallion's 'First Day Back' Was a Triumph". Complex. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  29. "Credits / Girls in the Hood / Megan Thee Stallion". Tidal. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  30. "Megan Thee Stallion Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  31. "Deutsche Black Charts". Trendcharts. Media Control. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  32. "Megan Thee Stallion Chart History - Global 200". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  33. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  34. "Megan Thee Stallion Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  35. "Megan Thee Stallion Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  36. "Megan Thee Stallion Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  37. "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. July 2, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  38. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  39. "American single certifications – Megan Thee Stallion – Girls In The Hood". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 13, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  40. @theestallion (2020-06-24). "Girls in the Hood 6/26 😈✨" (Tweet). Retrieved June 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
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