Megan Thee Stallion’s parents are Joseph Pete Jr (father), and Holly Thomas (mother). Her father was a full-time hustler imprisoned for the first 8 years of her life before later dying when she was a teenager while her mother was a former rapper who also died a few years ago.
Though Megan Thee Stallion‘s parents might not have been around to see her attain the height of her success as a musician, they were very instrumental in her journey to becoming a world-class rapper. The Grammy Award winner has come a long way in her career, recording millions of sales and setting many records, a sharp contrast to her early life which was not the easiest.
Megan Thee Stallion is the Only Child of Her Parents
A better part of the world knows her professionally as Megan Thee Stallion, but it is as Megan Jovon Ruth Pete that the celebrated rapper was born on February 15, 1995, in Texas, United States. She was birthed as the only child between her parents, Joe and Holly. The rapper revealed that her life as a whole was highly influenced by her parents, but she never revealed whether her parents were ever married nor did she state how the two met and began dating.
When Holly had her daughter, she and Joe were living together, but as indicated, it is not known what their marital status was. Her mother was in her early 20s when she had her and her father was also a very young man in his 20s. At the time of her birth, her father was what she described as a hustler and her mother was building a career as a rapper amongst other things.
Not long after she was born, her mother moved with her to Houston where she spent her early life until she was a young teenager and then they moved to Pearland, Texas. She would remain here until she became a young teenager. According to her, although she did not have so much of her father while she was growing up, when she had him around, she appreciated the way he treated her and how he also treated her mother, which is why she can never lower her standards in relationships or to be with a man.
To public knowledge, her parents did not date other people even though they were first separated when her father landed behind bars for several years and then he lost his life not up to a decade after he came out.
She was Mostly Raised Her Her Mom and Grandmother
Megan Jovon Ruth Pete has never made it a secret that she was brought up by strong women who were also responsible for shaping her life into what it is today. As indicated, her father was behind bars during her childhood, and so he was not there to raise her at that point. Her mother proved very capable of the task with the help of her grandmother.
When her mother was pregnant with her, she was in Houston and when it was time for her to have her baby, her grandmother told her to come to San Antonio and give birth. Hence, it was in a hospital in San Antonio that she was born, under the care of her grandmother. After that, Meghan’s mother took her back to Houston. As she continued to grow, both women remained very instrumental in her well-being, education, and even career.
In December 2019, Megan Thee Stallion gifted her grandmother a brand new truck in appreciation for what she did for her. The rapper stated that her grandmother whom she called Nanny, was the person who taught her how to be kind and generous. She was generous to everyone she met and also very kind. Megan indicated that when she was a child, her grandmother bought her everything in a different color, hence, she promised her that she was going to get for her anything she deserved. Unfortunately, her grandmother did not get to live very long after that.
Holly Thomas Became Her Daughter’s First Influence in Music
When Megan was growing up, her mother was still pursuing a career in rap music, using the name Holly-Wood. According to Megan, her mother was the first female rapper that she knew. Each day, her mother would not only be listening to different rap tracks and also rap along, but she would also take her young daughter to the studio. When little kids her age were taken to daycare, her mom took her to the studio during her sessions. This made it seem very natural to Megan that she was supposed to also be a rapper.
By the time she was 7, Megan Thee Stallion was already listening to Three 6 Mafia. She would also take her mother’s instrumentals and when asked, she would not admit it. Holly-Wood did not start her career actively until 2001 and it lasted until 2007. All through, she had continued to inspire her daughter to follow the same path.
Megan revealed that her mother’s works were always gangster in nature and tougher than her own music. After Holly-Wood’s music career, she tried to have her own record label. Holly Thomas was more recognized as an aspiring rapper, but she also had a career as a bill collector. This was, at a point, what put food on the table for her and her daughter.
Megan Jovon Ruth Pete grew up around entertainment and all she ever wanted was to get her education and then become a rapper. Hence, she started uploading herself freestyling on social media and because of her talent, she was able to build a generous following on the internet.
Before becoming a big name nationally and internationally, the Houston-born rapper was a big name in her hometown where she got involved in ciphers and gave male folks a run for their money. Professionally, she released her first single in 2016 when she dropped “Like a Stallion”. This was followed by more works including the following:
- Rich Ratchet (2016 Mixtape)
- Megan Mix (2017 Mixtape)
- Fever (2019 Mixtape)
- Make it Hot (2017 EP)
- Tina Snow (2018 EP)
- Suga (2020 EP)
- Something for Thee Hotties (2021 Compilation album)
- Good News (2020 Album)
Thus far, Mega has won many awards, including the American Music Awards, Apple Music Awards, BET Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and even Guinness World Records amongst others.
How Did Megan Thee Stallion’s Mother Inspire Her Rap Career?
Beyond guiding her unknowingly into having a career as a rapper, Holly later became her daughter’s greatest cheerleader. For a long time, Meghan kept her musical aspirations away from her mother until she later found out. The talent of her daughter was something that was undeniable, but Holly still insisted that Megan wait until she was 21 before she could pursue it as a career. The young lady was 18 years old when she eventually revealed her musical side to her mother.
Interestingly, she did not just hide it at first from her mother, but from everyone. She never revealed to anyone in high school that she wanted to be a rapper. However, everything changed after she went to college. The closest thing she did to music was to join dance teams during her days in middle school and high school as well as get into cheerleading.
After her high school education and when her mother was sure she was ripe enough to give rap a shot, Holly did not only support her daughter, but she also served as her manager until she lost her life. The two were described as the epitome of best friends and she was also by her side when Megan signed a deal with 1501 Certified Ent. Holly’s advice to her daughter was to work hard in her chosen field and ensure to rap in her own voice.
In a tribute to her mother, the 29 years old rapper who went back to school and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in health administration degree in 2021 at the Texas Southern University, made it known that her mother had given her the lessons that would serve her for more than a lifetime.
Because of her closeness with her mother, the support she got from her, and the fact that they were always in the studio together when the rapper was recording, she was once asked if they would one day release a track together. She stated that although she often hyped her mum to want to release another mixtape, she didn’t think they would release anything together because they would end up bumping heads when they tried to write a song together.
Sadly enough, her mother was not alive to watch her daughter win her biggest award in 2021 when she clinched three Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, Best Rap Song for Savage, and Best Rap Performance for the same song.
How Close is Megan Thee Stallion to Her Father?
Megan did not get to spend so much time with her father, but the memory she has of him is something she cherishes. As indicated, he was not a part of the first eight years of her life because he was behind bars. Joseph Pete Jr. got involved with the law and he was jailed on charges relating to arms.
In 2003 when the rapper was 15, her father was finally released from prison after serving his time. It was easy for them to build a solid relationship because her father was dedicated to being a part of her life. She revealed that they were always together and thanks to this, they had a wonderful relationship. The “Hot Girl Summer” rapper described her father as her best friend and partner in crime. They used to get into trouble at home together and her mum would fuss at the two. Such events formed the best memories of her childhood.
Unfortunately, 7 years after his release, Joseph lost his life but the cause of his death was not made known. At the time of his death, his daughter was 15 and a freshman in high school. This did not afford her the opportunity to spend many years of her life with him, but she made it known that she appreciated all the times they had together and she noted he is the best dad in the world, describing him in an Instagram post as the real OG.
Needless to say, Megan got a lot of things from her father including her never-say-die attitude and hardworking spirit as well as her good height of 5 feet 10 inches. Interestingly, the massive height is behind why she decided to go by the name of “Stallion”. According to her, she was already over 5 feet 9 when she was an adolescent, and people around her called her a “stallion.” Initially, she didn’t know if it was a good thing, but soon the name became popular as almost everyone started calling her Stallion, so she decided to just go with it.
What Happened to Megan Thee Stallion’s Mother?
Megan the Stallion’s mother Holly Thomas died of cancer in March 2019, this came just about two weeks before she lost another important caregiver in her life, her great-grandmother.
In 2019, Megan made this known in an Instagram post. Holly’s death came as a shock to many because there was no prior report linking her to any ill health. That said, the rapper later revealed that the death of her mother was caused by a cancerous tumor from which she had been suffering for a while.
In the Instagram post, Megan Thee Stallion described her mother as the best mother in the world and also the strongest woman on the planet. More unfortunate is the fact that she also lost her grandmother around that period. The two women died only two weeks apart.
A coincidence :
Her mother, who was her manager died in the month of March 2019, the same month of her “break out.”
Music industry filled with the easily corrupt fatherless children looking for Satan to be the “daddy” they never had. https://t.co/4NzmZrTBdg
— Larry Johnson (@2LarryJohnson7) September 14, 2019
When trolls took advantage of her misfortune to get at her by stating that it was too much of a coincidence that her mother died just when the rapper’s career took to the skies, she did not hold back by making it clear that she had been grinding for a long time. The rapper also added that although she did not owe anyone an explanation, her mother suffered from the tumor for a while, hence people should stop linking her rise to fame as well as the death of her mother to the devil.
One of the people that attacked her was former NFL star, Larry Johnson. Commenting on her tweet sharing the news that she was officially a part of Roc Nation, Larry pointed out that in the month of March, the rapper lost her mother and that was also her breakout month. He alleged that the music industry was seeking to find kids who had no fathers for Satan to become the daddy they never had.
Megan Thee Stallion Started The Pete and Thomas Foundation in Honor of Her Parents
To honor the memory of her parents and appreciate all their contributions to her life, the Houston-born rapper launched the Pete and Thomas Foundation in February 2022. Needless to say, the foundation was named after both her parents, Holly Thomas and Joseph Pete Jr.
The launch of the foundation was done to commemorate her 27th birthday. According to her, her family raised her to become an individual who helps and gives back. The idea behind the non-profit organization is to help campaigns and activities that are linked to education, housing, as well as health, and wellness.
She made it known that starting the foundation was going to be the most significant endeavor she would get involved in and that she found joy knowing that she could impact the lives of those who might not have access to resources and certain support services.