The Hot Girl makes history. Megan Thee Stallion becomes the first rapper to cover Sports Illustrated‘s coveted Swimsuit issue. The three-time Grammy winner dons a strappy light brown bikini on the cover, while making a splash in a hot pink flower top in the stunning shoot.
Landing the cover was a dream come true for the Houston hottie. “When I got the call that they wanted me on the cover, I was like, ‘Wha—? Me?’ And to be the first female rapper on the swim cover makes it extra special,” Megan told PEOPLE. “It feels amazing!”
Megan prepared for the history-making shoot by hitting the gym as part of her Hottie Boot Camp. “I had been training for months and I was super prepared,” she revealed. “I got into the shoot right away. [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.”
Her “Savage” collaborator Beyoncé is a SI Swimsuit cover alum, having posed for the 2007 issue. “I was so surprised when she did the cover, because I had only ever seen models before,” Megan said. “I think she was the first musician to ever be on the cover.”
n addition to Megan, the 2021 SI Swim issue features two alternate covers starring tennis champ Naomi Osaka and model and actress Leyna Bloom, who makes history as the first transgender cover star. Tinashe also models her bikini for the inside of the magazine.