1501 Records

How Did Megan Thee Stallion & 1501 Certified Entertainment’s Lawsuit End?

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Last week, Megan Thee Stallion hopped on Instagram Live and shared she is a newly independent artist.

“This part of my album is definitely very much funded by Megan Thee Stallion because we’re trying to get off,” Hot Girl Meg said (as per Rolling Stone). “Y’all know what’s the tea. But I have no label right now. We’re doing everything funded straight out of Megan Thee Stallion’s pockets.”

And this morning (October 19), Billboard reported official details of Megan Thee Stallion’s lawsuit against 1501 Certified Entertainment finally ending, excerpted below:

“After more than three years of litigation over a record deal she calls ‘unconscionable,’ attorneys for 1501 announced Thursday that the two sides had ‘mutually reached a confidential settlement to resolve their legal differences.’ Under the deal, Megan and 1501 will ‘amicably part ways.’

‘Both Megan and 1501 are pleased to put this matter behind them and move forward with the next chapter of their respective businesses,’ 1501 said. In the same statement, the label’s president Carl Crawford said that he and his company ‘wish Megan the very best in her life and career.’ Specific terms of the deal, including whether any money changed hands, were not disclosed.”

In September, around the release of her and Cardi B’s “Bongos” single, Megan Thee Stallion told Billboard that material on her next album is “definitely coming very soon.”

“The tea is… everything about the music is tea!” Megan Thee Stallion added. “Just expect the unexpected. Expect a lot of rawness, a lot of realness, a lot of sh*t talking. Just know I’m coming, and I hope everybody ready.”

Meg last released Traumazine in August 2022, and the album was yet another source of contention between her and 1501.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Is Megan Thee Stallion Still Signed To Roc Nation?

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Based on “Anxiety” rapper Megan Thee Stallion’s latest social media posts, she could be entering into a new era. In this new cycle, the H-Town hottie could be wiping the slate clean in all areas of her life, including her professional partnerships. Yesterday (October 12), during a live stream on Instagram, Megan dropped a major bombshell on her fans.

“I have no label right now. And we’re doing everything funded straight out of Megan Thee Stallion’s pockets,” confessed the musician. This unexpected revelation has made fans ask, is Megan still signed to Roc Nation? According to the current roster page on their official website, the answer is yes.

But it is important to note that when Megan inked a deal with Roc Nation in 2019, the reported terms of their agreement were solely to handle her management needs. The press notes also reflected this for Megan’s extended partnership with the Flamin’ Hot brand. So, her alleged claims that she’s a free agent might only apply to the record contract side of her business dealings.

It is unclear if a final legal decision has been made in the ongoing trial of Megan and her former record label, 1501 Entertainment. During yesterday’s broadcast, Megan confessed that she is excited to be an independent artist again for the first time in years.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Megan Thee Stallion Revealed She’s Not Signed To A Label And Explained Why She’ll Stay Independent

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Could Megan Thee Stallion’s industry issue be over? For years, the “Savage” rapper has been tied up in a legal battle with her former label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, and company head Carl Crawford. In past court documents, the Grammy Award-winning musician has accused the entity of sabotaging her past releases and hiding money. Now that Megan has officially returned from her hiatus, she’s shared a significant update with fans.

Yesterday (October 12), during an Instagram Live session, Megan revealed that she’s not signed to a label and explained why she’ll stay independent. The broadcast, which longtime producer Lil JuMade It hosted, gave fans hope that things were looking up.

“Hotties! The real hotties, not the notties. Kinda them, too. This part of my album is very much so funded by Megan Thee Stallion because we’re trying to get off… Y’all know what’s the tea. But I have no label right now,” said the recording artist.

She continued, “And we’re doing everything funded straight out of Megan Thee Stallion’s pockets. So, the budget is coming from me. Motherf*cking Hot Girl Productions! The next sh*t y’all about to see is all straight from Megan Thee Stallion’s brain and Megan Thee Stallion’s wallet. We are in my pockets, hotties, so let’s do our big one.”

Megan discussed the decision to step out on her own and what the future holds. “I’m so excited to be doing something for the first time independently since it was just me and my momma. So excited. It’s really just me this go around until we sign to a new label. But I don’t want to sign to a new label right now because I just want to do it myself,” she remarked.

Watch the full clip below.

Carl Crawford Vows To Stop Discussing Megan Thee Stallion On Social Media

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In late December, Megan Thee Stallion saw a jury convict Tory Lanez on three felony counts stemming from her allegation that Lanez shot her in the foot in 2020. Lanez was found guilty of assault with a semiautomatic handgun, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharge of a firearm with gross negligence (as noted by The New York Times).

Lanez is appealing the ruling and preparing for his sentencing tomorrow, February 28, but Meg has another complicated legal matter still up in the air.

Also dating back to 2020, when the Houston rapper claimed 1501 was preventing her from releasing new music, Meg has sued her record label, 1501 Certified Entertainment. Throughout the ongoing battle, Meg exchanged barbs online with 1501 CEO Carl Crawford. Today, February 27, Crawford commented to TMZ.

“Unfortunately, me and Megan, we haven’t talked since 2019, so we’ve been going through I guess what you guys see online, and like I said, it’s unfortunate as well because I never wanted to have a situation where I was going back and forth with her on the internet,” he said.

Crawford later added, “I never had any problems with Megan Thee Stallion. It’s just the social media stuff. It really just turned really, really sour. You take this social media part out of it, [and] we don’t have a problem. So, yeah, this is the moment for me to — I’m done with that. You won’t hear me mention Megan Thee Stallion’s name in the media unless I’m doing something like this or it’s just a big-time interview [and] I gotta say it. But you won’t see me texting or making a post or doing any of that stuff that would cause social media to go crazy.”

In late December, a Texas judge denied 1501’s request to not count Meg’s 2021 project Something For Thee Hotties as an album toward her obligations to her record deal, allowing her lawsuit to continue to a formal trial.

Megan Thee Stallion had filed in February 2022, requesting that Something For Thee Hotties be deemed an album to effectively release her from her contract with 1501. After releasing Traumazine last August, she amended her suit to specify that Traumazine could also be counted as her fourth and final record for 1501, additionally suing for $1 million in damages.

Read more about the situation here, and watch Crawford’s full TMZ segment below.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Megan Thee Stallion Just Picked Up A Legal Win Against Her Former Label Before Their Trial Officially Begins

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While Megan Thee Stallion’s (real name Megan Pete) trial with Tory Lanez is her most pressing matter currently at hand, she’s still involved in another significant legal squabble: Her dispute with 1501 Certified Entertainment, her former label. On that front, though, she just got herself a win.

This summer, it was revealed that in her lawsuit against the label, Megan is asking for $1 million in damages. At the core of the dispute is a disagreement over whether Something For Thee Hotties, Meg’s 2021 project that compiles previously unreleased material and other works, counts as an album when it comes to Meg’s obligations to her record deal with 1501.

In September, 1501 filed a request for a pre-trial ruling (a “partial summary judgment”) declaring that Something For Thee Hotties be deemed not an album. Their argument was that the project it included previously available recordings and “failed to follow the proper approval procedures.” However, yesterday (December 28), a Texas judge denied the label’s request (as Rolling Stone reports), so Meg’s lawsuit can go to trial intact.

Meg replied to the motion on December 19 and it read in part, “Pete should be allowed her day in court to present evidence and testimony to the jury demonstrating that she has done all that was required of her in the delivery and release of her albums.”

Had the judge ruled in 1501’s favor, Megan would still owe the label another new album.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Megan Thee Stallion Claims Her Label Is Blocking The Release Of Her BTS ‘Butter’ Remix

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Megan Thee Stallion has been embroiled in an ongoing battle with her initial label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, and label head Carl Crawford. The label has reportedly been blocking the rapper from releasing music on her own terms, and though it looked like she was close to a new deal in the beginning of 2021, things still seem shaky for the Houston star, legally speaking.

According to a new report from TMZ, Megan is back in court today trying to get the chance to release her remix of BTS’ latest smash hit, “Butter.” According to the label, they don’t think her collaboration with the biggest K-Pop band of all time will be good for her career. Megan argues they are just trying to block her release in order to get a payoff. In her mind, a remix of “Butter” will be instrumental (heh) in expanding her international fanbase.

Last March, Megan sued the label for blocking her release of new music and was able to get an order that prevents them from controlling her release schedule. She’s now citing that previous order in her new suit, alleging that 1501 blocking the “Butter” remix is another violation. Hopefully Megan will win this one, because hearing her verse on “Butter” will make my summer.