“Savage Remix” by Megan Thee Stallion (ft. Beyoncé)
The overall theme of “Savage Remix” is sort of reminiscent to that of another hip-hop classic, “Bad and Bougie” (2017) by Migos. The artists know that they’re rich and classy but at the same time cleave to a ‘hood – or as Megan would say “ratchet” element which also defines their lifestyle.
Or stated differently despite being well-paid and upper-class, they aren’t the types to bite their tongues and let others tell them how to live their lives. They’re wild for the night, so to speak. So for instance, Thee Stallion can rap about having a ‘nasty attitude’ and screwing some dude on the down low. In fact the whole idea of being “a savage” alludes to, simply put, the ladies not giving AF.
Meanwhile just as Megan’s verse concludes with the singer making the aforementioned sexual reference, Beyoncé’s own also starts along a similar vein. Or more specifically she notes how sexually-attractive her body is. And in the process, she gives a shoutout to TikTok, OnlyFans (which is primarily an adult site) and the fact that she is paid.
And overall she is encouraging acts akin to stripping or turning men on via social media.
Meanwhile the rest of the verse remains braggadocious in nature. But the Queen B uses the opportunity to give a shoutout to her daughter (or at least a brand named after her) as well as her mother “Tina”. In fact the songstress asserts that she has in fact inherited her “savage” attitude from her mom. And what that generally means is that her mother encouraged her to be aggressive in search of success.
Joint Efforts
The vocalists then share a joint third verse. This is the first passage of the song which we can say notably primarily devoted to a sexual theme.
It features Megan Thee Stallion as the lead vocalist, by and large narrating how a certain dude is attracted to her due to the shape of her body. But she closes out the passage by dropping additional hip-hop related metaphors pointing to the notion, once again, of she being rich.
The fourth verse is also a joint effort, though this time with Beyoncé in the lead. She uses the occasion to big up herself furthermore. And in doing that, she once again focuses on the theme of riches and dudes being attracted to her “curves”. But overall it’s your general type of Beyoncé braggadocious affair, where she is basically asserting that she is the sh-t.
Conclusion
So conclusively, we have what music publications and the such have referred to as a “self-empowerment anthem”. And perhaps such is true, as the artists definitely dedicate ample time to biggin’ up, i.e. empowering themselves.
But generally speaking if you, like them, are a rich lady with a nice body who likes to twerk for instance, then maybe one would find this song empowering.
However, it honestly reads more like a braggadocious, sexual sort of affair. Or stated differently the vocalists are able to brag for three reasons. One is because they’re filthy rich. Secondly, men find their bodies irresistibly attractive. But foremost would be them possessing a “savage” mentality which prompts the ladies to boast about and capitalize on those advantages in the first place.
Release Date of “Savage Remix”
This remix was dropped on 29 April 2020. The original “Savage“, a Megan Thee Stallion solo joint, came out the month prior. And both were released via 300 Entertainment and 1501 Certified Entertainment.
Prior to the song’s release, an unofficial snippet did find its way online and promptly went viral.
This was the first collaboration between Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé, both being artists from Houston. In fact they donated their proceeds from this song to a Houston-based charity called Bread of Life, which catered to families and senior citizens in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
The two artists had first met on New Year’s Eve 2019, which would have been a few months before this track was released. The whole effort was a pleasant surprise to Thee Stallion, who grew up admiring Beyoncé (i.e. Destiny’s Child) and experienced excitement about the remix throughout. And just to note, the two vocalists did not actually meet in the studio to record this tune.
Meanwhile respecting Beyoncé’s modus operandi, Megan Thee Stallion kept the whole remix secret while it was in the works. In fact J. White Did It, the producer of the original and the remix, was not even knowledgeable of the latter until barely an hour before the song was to be released.
Writing Credits for “Savage Remix”
There is a massive songwriting team behind “Savage Remix”. In addition to Megan, Beyoncé and J. White Did It we also have the following contributing to its composition:
- Pardison Fontaine
- Starrah
- The-Dream
- Derrick Milano
- Bobby Session
Additionally Beyoncé’s husband and fellow music superstar Jay-Z was involved in penning her verse.
Achievements
The original “Savage” was a major success, but the remix hit on a whole ‘nother level. For instance, it was ranked the best song of the year by the likes of The New York Times, Idolator and Slate.
And practically all-notable music/entertainment publications, such as Time, Vulture, Uproxx, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, The LA Times, Complex, Fader, Billboard etc. placed it on their ‘best songs of 2020’ lists.
Accordingly “Savage Remix” topped the Billboard Hot 100. In doing so, Beyoncé reached the pinnacle of that list for the 11th time, spanning over four different decades – the 1990s, aughts, 2010s and 2020s – which include her stint with Destiny’s Child. And no other artist in history, besides Mariah Carey, had ever accomplished that latter feat.
Meanwhile this track marked the first time Megan Thee Stallion scored a Hot 100 number 1.
The track also topped two other Billboard charts (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Rhythmic) as well as the Rolling Stone Top 100. And overall it charted in over a dozen nations, achieving gold status in New Zealand.
Additionally it won a couple of 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards (Best Collaboration and Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse) in addition to receiving a Grammy Nomination (Record of the Year).
“Savage Remix” also scored very impressive positions on charts in Canada and New Zealand.
| Countries | Position |
| Canada | #9 |
| New Zealand | #2 |
Even more astoundingly it resulted in the Mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, announcing that the city would recognize the two vocalists by giving them their own day. And concerning the aforementioned Bread of Life charity, it experienced an immediate, “significant boost in donations” after the song was released.
On which album does “Savage Remix” appear?
This remix went on to be featured on Megan Thee Stallion’s debut full-length, “Good News”. The original version made an appearance on her third EP rather, “Suga”.
OnlyFans
Concerning the aforementioned OnlyFans, it is what is referred to as a content-subscription service. That means unlike YouTube for instance where whatever creators post is viewable for free, visitors to OnlyFans have to subscribe to different content creators, paying a fee in the process, in order to view their content.
As fate would have it, OnlyFans has evolved into a platform that is primarily known for featuring mature content. And as a result of Beyoncé giving it a shoutout on this song, the site experienced “a 15% spike in traffic”.
It is not clear if this was a case of product placement.
What is “Demon Time”?
Concerning the related “Demon Time” that she mentions, it is a phenomenon which occurred indirectly due to the COVID-19 pandemic where strippers who have been out of work ply their trade via Instagram Live.
Grammy Glory
As mentioned earlier, this collaboration was nominated for a 2021 Grammy. It was nominated in the “Record of the Year” category along with the following songs:
- Black Puma’s “Colors”
- Post Malone’s “Circles”
- Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now”
- DaBaby and Roddy Ricch’s “Rockstar”
- Beyonce’s “Black Parade”
- Doja Cat’s “Say So“
