What is Megan's Law? The controversy behind Megan Thee Stallion's ‘Hiss’ lyrics explored, post Moniece Slaughter call out

On January 26, rapper Megan Thee Stallion released her latest single, Hiss, a diss track. The lyrics of the song mention “Megan’s Law,” which has now stirred up a controversy on social media.

Trigger warning: This article mentions rape, murder, abuse, child molestation, and more. Readers' discretion is advised.

For those unaware, Megan’s Law refers to a federal law in the USA that keeps track of the movements of sex offenders post-prison release and requires them to register changes with the state after moving, as per Hot New Hip Hop.

It came into effect in 1994, after a previously convicted child molester Jesse Timmendequas raped and murdered his then-seven-year-old neighbor Megan Kanka. Ever since, the law has protected minors across the country.

Singer, songwriter, and reality TV star Moniece Slaughter brought this to everyone’s attention in a now-deleted tweet where she slammed Megan Thee Stallion for including Megan’s Law in her recent diss track. She wrote:

“If I were Megan Kansa’s [Kanka’s] family, I would take every red cent from those single sales. I’d lawyer up and that video would be snatched from every platform.”

Moniece Slaughter's tweets against Stallion's lyrics (Image via X/GotdaScoop)

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All you need to know about Megan’s Law in the wake of Megan Thee Stallion’s Hiss controversy

According to Wikipedia, a federal law named the Jacob Wetterling Act existed in 1994, which needed each U.S. state to maintain a registry for sex offenders and child molesters. However, this registry was meant for the sole use of law enforcement, unless they revealed specific information to safeguard the public, as and when they deemed it necessary.

In July 1994, seven-year-old Megan Nicole Kanka was lured by his neighbor Jesse Timmendequas into his house and was later raped and murdered by him, in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey. Before that, Jesse was already convicted two times for similar crimes he committed against children, and was living right across the street from Megan Kanka.

Following the harrowing incident, Timmendequas received the death penalty in New Jersey and remained on death row until December 2007, when New Jersey abolished capital punishment. Since then, he has been put into life imprisonment without parole. Meanwhile, Megan Kanka’s parents Richard and Maureen Kanka argued that the Jacob Wetterling Act was insufficient and failed to protect their daughter.

They worked to introduce a new law wherein the community would be mandatorily notified about the location of convicted offenders. In the wake of this demand, Republican Paul Kramer, who was part of the then New Jersey General Assembly sponsored seven bills in late 1994, which later came to be known as Megan’s Law.

Originally, it was meant for New Jersey alone and required high-risk sex offenders to register/re-register with local law enforcement databases about their whereabouts and location, especially when they moved into a new neighborhood following their prison sentence. Later, in May 1996, then President Bill Clinton signed to turn Megan’s Law into a federal one, implemented across all fifty states.

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Exploring the Hiss lyrics controversy

Last Friday, Megan Thee Stallion released her brand-new diss track, Hiss. Part of the lyrics of the song refers to Megan’s Law.

“These h*es don’t be mad at Megan [referring to herself], these h*es mad at Megan’s Law,” read part of the lyrics.

As soon as Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood star Moniece Slaughter heard the same, she took to X and posted a series of tweets, calling out Megan Thee Stallion and showing solidarity towards Megan Kanka’s family. She began by asking people to imagine what Megan Kanka’s family must be feeling after all these years to see their daughter’s name trending because of a diss track.

“A law in your departed daughter’s name & honor is passed. AND now for the first time in over a decade, your daughter is trending. Your wound is reopened because a b*tch used it as a bar in a diss track. Smh,” continued Moniece in her tweet chain.

Later, she stated that given the current scenario, Megan Kanka’s family should sue Megan Thee Stallion for the “emotional damages” the latter’s song inflicted upon them, and hire a lawyer to take down the track and its video from the internet and also claim all the profits the song makes in the process.

“I’d demand that the bar be changed and I’d gag order the artist. Period. Don’t profit off my pain or my child's passing. It's low AF,” her post wrapped.

Notably, Moniece Slaughter later took down her tweets. However, it was enough to start an online debate on whether or not Megan Thee Stallion should have used Megan’s Law references in her new single.

So far, Megan Thee Stallion has not responded to Moniece Slaughter’s backlash.