Megan Thee Stallion Becomes First Rapper To Cover 'SI' Swimsuit Issue

It's only right that Megan Thee Stallion — a.k.a. the Hot Girl Coach, a.k.a. the queen of summer — is Sports Illustrated's 2021 swimsuit issue cover girl.

The Houston rapper is one of three separate cover stars — tennis champ Naomi Osaka and model Leyna Bloom also landed a cover— with Meg being the first female rapper to ever front the annual issue.

"REAL SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT EDITION COVER MODEL SH*T!!! đŸ˜›đŸ”„," Meg wrote on Instagram Monday (July 19). "Thee first female rapper on the cover of @si_swimsuit 😭😭 I want to thank all the strong women in my life who inspired me to love my body and live my best hot girl life. It means the world to me to be on this cover DREAM COME TRUE!! 😛 #SISwim21."

For her cover, Meg models a cream "MTS Sexy All Summer 2 Piece Bikini" that shows off her famous curves as she poses on the beach. "I had been training for months and I was super prepared. I got into the shoot right away," the 26-year-old rapper told People of her SI shoot experience. "[Photographer] James [Macari] said he usually doesn't get into the water until the fourth or fifth set-up, but we were both in the ocean from the start. The day was perfect and I had a blast."

Megan also spoke about being inspired by another history-making SI swim cover star, Tyra Banks who became the first Black model to land a solo cover in 1997.

"My earliest memory of a SI Swimsuit cover was Tyra," Megan said. "I remember thinking, 'Wow, this girl looks like me!' Here is this stunning Black woman owning her curves and it made a big impact. It made me think, maybe I can be on the cover of SI Swim one day. And guess what — I am!"

Meg isn't the only 2021 cover star making history. Actress and model Leyna Bloom is the magazine's first transgender cover star and Naomi Osaka is the first female Black athlete to front the issue.

"If there's one thing that our cover models have in common, it's that they don't have one thing in common," Editor in Chief of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, MJ Day, said in a press release. "They look different, have different upbringings, have different passions and inspirations. But each is a reminder that beauty comes in many forms."

He added, Megan a "magnetic powerhouse taking the world by storm" who with Naomi and Leyna, "represent three of the most powerful voices of today."

SI Swimsuit hits newsstands on July 22.


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