Megan Thee Stallion Addresses Breonna Taylor Shooting During Live SNL Performance

On 3 October, the Houston-born 25-year-old rapper Megan Thee Stallion had her debut performance on “Saturday Night Live”. Introduced to the stage by Chris Rock, Megan performed her hit single “Savage” featuring Beyoncé with a powerful twist.  

Halfway through the track, the geometric black and white stage turned dark as the performance was stopped and replaced by the sound of six-gun shots, displayed with graphics of bullets and blood behind Megan. This was to represent the killing of Breonna Taylor by US police in her Louisville home in March.  

This moment was followed by a snippet of Malcom X’s historical 1962 speech, where he addresses the lack of respect for Black women and police brutality. A recording of Women’s March founder Tamika Mallory came after, calling out Kentucky’s attorney general, Daniel Cameron, who oversaw Taylor’s killing at the hands of police. None of the officers have been charged for Taylor’s death.  

Megan went on to say, “We need to protect our Black women. And love our Black women. Cuz at the end of the day, we need our Black women. We need to protect our Black men and stand up for our Black men because at the end of the day, we’re tired of seeing hashtags of our Black men.” This is what you call, using your platform for good.  

Next Up, Believe Lizzo, Being Fat Is Normal