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Regardless of where you stand when it comes to Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj, chances are you’ve been subjected to a litany of details surrounding their recent lyrics, specifically the mention of a 1996 law focused on registered sex offenders.
The passing of the federal version of Megan's Law, cited in the first verse of Megan's "HISS" single, was inspired by the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl in New Jersey in 1994.
Below, we take a quick look at the law's history, as well as how it fits into the still-in-progress discourse surrounding Megan and Nicki.
What did Megan say on her "HISS" track?
While Megan’s latest single features a number of perceived shots, this one is arguably the most direct of the bunch. In the first verse, Megan raps:
"These hoes don't be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan's Law"
What is Megan's Law?
In 1996, Megan’s Law, an amendment to the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act of 1994, resulted in the mandating of “public disclosure of information about registered sex offenders when required to protect the public.” Sex offender laws at the state level are also often referred to under the same name, though exact details of those laws may differ.
Who is it named after?
Megan's Law is named in honor of Megan Kanka, who was raped and murdered in the Hamilton Township area in 1994. Three years later, Jesse Timmendequas, Kanka's neighbor, was convicted of the child's murder. Before the murder, Timmendequas had been convicted of assaulting two other children.
Why is this considered a Nicki diss?
Nicki Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty, made headlines back in 2022 when he was sentenced to home detention and probation for failing to register as a sex offender in California. As required by law, Petty must register as such due to his 1995 attempted rape conviction.
Minaj's brother, Jelani Maraj, was convicted of predatory sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl in 2017. Three years later, he was sentenced to 25 years to life.
Shortly after "HISS" was released, Nicki teased and eventually released her own track, titled "Big Foot." Confusingly, Nicki at one point argued that the song was not a "diss track," despite using a photo of Megan to promote its release.
