Politics & Culture

Megan Thee Stallion's "Saturday Night Live" Performance was a Tribute to Breonna Taylor

The "Savage" rapper sent a message of solidarity with Breonna Taylor and the Black Lives Matter movement
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In between Alec Baldwin and Jim Carrey’s comedic reenactment of last week's Presidential Debate and the iconic intro music to Weekend Update, Megan Thee Stallion captivated Saturday Night Live viewers with a statement about Breonna Taylor's case during her performance of the TikTok anthem, "Savage." On the show's season premiere, the rapper, born Megan Pete, incorporated a poignant message mid-song. While still on stage, Megan and her dancers paused as an excerpt from Malcolm X’s speech played: “The most disrespected, unprotected, neglected person in America is the Black woman.” This was followed by the voice of activist Tamika Mallory lambasting the Attorney General of Kentucky for his mishandling of the Breonna Taylor case: “Daniel Cameron is no different than the sellout negroes that sold our people into slavery.” Megan, who has been a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, spoke to the audience, “We need to protect our Black women, and love our Black women, because we need our Black women.”

In March, three white police officers in Louisville, KY raided the wrong home, killing Breonna Taylor, a Black medical technician. Her death sparked a series of protests, calling for city officials to charge the officers involved with her murder. After several months of protests and social media pleas to have #JusticeforBreonnaTaylor, last month, a grand jury indicted former detective Brett Hankison with three counts of wanton endangerment for the bullets he fired into the apartment next to Taylor’s. No charges have been filed for Taylor's death. 

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Megan Thee Stallion Performs on "Saturday Night Live"

Although her protest targeted the Taylor case, the "WAP" songstress was recently involved in a shooting herself. On July 12, Megan was reportedly shot in the feet, which required surgery to repair her injuries. According to Megan, rapper Tory Lanez shot her after the two got into an argument. They were later pulled over by the police, and Lanez was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon. Megan made these allegations on Instagram Live in August. While Lanez has not officially responded, he does deny these claims on his album Daystar.

At the conclusion of her song, the words "Protect Black Women" were projected across the SNL stage. This is not the first time she has brought awareness to police brutality through her music. During her virtual concert in August, Megan took a moment to honor Black men and women who have been killed or severely injured by the police, including George Floyd, Tamir Rice, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake, and more. She finished the tribute by asking, "Why is it so hard being Black in America?"

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