Suga (EP)

Following the success of Megan's debut mixtape, Fever, and the Platinum-certified songs "Hot Girl Summer" featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla Sign and "Cash Shit" featuring DaBaby, in 2019, after her NPR Tiny Desk Concert, Megan revealed her debut studio album was in the works and set for release in 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/caitlinkelley/2019/10/31/megan-thee-stallion-announces-plans-to-drop-her-debut-album-in-2020/|title=Megan Thee Stallion Announces Plans To Drop Her Debut Album In 2020|last=Kelley|first=Caitlin|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=2020-03-07}} She also revealed the album would introduce a new alter-ego named Suga, who is "besties" with her Tina Snow alter-ego.{{Cite web|url=https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/megan-thee-stallion-new-album-suga/?format=amp|title=Megan Thee Stallion Announces Debut Album & New Persona, "Suga"|website=www.highsnobiety.com|date=November 2019 |access-date=2020-03-07}}

The lead single, "B.I.T.C.H." was released on January 24, 2020. The song was met with positive reviews and it charted at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100. Megan performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote it.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/megan-thee-stallion-b-i-t-c-h-tonight-show-953356/|title=Megan Thee Stallion Heats Up 'Tonight Show' Stage With 'B.I.T.C.H.'|last=Shaffer|first=Claire|date=2020-02-14|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-07}}

Following the single's release, Megan revealed more details of the EP, in an interview on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 show. She revealed the EP would be titled Suga, and that it would feature collaborations with Kehlani and SZA, and production credits by Juicy J and Pharrell Williams.{{Cite web|url=http://onsmash.com/music/megan-thee-stallion-reveals-features-upcoming-suga-debut-album/|title=Megan Thee Stallion Reveals Features On the New 'Suga' Debut Album|website=OnSMASH|date=27 January 2020 |language=en|access-date=2020-03-07}}

In February 2020, Megan covered Rolling Stone, along with Normani and SZA, and revealed in an interview she was eyeing the release of the project to May (the month of her mother, Holly Thomas', birthday. Both Megan's mother and grandmother died in March 2019).{{Cite web|url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.50763/title.megan-thee-stallions-mother-passes-away-from-brain-cancer|title=Megan Thee Stallion's Mother Passes Away From Brain Cancer|date=2019-03-25|website=HipHopDX|access-date=2020-03-07}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/megan-thee-stallion-interview-hot-girl-summer-950292/|title=How Megan Thee Stallion Weathered the Hottest Summer|last=Holmes|first=Charles|date=2020-02-27|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-07}}

In the beginning of March, Megan and her Roc Nation management filed a lawsuit and temporary restraining order towards her label, 1501 Entertainment, claiming the label signed her to an unfair contract and refused to renegotiate. The label would take "the vast majority" of her earnings (60% from her recording income, 30% from touring, 30% from merchandising). Following the renegotiation attempts, the label forbid her from releasing new music, which led to the lawsuit and the judge siding with Megan and Roc Nation, allowing her to release a project on March 6, 2020.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/megan-thee-stallion-sue-1501-entertainment-label-960965/|title=Megan Thee Stallion Sues 1501 Entertainment Label|last=Leight|first=Elias|date=2020-03-03|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-07}}

Megan announced the release and tracklist of her new project, Suga, on her social media on March 4, 2020, two days prior to its release.{{Cite web|url=https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/megan-thee-stallion-suga-new-album-release-date/?format=amp|title=Megan Thee Stallion's Debut Album 'Suga' Drops Tomorrow|website=www.highsnobiety.com|date=5 March 2020 |access-date=2020-03-07}} The set was believed to be her debut studio album, as previewed, but in a change of plans, Megan confirmed in an interview on Ebro in the Morning, that it was just an EP with "the songs that I really, really liked", affirming that her debut studio album is still under production.

Eight months later, her debut studio album Good News was released on November 20, 2020.

The EP's lead single, "B.I.T.C.H.", was released on January 24, 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://uproxx.com/music/megan-thee-stallion-b-i-t-c-h/|title=Megan Thee Stallion Declares Her Independence With Her Classic-Sampling 'B.I.T.C.H.'|date=2020-01-24|website=UPROXX|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-07}} It is described as a song where Megan "confronts an inept boyfriend who's ignoring her feelings" and received praise from Pitchfork due to the fact that "her trademark confidence complements the slinky retro beat".{{Citation|title="B.I.T.C.H." by Megan Thee Stallion Review|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/megan-thee-stallion-bitch/|language=en|access-date=2020-03-07}} The song samples Bootsy's Rubber Band' "I'd Rather Be With You" (1976) and Tupac Shakur's "Ratha Be Ya Nigga" (1996).{{Cite web|url=https://genius.com/a/megan-thee-stallion-s-b-i-t-c-h-samples-2pac-s-ratha-be-ya-nigga-bootsy-s-rubber-band-s-i-d-rather-be-with-you|title=Megan Thee Stallion Samples A 2Pac Classic On Her New Song "B.I.T.C.H."|website=Genius|language=en|access-date=2020-03-07}} The song debuted and peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 9 on the Rolling Stone 100, with 12.5 million streams on its first tracking week.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/|title=Rolling Stone|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-07}} The single was promoted with a performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where Megan sings and raps, dressed in a red belted body suit, alongside two backup dancers on a fog-filled stage. An accompanying video for the song was released on March 6, 2020, along with the EP's release. The music video, directed by Eif Rivera, introduces the alter-ego Suga, who rides in a Rolls-Royce with Tina Snow (Megan's other alter-ego), walks her dogs in a leopard suit and twerks in a Jacuzzi.{{Cite web|url=https://www.revolt.tv/new-music/2020/3/6/21167961/megan-thee-stallion-b-i-t-c-h-video|title=Megan Thee Stallion delivers "B.I.T.C.H." music video|last=Powell|first=Jon|date=2020-03-06|website=Revolt|access-date=2020-03-07}}

"Captain Hook" was released on March 10, 2020, alongside a music video as the EP's second single.{{cite news |last1=Sinha |first1=Charu |title=Megan Thee Stallion Calls the Shots in 'Captain Hook' Music Video |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/watch-megan-thee-stallions-captain-hook-music-video.html |access-date=May 25, 2021 |work=Vulture |date=March 10, 2020}} Megan started a dance challenge to promote the song prior to the video's release.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/megan-thee-stallion-initiates-captain-hook-dance-challenge-news.105882.html|title=Megan Thee Stallion Initiates "Captain Hook" Dance Challenge|website=HotNewHipHop|date=10 March 2020 |language=en|access-date=2020-03-10}} The song debuted and peaked at number 74 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song "Savage" went viral on the app TikTok due to users starting a dance challenge to the song.{{cite news |last1=Fu |first1=Eddie |last2=Abad |first2=Russel |last3=Hill |first3=Tia |title=Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage" Looks Poised To Be Her Next Hit Thanks To This Viral TikTok Challenge |url=https://genius.com/a/megan-thee-stallion-s-savage-looks-poised-to-be-her-next-hit-thanks-to-this-viral-tiktok-challenge |access-date=May 25, 2021 |work=Genius |date=March 20, 2020}} At the recommendation of the head of music partnerships at TikTok, the record label shifted focus from "Captain Hook" to "Savage" and the song was later released as the EP's third single.{{cite news |last1=Jennings |first1=Rebecca |title=The real story behind TikTok |url=https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22424902/tiktok-bytedance-musically-business-bloomberg |access-date=May 25, 2021 |work=Vox |date=May 11, 2021}}

{{Music ratings

| MC = 77/100{{Cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/suga-ep/megan-thee-stallion/critic-reviews|title=Suga by Megan Thee Stallion|website=Metacritic|access-date=May 10, 2020}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web |last=Fred |first=Thomas |title=Suga - Megan Thee Stallion {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/suga-mw0003366802 |website=AllMusic |access-date=31 March 2020|date=2020-03-06 }}

| rev2 = Consequence of Sound

| rev2score = B{{cite web |last=McDuffie |first=Candace |title=Megan Thee Stallion Hones Her Craft on the Suga EP |url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/03/album-review-megan-thee-stallion-suga/ |website=Consequence of Sound |access-date=11 March 2020|date=2020-03-10 }}

| rev3 = Exclaim!

| rev3score = 7/10{{cite web |last=Ankrah |first=Veracia |title=Megan Thee Stallion Suga |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/megan_thee_stallion-suga |website=Exclaim! |access-date=11 March 2020}}

| rev4 = The Line of Best Fit

| rev4score = 9/10{{cite web |last=Mahalingam |first=Udit |title=Megan Thee Stallion is battle ready on SUGA |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/megan-thee-stallion-suga-album-review |website=The Line of Best Fit |access-date=11 March 2020}}

| rev5 = Pitchfork

| rev5score = 7/10{{cite web |last=Conteh|first=Mankaprr|title=Megan Thee Stallion: Suga Album Review|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/megan-thee-stallion-suga/|website=Pitchfork|date=March 11, 2020|access-date=March 16, 2020}}

| rev6 = Rolling Stone

| rev6score = {{rating|4|5}}

| rev7 = Tom Hull – on the Web

| rev7Score = A−{{cite web|last=Hull|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Hull (critic)|date=March 16, 2020|url=http://tomhull.com/ocston/blog/archives/2828-Music-Week.html|title=Music Week|website=Tom Hull – on the Web|access-date=November 28, 2020}}

| ADM = 7.2/10{{Cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/11304/Megan-Thee-Stallion-Suga.aspx|title=Suga by Megan Thee Stallion reviews|website=AnyDecentMusic?|access-date=March 16, 2020}}

}}

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Suga received an average score of 77, based on nine reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.2 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.

Variety wrote that Megan "is mixing the cold hard steel of hip-hop power, with the teasing romanticism of mod R&B — and it looks great on her."{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/music/reviews/megan-thee-stallion-suga-album-review-1203526429/|title=Megan Thee Stallion's 'Suga': Album Review|last=Amorosi|first=A. D.|date=2020-03-06|website=Variety|access-date=2020-03-07}} The Line of Best Fit rated the set 9 out of 10 and praised the "nostalgia, melancholy and faith, counterbalancing Megan's overall ethos of optimistic self-empowerment". Pitchfork scored the EP 7 out of 10, with Mankaprr Conteh saying that "Megan occasionally struggles to package new truths about her social status in the whip-smart ways she did her old ones", but "at only 24 minutes long, Suga avoids the bloating that plagued Fever, and a good-not-great song like "Rich" is over too quickly to complain much". Conteh concluded, "Suga may not be remembered as a keystone in Megan Thee Stallion's catalog, but it's a fine portrait of an artist embracing her full self as her world changes drastically." Rolling Stone gave the EP 4 out of 5 stars, and stated "On Suga she sounds warm and vulnerable, unsure how to carry on without her mama to guide her, but determined to do her proud. And she makes herself clear: she's no one's property."{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/megan-thee-stallion-suga-964567/|title=Megan Thee Stallion is at Her Peak on 'Suga'|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|date=2020-03-09|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=2020-03-10}} Vulture also praised the "sex-positive bangers that tap into the same vein of Megan highlights" but wrote that "ending the project weaker than it started makes Suga feel like a half-step toward the evolution Megan had planned".{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/megan-thee-stallon-suga-review-label-drama.html|title=Why Shouldn't Megan Thee Stallion Take What's Hers?|last=Jenkins|first=Craig|date=2020-03-06|website=Vulture|access-date=2020-03-07}}

Concluding the review for AllMusic, Fred Thomas stated that "Suga finds Megan Thee Stallion experiencing the growing pains of success. The songs reflect this in their lyrical content, overall shift in tonality, and even in the small steps they take towards more commercial sounds."

In June 2020, the album was included on Billboard and Complex{{'}}s lists of the best albums of 2020 "so far", ranking at number 41 on the latter list.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/list/9393973/best-albums-of-2020-so-far|title=The 50 Best Albums of 2020 (So Far) |magazine=Billboard|date=June 9, 2020|access-date=June 9, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/best-albums-of-2020-so-far/dua-lipa-future-nostalgia-album|title=The Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)|website=Complex|date=16 June 2020|access-date=16 June 2020}}

Suga debuted at number 10 on the US Billboard 200 with 41,000 album-equivalent units, becoming Megan Thee Stallion's second US top-10 album. Of that sum, 36,000 came from streaming-equivalent units, and 5,000 from pure sales.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9335299/lil-uzi-verts-eternal-atake-no-1-billboard-album-chart|title=Lil Uzi Vert's 'Eternal Atake' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart With Biggest Streaming Week Since 2018|magazine=Billboard|last=Caulfield|first=Keith|date=March 15, 2020|access-date=March 16, 2020}} Later, due to the success of "Savage" and the remix with Beyoncé, the album reached a new peak of number seven, with 39,000 units moved for the chart dated May 16, 2020.

{{Track listing

| headline = Standard edition

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| total_length = 24:33

| title_width = 30%

| writing_width = 45%

| extra_width = 25%

| title1 = Ain't Equal

| writer1 = {{hlist|Megan Pete|Martin McCurtis}}

| extra1 = Helluva

| length1 = 2:24

| title2 = Savage

| writer2 = {{hlist|Pete|Anthony White|Bobby Session Jr.}}

| extra2 = J. White Did It

| length2 = 2:35

| title3 = Captain Hook

| writer3 = {{hlist|Pete|Julian Mason}}

| extra3 = LilJuMadeDaBeat

| length3 = 2:56

| title4 = Hit My Phone

| note4 = featuring Kehlani

| writer4 = {{hlist|Pete|Kehlani Parrish|Nija Charles|Jacob Dutton|Andrew Wansel|Sam Wishkoski|Travis Simmons|}}

| extra4 = {{hlist|Jake One|Pop Wansel|Sam Wish|Charles{{ref|v|[v]}}}}

| length4 = 2:30

| title5 = B.I.T.C.H.

| writer5 = {{hlist|Pete|McCurtis|Gary Cooper|George Clinton Jr.|William Collins|Tupac Shakur|Douglass Rasheed}}

| extra5 = Helluva

| length5 = 3:03

| title6 = Rich

| writer6 = {{hlist|Pete|Tommy Brown}}

| extra6 = {{hlist|TBHitz|Xavi|Frank King|Payday}}

| length6 = 1:35

| title7 = Stop Playing

| note7 = featuring Gunna

| writer7 = {{hlist|Pete|Chad Hugo|Pharrell Williams|Sergio Kitchens}}

| extra7 = The Neptunes

| length7 = 2:54

| title8 = Crying in the Car

| writer8 = {{hlist|Pete|Hugo|Williams|Jack Hawitt|Lewis Gardiner|Benjamin Roustaing|Robin Stjernberg}}

| extra8 = The Neptunes

| length8 = 3:12

| title9 = What I Need

| writer9 = {{hlist|Pete|Timothy Mosley}}

| extra9 = {{hlist|Timbaland|J Tabb}}

| length9 = 3:20}}

{{Track listing

| headline = ChopNotSlop Remix{{Cite web|url = https://listen.tidal.com/album/141405515|title = Suga (ChopNotSlop Remix)|work = Tidal| date=6 March 2020 }}

| total_length = 32:55

| title1 = Suga

| note1 = Intro

| length1 = 1:33

| title2 = Savage

| length2 = 3:40

| title3 = B.I.T.C.H.

| length3 = 5:00

| title4 = Captain Hook

| length4 = 3:14

| title5 = What I Need

| length5 = 4:15

| title6 = Interlude

| length6 = 0:34

| title7 = Stop Playing

| note7 = featuring Gunna

| length7 = 3:40

| title8 = Crying in the Car

| length8 = 3:00

| title9 = Rich

| length9 = 2:28

| title10 = Hit My Phone

| note10 = featuring Kehlani

| length10 = 2:48

| title11 = Ain't Equal

| length11 = 2:38

| all_writing =

}}

Notes

• {{sup|{{note|v|[v]}}}} signifies a vocal producer.
• All tracks on Suga (ChopNotSlop Remix) are subtitled "ChopNotSlop remix" and credited to Megan Thee Stallion and OG Ron C.

Sample credits

• "B.I.T.C.H." incorporates lyrics from "Ratha Be Ya Nigga" (1996) performed by Tupac Shakur, written by Tupac Shakur and Douglass Rasheed.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefader.com/2020/01/24/listen-to-megan-thee-stallion-tupac-sampling-single-bitch|title=Listen to Megan Thee Stallion's new Tupac-sampling single "B.I.T.C.H"|website=The Fader|access-date=2020-03-06}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

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{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|relyear=2020|title=Suga|artist=Megan Thee Stallion|type=album|award=Gold|source=radioscope|certyear=2021|access-date=2024-12-17}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|award=Gold|artist=Megan Thee Stallion|title=Suga|relyear=2020|certyear=2021|access-date=May 5, 2021}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=true|noshipments=true}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Megan Thee Stallion}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2020 EPs

Category:Megan Thee Stallion EPs

Category:Albums produced by the Neptunes

Category:Albums produced by Timbaland

Category:Albums produced by Jake One

Category:Contemporary R&B EPs