Neva Play
single
CoverMegan Thee Stallion - Neva Play.jpg
ArtistMegan Thee Stallion featuring RM
AlbumMegan: Act II
ReleasedSeptember 6, 2024
Genre
Label
Writer
Producer
  • B HAM
  • Peter Fenn
  • Shae Jacobs
ChronologyMegan Thee Stallion
Prev year2024
Next year2024

"Neva Play" is a song by American rapper and songwriter Megan Thee Stallion featuring South Korean rapper RM of BTS. It was released on September 6, 2024, through Hot Girl Productions and Warner Music Group, as the lead single from Megan: Act II (2024), the deluxe reissue of the former's third studio album, Megan (2024). "Neva Play" is the official theme song for WWE SmackDown on USA Network.[1]

Background

After departing from 1501 Certified Entertainment, Megan Thee Stallion founded her own independent label Hot Girl Productions and released her third studio album, Megan, on June 28, 2024, which included the US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Hiss".[2][3] The rapper had previously collaborated with South Korean boy band BTS on the remix to their song "Butter" in 2021. She started hinting at a new collaboration with the group on August 29, 2024, by tweeting the emojis "🐎X💜 👀", to which the band's account replied the following day with the text "🐎X🦔(🐨) “Coming Soon! 💜👀".[4] On September 1, she officially announced the collaboration, titled "Neva Play", was with BTS member RM and would be released on September 6, 2024. Alongside the announcement, she posted the single's cover art depicting her with blue hair and flashing cash while RM casually looks over his shoulder, and teased that "This is one of my favorite RM verses I’ve heard! I’ve never heard him rap in this style before.”[5]

Music video

The music video for "Neva Play" was released on YouTube simultaneously with the single. In the video, Megan raps in live-action clips, while RM appears through animation for his verse.[6]

Awards and nominations

YearCeremonyCategoryResultRef.
2025Music Awards JapanBest of Listeners' Choice: International Song[7]

Charts

Chart performance for "Neva Play"
Chart (2024)Peak
position
Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[8]20
Greece International (IFPI)[9]52
India International (IMI)[10]2
Ireland (IRMA)[11]97
Japan Digital Singles (Oricon)[12]27
Japan Download Songs (Billboard Japan)[13]22
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)[14]19
Lithuania (AGATA)[15]93
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[16]2
Philippines (Philippines Hot 100)[17]61
Singapore (RIAS)[18]22
South Korea Download (Circle)[19]19

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Neva Play"
RegionDateFormatLabelRef.
VariousSeptember 6, 2024Digital download · streamingHot Girl · Warner[20]
September 7, 2024CD[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ Alston, Trey (September 14, 2024). "Megan Thee Stallion and RM's Collab "Neva Play" Is the New 'Smackdown' Theme Song". Complex. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  2. ^ Corcoran, Nina (June 2, 2024). "Megan Thee Stallion Announces New Album Megan". Pitchfork. Archived June 15, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  3. ^ Trust, Gary (February 5, 2024). "Megan Thee Stallion's 'Hiss' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Archived February 5, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  4. ^ Dailey, Hannah (August 30, 2024). "This Is Not a Drill: Megan Thee Stallion & BTS Are Teaming Up Again on a Collab That's 'Coming Soon'". Billboard. Archived September 8, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Peters, Mitchell (September 1, 2024). "Megan Thee Stallion & BTS' RM Announce 'Neva Play' Collab: Here's When It Arrives". Billboard. Archived September 8, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  6. ^ Zemler, Emily (September 1, 2024). "Hear Megan Thee Stallion Team Up With BTS' RM on 'Neva Play'". Rolling Stone. Archived September 8, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  7. ^ "国際音楽賞「MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN」2日目 ミセス・Snow Manら受賞【受賞曲・アーティスト一覧】" (in Japanese). Modelpress. May 22, 2025. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  8. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  9. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 37/2024" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived September 18, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  10. ^ "IMI International Top 20 Singles for week ending 16th September 2024 | Week 37 of 52". IMIcharts. Archived September 16, 2024 at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  12. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Digital Singles: 2024-09-16" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived 2024-09-11 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  13. ^ "Billboard Japan Download Songs – Week of September 11, 2024" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Archived September 11, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  14. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of September 11, 2024" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  15. ^ "2024 37-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  16. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  17. ^ "Megan Thee Stallion Chart History (Philippines Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  18. ^ "RIAS Top Charts Week 37 (6 - 12 Sep 2024)". RIAS. Archived September 17, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  19. ^ "Download Chart – Week 36 of 2024" (in Korean). Circle Chart. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  20. ^ "Neva Play (feat. RM of BTS) - Single". Spotify. September 6, 2024. Archived September 6, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  21. ^ "Neva Play CD". Megan Thee Stallion. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.