The Grammy winner talked about her mother’s influence on her successful rap career during an appearance on the ‘Club Shay Shay’ podcast on July

Long before Megan Thee Stallion was doing bar-for-bar freestyles against her male counterparts, the hip-hop star was sharpening her skills with her rapper mom.

During the July 1 episode of Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, the Grammy winner, 29, revealed where she got her rap talents from, pointing to her late mother, Holly Thomas, as the source.

“Me and my mama used to be going back and forth,” Megan shared of Thomas, who used to go by the stage name Holly-Wood. “She was really the one, and I just wanted to beat her, and I wanted to impress her and I thought she was just the coldest rapper ever.”

The “Boa” rapper also recalled having a close mother-daughter relationship with Thomas, who died from brain cancer in March 2019, saying, “My mama was my best friend.”

“It used to really just be me, her and my dad before he passed,” Megan, whose father died when she was just 15 years old and a freshman in high school, added. “I ain’t care about having a bunch of friends and stuff because — and I was a very friendly kid — but I was the only child. So I just loved being around my mom.”

Megan Thee Stallion performs onstage during the Hot Girl Summer Tour at Crypto.com Arena on June 21, 2024 in Los Angeles. 

When asked what female rap artists she listened to growing up, Megan doubled down on her mom’s strong influence, saying, “I used to wanna be just like [her]” because she “was a rapper.” The “Cobra” artist also mentioned that Lil’ Kim was her mother’s “favorite female rapper” and recalled being introduced to her when she was young.

“She put me on Biggie before she put me on Lil’ Kim, and I used to love Biggie so much. I still love Biggie,” said Megan. “But she was like, ‘If you like Biggie, I got something for you that’s gonna f— you up.’”

The “Hiss” performer added, “So then she started playing me Kim, and I was like, what is this? So I definitely was on Kim early, but definitely my mama was my favorite.”

Megan Thee Stallion attends a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena on April 07, 2024. 

Before Megan became a global rap star, her mother made music from 2001-2007 and later became her daughter’s manager. Speaking to Vulture in 2019, the “WAP” artist recalled spending afternoons in the studio watching her mom record tracks as her curious mind eyed a future music career.

“My mom is the first female rapper I’ve ever known,” she said. “I’m thinking, like, ‘Okay, yeah, this is normal. Everybody’s doing this.’”

And while Thomas thought her daughter was busy coloring or watching TV, the “Savage” musician revealed, “Really, I was ear to the door, thinking, Yeah, uh-huh, I’ma do that, too.”

In May 2020, one year after her mom died, Megan paid tribute to Thomas on Instagram by penning a touching caption that read, “Happy birthday mama 💛💛💛 I miss you everyday !”

In a since-deleted post, which included a throwback photo of Thomas, the rapper added, “I know you’re watching over me rooting for me and keeping me going. I don’t have you physically here telling me what I should do so I’ve been trying to figure it out on my own remembering all the advice and lessons you’ve taught me before.”