"Savage" is a song by American rapper
Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (born February 15, 1995), known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion (pronounced "Megan the Stallion"), is an American rapper and songwriter. Originally from Houston, Texas, she first garnered attention when videos of her ...
. It was released on March 6, 2020, as part of her EP ''
Suga
Suga may refer to:
* Suga, Iran, a village in Qazvin Province, Iran
* Suga language, a language of Cameroon
* Suga (rapper) (born 1993), South Korean rapper, songwriter, and record producer
* ''Suga'' (EP), 2020 EP by Megan Thee Stallion
* ''Sug ...
'' and later sent to US
Top 40 radio
Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
formats on April 7, 2020, by 1501 Certified Entertainment and
300 Entertainment
Theory Entertainment LLC, doing business as 300 Entertainment, is an American record label founded by Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles, Todd Moscowitz, and Roger Gold. The label's roster includes acts across multiple genres such as hip hop, rock, pop, ele ...
as the third single from the EP. The song was written by the artist with
Bobby Sessions
Bobby Sessions is an American Grammy Award winning rapper, songwriter, recording artist and producer. He wrote and performed the title track for the film, '' The Hate U Give''. Since signing a deal with Def Jam Recordings in 2018 he has gained no ...
, Akeasha Boodie, and producer
J. White Did It
Anthony Jermaine White (born December 17, 1984), known professionally as J. White Did It or simply J. White, is an American record producer, songwriter, and DJ from Leavenworth, Kansas. He is best known for producing Cardi B's chart-topping sing ...
. It went
viral on video-sharing app
TikTok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
TikTok is an international version ...
, with people performing the "Savage" dance challenge during the song's chorus.
A remix featuring
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
was surprise-released on April 29, 2020, and included on Megan's debut album ''
Good News.'' "Savage Remix" was met with widespread critical acclaim with praise for Megan and Beyoncé's chemistry and various delivery styles, as well as for fully transforming the song with new verses. The song reached number one on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 on May 26, 2020, becoming Megan Thee Stallion's first and Beyoncé's seventh number-one single on the chart. As of May 2021, the song is
certified
Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
Quadruple Platinum in the US.
The remix was critics' second-best song of 2020,
with publications such as Lindsey Zoladz of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', ''
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
'', and ''
The Ringer'' placing the song at number one on their year-end lists. The remix received two awards at the
63rd Annual Grammy Awards
The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 201 ...
for
Best Rap Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance is an honor presented to recording artists for quality rap performances. It was first presented at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards in 1989 and again at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1990, after which p ...
and
Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rap music genre. Honors in several ...
. It was also nominated for
Record of the Year
The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
.
Recording and production
According to
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
Eddie "eMIX" Hernandez, Megan did the song "on the spot", in under an hour. Hernandez explained the recording process: "The collaboration was going on at the same time. We were building as the song was forming. While he [producer
J. White Did It
Anthony Jermaine White (born December 17, 1984), known professionally as J. White Did It or simply J. White, is an American record producer, songwriter, and DJ from Leavenworth, Kansas. He is best known for producing Cardi B's chart-topping sing ...
] was laying down the snare drum, snares and the bass drum, kicks, she was writing to the skeleton of the beat. Once he had the production all ready and sent it over to me, she was ready to go. She had all her writing done. Her recording? She knocks them things out."
White said that "it didn't take me more than 10, maybe 15 minutes tops" to produce the record. White described "Savage" as a "godsend", adding: "That song came out of the air man, it came out of the air from God... It was a gift. And straight away, I told her, 'This is going to be a number one record, watch.' When you know, you know."
Composition
Candace McDuffie of ''
Consequence of Sound
''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' noted, in the song, Megan "paints herself as 'the
hood
Hood may refer to:
Covering
Apparel
* Hood (headgear), type of head covering
** Article of Academic dress#Hood, academic dress
** Bondage hood, sex toy
* Hoodie, hooded sweatshirt
Anatomy
* Clitoral hood, a hood of skin surrounding the clitori ...
Mona Lisa
The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known ...
' while celebrating her complexity."
Megan employs huge bravado on the song, which, according to ''
HipHopDX
''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group.
...
''s Aaron McKrell, works to her advantage, as she "surgically pummels a formidable
J. White Did It
Anthony Jermaine White (born December 17, 1984), known professionally as J. White Did It or simply J. White, is an American record producer, songwriter, and DJ from Leavenworth, Kansas. He is best known for producing Cardi B's chart-topping sing ...
beat into submission, and still makes time for cool quips like \'I need a mop to clean the floor, it's too much drip, ooh\."
''Complex'''s Jessica McKinney said the beat is "reminiscent of nostalgic hip-hop music videos set on a Miami beach, and its chorus is expressive, which is perfect for dancing."
Critical reception
''
Consequence of Sound
''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' named "Savage" as one of the essential tracks off
''Suga''.
''Complex'''s Jessica McKinney also named it a "stand-out track" from the EP.
''
Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
'' commented that the song was "joyfully conceited", and that previous single "B.I.T.C.H.' is a little lightweight as a first single when there's heat like 'Savage' on deck". Rob Sheffield of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' wrote that Megan is "at her absolute peak" and "on top". Following its release, ''
The Fader
''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes.
It is o ...
''s Salvatore Maicki named "Savage" one of the "10 songs you need in your life this week", saying Megan checks all of the boxes
bougie, ratchet,_sassy,_moody, AND nasty.html" ;"title="Bourgeoisie.html" ;"title="lassy,
bougie, ratchet,_sassy,_moody, AND nasty">Bourgeoisie.html"_;"title="lassy,_Bourgeoisie">bougie, ratchet,_sassy,_moody, AND nastyand_"sounds_
bougie, ratchet,_sassy,_moody, AND nasty">Bourgeoisie.html"_;"title="lassy,_Bourgeoisie">bougie, ratchet,_sassy,_moody, AND nastyand_"sounds_Cool_(aesthetic)">fly
_
Flies_are_insects_of_the_Order_(biology),_order_Diptera,_the_name_being_derived_from_the_Ancient_Greek,_Greek_δι-_''di-''_"two",_and_πτερόν_''pteron''_"wing"._Insects_of_this_order_use_only_a_single_pair_of_wings_to_fly,_the_hindwing_...
_as_fuck_while_doing_it".
_bougie, ratchet,_sassy,_moody, AND nasty">Bourgeoisie.html"_;"title="lassy,_Bourgeoisie">bougie, ratchet,_sassy,_moody, AND nastyand_"sounds_Cool_(aesthetic)">fly
_
Flies_are_insects_of_the_Order_(biology),_order_Diptera,_the_name_being_derived_from_the_Ancient_Greek,_Greek_δι-_''di-''_"two",_and_πτερόν_''pteron''_"wing"._Insects_of_this_order_use_only_a_single_pair_of_wings_to_fly,_the_hindwing_...
_as_fuck_while_doing_it"._Vice_(magazine)">''Vice'''s_Kristin_Corry_listed_it_as_one_of_the_best_songs_for_the_month_of_March_2020,_asserting_that_"with_a_hook_(music).html" "title="Vice_(magazine).html" ;"title="Cool_(aesthetic).html" "title="Bourgeoisie">bougie, ratchet, sassy, moody, AND nasty">Bourgeoisie.html" ;"title="lassy, Bourgeoisie">bougie, ratchet, sassy, moody, AND nastyand "sounds Cool (aesthetic)">fly
Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...
as fuck while doing it".
Vice (magazine)">''Vice'''s Kristin Corry listed it as one of the best songs for the month of March 2020, asserting that "with a hook (music)">hook