Megan Thee Stallion Sheds Her Skin in Serpentine 'Cobra' Music Video

The rap star dropped her first solo single of the year, "Cobra," on Friday

Megan Thee Stallion is shedding her skin and old wounds.

The superstar, 28, shared the music video for her latest single, “Cobra,” on Friday. The transformative track and visual arrives after the rap star began teasing it several weeks ago, and marks her debut as an independent artist.

In the music video directed by Douglas Bernardt, the “Bongos” rapper crawls out of a snake — wearing just a barely-there reptilian bikini — to emerge anew.

“Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past, over and over again,” the Grammy winner says at the start of the visual.

Related: Megan Thee Stallion Announces First Single After Settling Lawsuit and Going Independent with 'Cobra'

Throughout the stunning, serpentine clip, the recording artist (whose real name is Megan Pete) dances with snakes and sheds her own skin, even as she’s trapped inside a glass cage and ogled at by onlookers. After hitting fierce choreography, while a fiery guitar solo plays, she’s left transformed and stronger than ever in the end — holding onto a real serpent, as if they are one in the same.

The track itself is both alluring and haunting, with the “Savage” rapping over an ominous beat and supported by a magnetic guitar. Her raw bars are the real centerpiece, though: She raps of “breaking down” as the “whole world watchin’,” and candidly refers to her depression, parents’ deaths, being cheated on and feeling as if she’s hit “rock bottom.”

Related: Megan Thee Stallion Says She's Currently Funding Her Own Music Career: 'Budget Is Coming from Me'

“Yes, I'm very depressed / How can somebody so blessed wanna slit they wrist? / S---, I'd probably bleed out some Pinot / When they find me, I'm in Valentino, ayy / He pourin' me shots, thinkin' it's lit / Hah, little did he know,” the star raps.

On the chorus she repeats: “This p---- dеpressed, hmm, I'm about to stress him, yеah / Pink nails 'round his neck, huh, but this ain't domestic, ayy / Think it's goin' down, hah, now he stand corrected, ayy / This p---- depressed, hmm, I'm about to stress him, ah.”

The Houston artist celebrated the release by sharing several clips on Instagram. One day before the single dropped, she revealed the single artwork and an image sharing some of her inspiration behind the title and themes of the video.

An image of a cobra included the text: "Cobras exemplify courage and self-reliance. They stand tall and fierce in the face of challenges, teaching one to tap into their inner strength and rely on oneself to conquer their threats. Emulating the cobra helps one be more confident in the person they are within."

According to a press release, “Cobra” marks the first release on the hitmaker's new independent music and entertainment entity Hot Girl Productions. She teamed up with producers Bankroll Got It, Shawn “Source” Jarrett and Derrick Milano for the release, while playing an “instrumental role in the production” herself. Diggy Lessard provided the guitar on the track.

The song is her first solo single of the year. It follows last year’s acclaimed sophomore studio album Traumazine, and comes just a few months after she teamed up with Cardi B for their second collaboration, “Bongos.”

“Cobra” arrives shortly after the hip-hop star settled a three-year-spanning legal battle with her former record label 1501 Certified Entertainment, which she claimed had her sign an unfair contract, below industry standards, in 2018. PEOPLE confirmed the case was settled in Megan's favor and the two amicably parted ways. 

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Related: Beyoncé Shares Sweet Tribute to 'H-Town Sister' Megan Thee Stallion for 'Gracing' Her Tour Stage 

The “Body” artist also recently revealed on social media that she is financing her next project herself and is not interested in signing with a new label at this time.

In August, the musician’s long trial against rapper Tory Lanez came to an end, as the recording artist, 31, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty on all three felony counts for shooting the star three years ago.

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