Savage (2020)

"Savage" is a song by American rapper-songwriter Megan Thee Stallion. It was released on March 6, 2020, as part of her EP Suga and later sent to US contemporary hit radio on April 7, 2020, by 1501 Certified Entertainment and 300 Entertainment as the third single from the EP. The song was written by the artist with Bobby Sessions, Akeasha Boodie, and producer J. White Did It. It went viral on video-sharing app TikTok, with people performing the "Savage" dance challenge during the song's chorus.

A remix featuring Beyoncé was surprise-released on April 29, 2020, and included on Megan's debut album Good News (2020). "Savage Remix" was met with widespread critical acclaim with praise for Megan and Beyoncé's chemistry and various delivery styles, as well as for fully transforming the song with new verses. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on May 26, 2020, becoming Megan Thee Stallion's first and Beyoncé's seventh number-one single on the chart.

The remix was critics' second-best song of 2020, with publications such as The New York Times, Slate, and The Ringer placing the song at number one on their year-end lists. The remix received two awards at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song. It was also nominated for Record of the Year. The song and its remix were met with global success, reaching the top ten in UK and Australia, top twenty in Canada, Portugal, Denmark and New Zealand, top thirty in France, Singapore and Austria and top forty in Germany. The song is certified gold in Italy, France and Poland, platinum in Brazil, and quadruple platinum in the US.

Recording and production

According to engineer Eddie "eMIX" Hernandez, Megan did the song "on the spot", in under an hour. Hernandez explained the recording process: "The collaboration was going on at the same time. We were building as the song was forming. While he [producer J. White Did It] was laying down the snares and the kicks, she was writing to the skeleton of the beat. Once he had the production all ready and sent it over to me, she was ready to go. She had all her writing done. Her recording? She knocks them things out." White said that "it didn't take me more than 10, maybe 15 minutes tops" to produce the record. White described "Savage" as a "godsend", adding: "That song came out of the air man, it came out of the air from God... It was a gift. And straight away, I told her, 'This is going to be a number one record, watch.' When you know, you know."

Composition

Candace McDuffie of Consequence of Sound noted, in the song, Megan "paints herself as 'the hood Mona Lisa' while celebrating her complexity."

Megan employs huge bravado on the song, which, according to HipHopDX's Aaron McKrell, works to her advantage, as she "surgically pummels a formidable J. White Did It beat into submission, and still makes time for cool quips like \'I need a mop to clean the floor, it's too much drip, ooh\'." Complex's Jessica McKinney said the beat is "reminiscent of nostalgic hip-hop music videos set on a Miami beach, and its chorus is expressive, which is perfect for dancing."

Critical reception

Consequence of Sound named "Savage" as one of the essential tracks off Suga. Complex's Jessica McKinney also named it a "stand-out track" from the EP. Vulture commented that the song was "joyfully conceited", and that previous single "'B.I.T.C.H.' is a little lightweight as a first single when there's heat like 'Savage' on deck". Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone wrote that Megan is "at her absolute peak" and "on top". Following its release, The Fader's Salvatore Maicki named "Savage" one of the "10 songs you need in your life this week", saying Megan checks all of the boxes [classy, bougie, ratchet, sassy, moody, AND nasty] and "sounds fly as fuck while doing it". Vice's Kristin Corry listed it as one of the best songs for the month of March 2020, asserting that "with a hook that acknowledges all parts of her [Megan's] identity, just like each of her EPs introduces a new persona, it's no wonder the world fell in love with it".

TikTok challenge

The "Savage" dance challenge was created by TikTok user Keara Wilson, whose viral clip racked up 15.7 million views and 2.4 million likes by March 20, 2020. Wilson posted her video for five days continuously, until it started going viral; on March 16, Megan posted her own video, as well as videos of her fans and celebrities performing the challenge. The challenge involves people completing a "quick and energetic" choreographed dance.

"Savage" was the most-played song on TikTok for March 2020, accumulating more than 7.5 billion views for the month.

Music video

A Gracie Rothey-created lyric video premiered on April 7, 2020. It sees an animated Keara Wilson doing the TikTok dance she created, as the lyrics pass through on screen.