Ever since she came on the scene in late 2018, Megan Thee Stallion has made no secret of her love for anime. However, while her music video aesthetics embraced every look from blaxploitation movies to the “yee-haw agenda” to dominatrix vibes — sometimes all at once — she’s somehow avoided using the colorful visuals associated with her favorite My Hero Academia character Todoroki in her videos — until now.
Probably thanks in part to quarantine protocols preventing more elaborate live-action shoots, Meg’s video for her viral hit “Savage” finally fully embraces the aesthetic of her beloved Japanese cartoon shows by way of some very video game-esque CGI. Directed by Jude MC, the video crafts a Ghost In The Shell-style cyberpunk narrative that sees Meg’s avatar shooting her way through hallways full of goons, riding motorcycles on futuristic freeways, and of course, doing the TikTok-favorite choreography. With character designs by one of hip-hop’s favorite illustrators McFlyy (who’s worked with Chris Brown, Nike, Russell Westbrook, and YG), the video is the perfect blueprint for Megan’s love of animation to build upon in future projects.
“Savage” is the third single from Megan’s Suga EP, which released in March of this year.
Watch Megan Thee Stallion’s video game-influenced “Savage” video above.