}} On April 29, 2020, a remix featuring American singer-songwriter
Beyoncé was released. It was later included on Megan Thee Stallion's debut album,
Good News. All proceeds of the song benefit Bread of Life Houston's
COVID-19 relief efforts, which includes providing over 14 tons of food and supplies to 500 families and 100 senior citizens in
Houston weekly.
Production and release Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé, both natives of
Houston, Texas, first met each other at a New Year's Eve party in 2019. Megan recalled when she first learned that Beyoncé would remix the song: "I got a call one day and they were like, 'Yeah… Beyoncé's gonna do a remix of 'Savage' [...] I was like, 'Shut the f— up!' I didn't believe it." She explained she kept the surprise to herself, "respecting Beyoncé's method of working in silence." She explained the significance of the collaboration to herself, saying: "You grow up and you friggin' watch
Destiny's Child, and you go to the
rodeo to see them perform. You don't grow up and think you're gonna meet Be-yon-cé!" The remix was written and recorded remotely. Songwriter
The-Dream said that Beyoncé "always knows what she wants to say", which depends on "how she's feeling at the moment about whatever's going on in the world, what's going on in the culture, musically where she's trying to go". Beyoncé would then delegate sections to different songwriters. The-Dream added: "Most of the times when you hear something, it's not about that particular thing. It's about where we're going next." J. White Did It, the producer of the original "Savage", spoke about how he did not know about Beyoncé's remix until the day of release. White said:"I heard about it an hour before it was about to come out. I was just as shocked as you. I didn't know. All she [Megan] texted me was, like, 'I got fire for you.' I was like, 'what?' She said, 'I can't tell you.' She was like, 'I can't tell you yet, I can't tell you nothin.' That was tearing me up because I don't really like surprises. The first time we all heard the remix, we all heard it together... I sat there and heard the song and was literally like "WOW." Great song! This is really, really good. "Savage" has now arrived on the remix level, let's go! The song was already doing good by itself, but that remix… it took it to a whole new level." A snippet of the remix leaked online on the same day of its release, and was then quickly uploaded on
Tidal.
Composition Brooke Marine of
W magazine noted "the remix itself is essentially an entirely new song, with the exception of the chorus which has remained the same." The remix finds Beyoncé rapping two full verses, as well as providing backing vocals. She raps in the
flow established by Megan, while employing her "signature tongue-in-cheek lyricism to convey a message of
female empowerment." Kiana Fitzgerald of
Texas Monthly said Megan sounds "strikingly similar to the late Houston legend
Big Moe, who was well known for his evocative singing." The remix starts off with Megan Thee Stallion's first verse, whereafter Beyoncé gives a "cheeky verse and masterful delivery", with, as noted by
Insider's Callie Ahlgrim, "sharp, racy bars about women stripping on late-night Instagram livestreams, a phenomenon known as 'Demon Time', and a subscription service known for nude photos called
OnlyFans." She also alludes to the song's popularity on
TikTok with the line "Hips tick-tock when I dance." Toward the end of the song, both artists take turns singing and rapping, with Beyoncé returning to "her usual heavenly vocals." Producer
J. White Did It's beat is reworked on the remix to include minor instrumental changes, including an extended air horn in the background during Beyoncé's first verse, and a flattened soundscape during her second verse, which, as noted by
Texas Monthlys Kiana Fitzgerald, gives "Bey ample space to work with". Fitzgerald further noted Megan's confidence, as she "sounds like her usual captivating self, but she sounds tighter and deeper in her pocket alongside Bey". Tatiana Cirisano of
Billboard agreed, noting that seeing "two Black female performers with the same hometown (one an established star, the other rapidly rising)" collaborate on a song about self-love which then reached number one on the
Billboard Hot 100 "is a resonant celebration of Black womanhood". Mankaprr Conteh of
Pitchfork wrote that on "Savage Remix", Megan and Beyoncé "owned their sex appeal, their smarts, and their success, inviting you to own yours, too", and concluded: "After Megan had been shot, mocked, and gaslit, the 'Savage Remix' evolved from a confident anthem to an assertion of her complex, endangered humanity." Critics praised how the remix fully transforms the song with new verses.
Pitchfork named the remix "Best New Track", stating that "Beyoncé upgrades the original from a good song to a multi-dimensional one." Michael Cuby of
Nylon described the song as a "made-for-the-history-books smash", stating that the remix is a throwback to when artists would completely reinvent their songs on remixes rather than simply adding a guest feature. Similarly, Craig Jenkins of
Vulture described how Beyoncé and Megan "brought back the lost art of a killer remix", adding that "it's so rare in this era for a remix to feel like an event and not just a few new words plopped onto an existing song."
Jon Caramanica for
The New York Times described the track as "fantastic, far more involved and intricate than most blink-and-you'll-miss-it collaborations."
Crack Magazines Sydney Gore said the song is "playful, whip-smart and, crucially, reminded us of the potency of a well-executed remix" and adding that "it felt like a member of Houston royalty was passing the torch to the next generation". Critics also praised Megan and Beyoncé's chemistry and various delivery styles.
Vulture wrote that they "fit together like a perfect puzzle: Megan sounds audacious and unflinching, while Beyoncé is effortlessly smooth", adding that they "make the song into a game of lyrical one-upwomanship, with each line they spit being more quotable or head-turning than the last." Brittany Spanos of
Rolling Stone noted Beyoncé's "angelic, whisper-y runs" and "untouchable" wordplay, and praised the duo's chemistry, writing: "Together, the pair are an unstoppable force of Houston bravado and empowerment that will boost your serotonin levels just enough to have hope for a world beyond this pandemic." Writing for
GQ, Max Cea called the pairing "a natural fit" whose "styles complement each others': Beyoncé's breathy flutterings punctuate Megan's gusto; Megan's snappy choruses act as a sturdy platform for Beyoncé's various modes (singing, rapping, growling, seductively whispering)." Jael Goldfine from
Paper declared the song "a perfect reminder that Beyoncé is a gifted rapper, whether taking control or backing Meg up with sexy little 'Okay-okays', and 'them jeans, them jeans'." Kiana Fitzgerald for
Texas Monthly praised the remix as a track that "pairs Megan's insuppressible, ebullient energy with Beyoncé's perfectionist work ethic, and benefits their shared hometown of Houston", where "Megan, an upstart MC, and Beyoncé, a cemented veteran, came together as artists from south Houston to represent something greater: the fact that they're fully realized women, with lives that mirror those of their listeners despite the difference in their respective lifestyles."
Year-end lists "Savage Remix" was the second-most acclaimed song of 2020, with Lindsey Zoladz of
The New York Times, Following the release of the remix in the middle of the tracking week, the song reached a new peak of number four the following week, aided by the remix's sales and streams. After a full tracking week, the remix climbed to number two on the
Billboard Hot 100 on the chart dated May 16, 2020, becoming Megan Thee Stallion's highest-peaking song and Beyoncé's 19th top 10 entry on the Hot 100 as a solo artist. This marked the first time four black women occupied the top two spots of the Hot 100 chart, with
Doja Cat's "
Say So" remix featuring
Nicki Minaj at number one. The song topped the
Hot Rap Songs chart the same week, becoming both Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé's first number one on the chart. The track also topped the
Streaming Songs chart, receiving 42.1 million US streams, up 53% from the previous week. Due to the strong sales and streams that the remix received in its first full week, Megan Thee Stallion's
Suga EP reached a new peak of number seven on the
Billboard 200, with 39,000 equivalent-album units moved for the chart dated May 16, 2020. "Savage Remix" reached number one on the
Billboard Hot 100 on the chart dated May 30, 2020, becoming Megan Thee Stallion's first and Beyoncé's seventh number-one single as a solo artist, and eleventh as member of
Destiny’s Child. Beyoncé became the second act in history after
Mariah Carey to top the Hot 100 in four decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s) when including group chart appearances. The song also topped the
Digital Songs chart the same week, selling 30,000 downloads, up 55% from the previous week, becoming Megan Thee Stallion's first and Beyoncé's eighth number-one. As of July 29, 2020, the song had sold over 3 million units in the US. The remix placed at No. 15 on the
Billboard year-end list for 2020. Elsewhere, "Savage Remix" debuted at number two on the
Official New Zealand Music Chart on May 11, 2020.
Vulture later named this the second best live performance of 2020. Megan also performed the song on the
season premiere of
Saturday Night Live, featuring Beyoncé's pre-recorded vocals. The performance paid tribute to the
Black Lives Matter movement, with recordings of
Malcolm X and
Tamika Mallory being played and Megan condemning Attorney General of Kentucky
Daniel Cameron for not bringing justice after the
police killing of Breonna Taylor. Megan performed a medley of the "Savage Remix" and "
Body" on
The Late Late Show with James Corden on December 10, 2020. The performance paid tribute to Megan and Beyoncé's hometown of Houston, with Megan and her dancers performing in a
rodeo arena and wearing orange chaps. Zoe Haylock of
Vulture described the performance as "flawless", adding that Megan "thought she'd show you how she'd absolutely destroy a Super Bowl halftime performance." In 2023, Beyoncé included the "Savage Remix" on the setlist of her
Renaissance World Tour. On the September 23, 2023 show of the tour, Megan joined Beyoncé on stage in their hometown of
Houston at
NRG Stadium to perform the song together for the first time.
TikTok challenge New TikTok challenges were made for the song, including by the original "Savage" dance challenge creator, Keara Wilson. Challenges were also created by Cassidy Condie, as well as Shayné & Zhané Stanley, aka the Nae Nae Twins. Unlike Keara's version, which uses the song's intro, these dances use the second verse. Megan reposted both of their viral dances on her Instagram page and posted a video of herself doing the one created by Shayné and Zhané. In December 2020, TikTok announced that "Savage Remix" was the second-most popular song on the platform of the year.
Impact Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced that both Megan and Beyoncé would receive their own day in Houston, with Turner acknowledging "both artists' contributions to uplifting our communities, holding down H-Town, & for helping us remain Houston Strong." The charity also saw a significant boost in donations, with over 500 new donors in the first 24 hours after the song's release. According to
Vibe, the track had reportedly raised $500,000 for Bread of Life Houston's COVID-19 relief efforts as of May 2020. The
subscription content service OnlyFans, which Beyoncé referenced in the remix, saw a 15% spike in traffic after the track's release. Ottilie Landmark and Ryan White of
I-D wrote that the track "immortalised the platform in history." Ana Valens of
The Daily Dot wrote that the song brought the platform into the public lexicon, and "kicked up popular interest" in the platform within the media and people searching for income during the COVID-19 pandemic's economic crisis. OnlyFans CEO
Tim Stokely stated the app was "seeing about 200,000 new users every 24 hours and 7,000 to 8,000 new creators joining every day" after the release of the remix.
Virginia-based dancer
Morgan Bullock went viral on social media for performing
Irish stepdance to the remix. Despite receiving racist comments due to Bullock being a black woman performing a traditional Irish dance, she received praise and support from admirers including
Riverdance creator
Bill Whelan and Beyoncé's mother
Tina Knowles, and was invited to perform in Ireland by
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Caitlin Kelley for
Forbes opined that the remix set the precedent for "the dawn of TikTok remixes" and "reinforces the app's hold on the charts."
Awards and nominations "Savage Remix" received three nominations at the
63rd Annual Grammy Awards:
Record of the Year,
Best Rap Performance and
Best Rap Song, of which it won the latter two. Megan and Beyoncé become the first female artists to win in the Best Rap Performance category in Grammy history. The song's nomination in the category marked the first time in 23 years that an all-female collaboration was nominated in this category or its forerunner categories. Its nomination for
Record of the Year marked the third all-female collaboration to be nominated in this category in Grammy history. The song's nomination for Record of the Year also marked Beyoncé's seventh nomination in this category, making Beyoncé the most nominated female artist and the joint most nominated artist (tied with
Frank Sinatra) in this category in Grammy history. Beyoncé also became the second artist (after
Pharrell Williams) to receive two Record of the Year nominations in one year, with "
Black Parade" being her other nomination, as well as the sixth artist to be nominated in this category in three different decades (2000s, 2010s and 2020s), after
Paul Simon,
Paul McCartney, Frank Sinatra,
Barbra Streisand, and
John Lennon. In her acceptance speech for Record of the Year,
Billie Eilish dedicated the award to "Savage Remix" and said that it deserved to win over "
Everything I Wanted". "Savage Remix" was the most awarded song at the
2020 BET Hip Hop Awards, with the track winning Best Collaboration and Beyoncé winning Best Featured Verse.
Personnel Credits adapted from
YouTube Music. •
Megan Pete – Lead vocals, Background vocals, Songwriter •
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter – Lead vocals, Background vocals, Vocal production, Songwriter •
Anthony White - Producer, Songwriter •
Jorden Kyle Lanier Thorpe - Songwriter •
Terius Nash - Songwriter •
Bobby Sessions Jr - Songwriter •
Brittany Hazzard - Songwriter •
Derrick Milano - Songwriter •
S. Carter - Songwriter • Steven "Steve-O" Carless - A&R Direction •
Mariel Gomerez - A&R Direction •
Ricky Lawson - A&R Direction • Selim Bouab - A&R Direction • Daniel "Julez" Smith Sr. - A&R Direction • Jonah Rappaport - A&R,
300 Entertainment • Colin Leonard - Mastering Engineer •
Stuart White - Mixing Engineer, Recording Engineer • Eddie “eMIX” Hernández - Recording Engineer •
Jaycen Joshua - Mixing • Shawn "Source" Jarrett - Engineer
Charts Weekly charts Year-end charts Certifications Release history ==See also==