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Megan Thee Stallion is First Black Woman to Cover ‘Forbes’ 30 Under 30

The rapper has reportedly earned $13 million in royalties, ticket sales, endorsements and merchandise this year.

Ananya Panchal

Megan Thee Stallion.

Megan Thee Stallion.

Megan Thee Stallion is making history as the first Black woman to be on the cover of Forbes annual 30 Under 30 issue.

The Grammy Award-winning rapper shared a post celebrating the exciting moment on Instagram. “First BLACK WOMAN on thee cover of @forbes 30 under 30 🔥,” she wrote. “Real hotgirl s— 💵💵 see you soon hotties love yall.”

“I can’t slow down right now,” she told Forbes before her Saturday Night Live hosting debut in October. “When I start sitting, I feel like I’m not doing enough or I’m giving somebody else the opportunity to pass me.”

Megan Thee Stallion, born Megan Pete, received her bachelor’s degree in health administration from Texas Southern in December 2021. Going back to school and graduating was always a goal of hers, despite the trajectory of her music career.

“I had two plan As,” she explained in a video with Forbes. “Rapping was not a plan B and school was not a plan B. Now I feel like my mind is just like that... I feel like I can do whatever I want to do because nobody ever told me I couldn’t.”

“It’s really hard to be the first something in 2022, so AHHHHH,” Pete reacted to the major news in the Forbes video. “I want to be bigger that just my music, like I want people to know Megan as everything that she ever wanted to be. Megan, the artist.”

Pete is often referred to as “Megan Thee Mogul” for her entrepreneurial ventures, which include partnerships with Nike, Revlon, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and CashApp. She also launched a mental health resource website and runs a number of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen franchises in her home state of Texas. The 27-year-old also added “producer” to her stacked resume after signing a deal with Netflix last December.

“I’m not one-dimensional,” she continued. “I’m everything that I say I am.”

The “WAP” singer’s late parents were both working-class individuals. Her dad had his own clothing line and her mom, who passed away in 2019, worked a day job while writing songs and driving Megan to school and all her activities in her off-hours.

“I feel like I’ve always liked to dabble in a lot of different things,” Pete added in the Forbes video. “I got that from my mom and dad. [They] poured into me that I could be Megan Thee Stallion. I could be creative. I could be Megan the student.”

According to a Forbes estimate, Pete has had a blockbuster 2022, earning approximately $13 million in royalties, ticket sales, endorsements and merchandise. She has a world tour on tap for 2023 and a documentary in the pipeline. 

“I’ll take a break when I’m dead,” she said. “I’m trying to really build something.”

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