What Does “Mamushi” Mean? Megan Thee Stallion’s Viral Hit Explained

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Diving into the “Mamushi” video, TikTok dance & more

Co-authored by Marcus Pruitt, BS Reviewed by Candace Gasper

Last Updated: May 29, 2025 Fact Checked

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• “Mamushi” Meaning
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• Song Title Meaning
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• Music Video Analysis
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• Performing the TikTok Dance
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• Megan Thee Stallion & Japanese Culture
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• Video
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• Tips

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Megan Thee Stallion and Yuki Chiba have been taking over airwaves in America and Japan with their song “Mamushi.” On “Mamushi,” the two rap about their extravagant lifestyles, riches, and busy schedules. Megan also boasts a confident demeanor throughout the track. In this article, we explore that confident demeanor, the origins of “Mamushi,” dive into the music video, and more.

“Mamushi” Lyrics Meaning

“Mamushi” is a song that details Megan Thee Stallion and Yuki Chiba’s rich and lavish lifestyle. The two bounce back and forth between Japanese and English to flex their riches, with lyrics like “Okane kasegu, orere wa star” directly translating to “We get money, we are stars.”

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Section 1 of 5:

“Mamushi” Song Meaning

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1. 
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   “Mamushi is a bilingual song about being rich and famous. In “Mamushi,” Megan Thee Stallion and Yuki Chiba rap back and forth about their star power and rich, luxurious lifestyle. On the chorus, Megan raps about how “I get money, I’m a star” before Yuki Chiba raps “Okane kasegu, orera wa star.” Megan jumps back into the mix, rapping “Okane kasegu, watashi wa star.” As for her verse, Megan raps most of it English, talking about how her “watch too expensive, ain’t no way I’m gettin’ clocked.” In his verse, Chiba raps “Kurai toko kagayaiteru maiban.”

   • Translation: Okane kasegu means “we make money.” Orera wa star means “we are stars,” referring to the two’s rich, star-studded status.
   • Translation: Watashi wa star means “I’m a star.”
   • Translation: Kurai toko kagayaiteru maiban means “The diamonds, they shine in the dark,” referring to Chiba’s glistening diamonds.
   • As Megan and Chiba go back and forth on the chorus, Chiba raps “kira kira,” which means something is shiny or sparkly in Japanese.
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   “Mamushi” dives into Yuki Chiba’s busy lifestyle. Yuki Chiba explains how busy and glamorous his lifestyle is in his verse. He raps about how he’s constantly hopping from place to place, taking pictures and performing on the radio. He says things like “Mata negai kanaenagara kurasu,” “Sakki made Roppongide Shuroku Raijo,” and “Sokkara teburi satsuei suru Hashigo.”

   • Translation: Mata negai kanaenagara kurasu means “living while making wishes come true,” which refers to Chiba’s ability to make his dreams come true.
   • Translation: Sakki made Roppongide Shuroku Raijo means “they just finished recording on the radio in Roppongi.”
   • Translation: Sokkara teburi satsuei suru Hashigo means “then off to do TV shoots.” Hashigo-suru means laddering and is used to describe how Chiba hops from place to place, expressing how busy he is.
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   “Mamushi” highlights Megan Thee Stallion’s confidence. Throughout her verse, Megan Thee Stallion confidently raps about her attractive, charismatic nature. She pulls no punches, with lines like “I think I’m so sexy, every shirt I own is cropped” and “In the US or Japan, if he meet me, he gon’ bow” expressing how confident she is in herself, her body, and her ability to attract other men. She believes in herself, which aligns with her second Hottie commandment, “Believe in yourself, baddie.”
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Section 2 of 5:

What does the song title “Mamushi” refer to?

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1. 
   “Mamushi” refers to the venomous Japanese pit viper. A mamushi is a venomous snake that is mainly found in the islands of Japan and its bite can be lethal. Megan channels the snake for this song, which aligns with the snake imagery that has appeared on her other projects, like her song “HISS.” She even transforms into a mamushi snake in the music video for this song.

Section 3 of 5:

”Mamushi” Music Video Analysis

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   Megan Thee Stallion is portrayed as a femme fatale. Throughout the “Mamushi” music video, Megan attracts male gangsters to a Japanese bathhouse, where she transforms into a mamushi snake and kills them. She draws them in with suggestive beckoning signs and snake-like slithers through bath water, then eats them off-screen, similar to how a femme fatale seduces people to whom she brings disaster.

   • This portion of the music video was filmed in Tsurumaki Onsen Jinya, a popular Japanese Inn.
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   Yuki Chiba is portrayed as a bathhouse employee. Chiba enters the music video around the second half, dragging the dead gangsters to be cleaned, then painting them blue. As he raps his verse, the dead gangsters are reanimated and march to Megan’s aid, where they dance along to the rest of the song.

   • This portion of the music video was filmed at Engaku-ji Temple.
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   The “Mamushi” music video pays homage to Japanese cinema. Not only does Megan cast famous Japanese actor Sho Kasamatsu as the main character, but she also dresses the dead gangsters as blue-faced minions and lines them up in an army. This scene draws direct inspiration from Japanese director Akira Kurosawa’s 1990 film, Dreams.

   • Sho Kasamatsu is known for appearances in shows like Tokyo Vice and Gannibal
   • The music video was directed by Kevin “Onda” Leyva and produced by Push Japan, a Tokyo-based creative company.
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Section 4 of 5:

How to Do the “Mamushi” TikTok Dance

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1. 
   Once “Mamushi” went viral, Megan made a TikTok dance for it. After the song went viral, Megan Thee Stallion created an accompanying dance and demonstrated it in a TikTok video. Since creating the dance, Megan has performed it in the middle of Times Square in New York City and in dance halls with other artists, as well as in other locations. To perform the dance yourself, follow these instructions:

   • When Yuki starts his part of the chorus, bend your arms and swing them from right to left.
     • On the first okane, bend your arms, face them towards the ceiling with a closed fist, and swing them towards your side, alternating between your right and left arm on beat with the low piano notes.
   • When Meg starts her part of the chorus, swing your fingers to the top of your head.
     • On the second okane, swing your fingers to the top of your head. With your fingers aligned like a loose salute and your pinkies facing outward, swing your arms to the top of your head and slightly rub them down the sides on beat with the song.
   • When Yuki first says star, reach your arms out, then pull them towards you.
     • On the first star, reach your arms out with your palms facing upward. Then, bend your arms pull them towards you like you’re motioning for someone to come to you.
   • As Yuki continues, bend your middle fingers and face your outer fingers up.
     • On the second star, as you bring your arms back towards you, bend both middle fingers on each hand and face your pinky and index finger upward with your palm facing in front of you.
   • As Yuki concludes the stars, twirl your bent fingers.
     • On the third and fourth stars, twirl your right and left arms twice in alignment with the song’s beat. First, twirl your left arm, then your right.
   • When Yuki says “kira kira,” raise your bent fingers and pump them with the beat.
     • On the two mentions of kira, raise both arms in the air with your fingers still bent, then, one at a time, bring them down and up in a pump motion on beat.
   • As the chorus goes back to Megan, move your arms into a diagonal position and pull one back.
     • When Megan says watashi wa star, move both arms into a diagonal position towards your left. Extend your left arm and bring your right arm back like you’re firing an arrow, Then, repeat this motion with your right arm extended and your left arm firing.

Section 5 of 5:

Megan Thee Stallion’s Relationship with Japanese Culture

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1. 
   Megan Thee Stallion has a strong admiration for Japan and anime. Throughout her career, Megan Thee Stallion has expressed her admiration for Japanese culture through anime cosplays and tours across Tokyo. In March 2024, she even presented an award for Crunchyroll’s Anime of the Year to Jujutsu Kaisen, an anime she has shouted out in numerous songs.

   • Megan has made Jujutsu Kaisen references with lyrics like “Can’t touch me, like Gojo” and “Cause he wanna get caught in my domain expansion” and “Fighting demons in my head like I’m Itadori.”
   • During her trip to present the Anime of the Year award, Megan Thee Stallion was spotted with various Japanese celebrities, one of whom was Yuki Chiba. Many speculate that this is when “Mamushi” was recorded.
   • “Mamushi” was produced by Koshy, a Japanese hip-hop producer.
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Tips

• The Japanese chorus of “Mamushi” isn’t properly ordered, so it’s best to avoid using it in regular Japanese conversation.
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• In Japanese, watashi is the feminine form of “I.” It is used to address oneself.
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• Ore is a form of “I” that is mostly used by men.
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