Megan Thee Stallion's Impact on 'The Color Purple' Soundtrack

The Color Purple was released on Christmas Day 2023, and it was one of the most highly anticipated films for the BIPOC community.

The movie is set to follow the story of Celie, a young African-American girl living in Georgia in the early 1900s. She lives a hard life, suffering at the hands of both her father and husband, who are both abusive men. Even though the film is at times dark and sad, the ultimate theme is one of empowerment, hope, and the refusal to stay silent.

The film is a remake of the 1985 classic and also incorporates songs from the Broadway musical based on the film. Before the release, there was a lot of buzz about which artists and songs were going to feature in the new film. Fans were delighted when it was announced that Megan Thee Stallion was one of them!

The Color Purple soundtrack was released on December 15 featuring 18 songs, including “Hell No!” with Danielle Brooks, Megan Thee Stallion, and Timbaland. It’s a newer version of the same song that was performed in The Color Purple’s Broadway musical.

Danielle Brooks, who plays Sofia in the film sings to Celia (the protagonist) in the first verse. She sings of how she had to fight her whole life, with her daddy, brothers, cousins, and uncles too. She then proceeds to ask the protagonist why she’s letting herself go under her husband’s foot, and pushing her next time he raises her hand, she should say “Hell No.”

This is followed by the chorus, and then Megan Thee Stallion’s verse comes on. As expected, Megan raps her verse, where she expresses her disappointment with her disrespectful partner. She feels like she isn’t valued, and that he might even have a mistress. Megan then ends her verse with the line, “You and all that disrespect can head to the door” “And I don't even let a man take me that low.”

Danielle takes the third verse and sings about how women should fight back from being treated like slaves. Then both Danielle and Megan proceed to sing the chorus of “Hell No” one last time.

“Hell No!” originally featured in The Color Purple Broadway musical. However, Megan’s new song added a new twist to the beloved classic.

There was no rap verse in the original, which was added to bring The Color Purple to the new age. It’s also a lot more upbeat than the previous acapella version, with the remix being done by Timbaland.

The original was also a back-and-forth between Sofia and Celia, where the older woman encourages Celia to stop being pushed around by her husband. One thing is for sure: the fresh remix with Megan Thee Stallion has gotten fans excited to see what modern twists The Color Purple will come up with!