Megan Thee Stallion Battle With Former Label Continues

Megan Thee Stallion is in an ongoing legal battle with 1501 Certified Entertainment, her former label. It continues to escalate, and she has recently made a surprising request in the case. The rapper, also known as the “Houston Hottie,” has asked a Texas judge to compel a surprise witness to appear at her upcoming deposition. According to court documents obtained by Radar Online, Megan wants to depose Darien Smith. Smith is an executive at 1501 and the boyfriend of her former best friend, Kelsey Harris. Megan believes that Darien has crucial firsthand knowledge of the ongoing dispute with Carl Crawford, the head of her former label.

Megan’s request to depose Darien stems from her claims that 1501 has failed to cooperate and work in good faith to schedule the necessary depositions. The court documents state that Megan is seeking the court’s intervention to ensure that all outstanding discovery obligations, including the production of documents and deposition testimonies, are completed by July 5, 2023. Megan is eager to obtain closure in this case, emphasizing that it has been pending for an extended period.

Megan’s Troubled, Complicated History With 1501

Megan Thee Stallion performs onstage during the AT&T Block Party at the NCAA March Madness Music Festival at Discovery Green.
(Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Discovery Sports)

This legal feud between Megan and 1501 has been ongoing since 2019. Then, issues arose after she signed a management deal with Roc Nation, under JAY-Z’s guidance. It allegedly happened without 1501’s knowledge. In response to 1501’s initial complaint, Megan filed a lawsuit against the label. She accused them of hindering her music releases and refusing to renegotiate her contract. She also filed an additional suit in February 2022. In it, she sought the court’s declaration that her project Something For Thee Hotties should be recognized as an album to fulfill her contractual obligations with the label. In turn, Crawford and 1501 countersued, dismissing the project as a “bullsh*t a*s mixtape.”

Despite the ongoing legal disputes, Crawford publicly showed support for Megan in March, taking to Instagram to praise her ahead of a performance. He referred to her as the “Queen of the Hotties” and one of the most iconic female artists of their time. Crawford also expressed a desire for the entire Texas community to welcome Megan back to Houston. However, the tensions and complexities of the legal proceedings between Megan and 1501 continue to unfold, leaving the resolution of their disputes uncertain. What do you think of the latest update on the case? Let us know in the comments below!

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One Of Megan Thee Stallion’s Most Controversial Projects Was A Clue On ‘Jeopardy!’

Megan Thee Stallion may have been laying low since testifying at Tory Lanez’s assault trial, but when you’re Jeopardy! famous, you’re never far from the public’s memory. One of the Houston rapper’s most controversial projects was a clue on last night’s episode of the popular quiz show, as noted by the reporter who kept the public informed throughout the trial, Meghann Cuniff — aka Meghann Thee Reporter, as fans fondly dubbed her for her coverage.

“I try not to think about work when I watch @Jeopardy,” she explained on Twitter. “I didn’t succeed tonight.” The clue in question referenced Megan’s 2021 project, for which she went to court with her label, 1501 Certified Entertainment. “Her 2021 album Something for Thee Hotties is a compilation of her freestyles and some previously unreleased songs.”

That’s a characterization of the project that 1501 may take issue with. After Megan sued to have a. court declare Something For Thee Hottie an album rather than a mixtape under the terms of her contract, 1501 countersued, arguing that because it was a compilation of freestyles, it didn’t meet the eligibility standard.

The album/tape, which is 45 minutes long only constitutes 29 minutes of “original” material according to 1501, meaning Megan would still have one more album on her contract term after Traumazine, which she wants to count as her final album. The contentious debate continues but at least 1501 founder Carl Crawford has vowed to make it a more agreeable in future by no longer discussing it on social media.

However that turns out, perhaps Meg will find comfort in knowing that even with her taking a break from the spotlight, she’s never far from fans’ thoughts.

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

Megan Thee Stallion Wins Early Round In 1501 Certified Ent. Legal Battle

Megan Thee Stallion scored a small but significant victory in her battle with 1501 Certified Entertainment.

As Megan Thee Stallion and 1501 Certified Ent. head to court over her contractual obligations to the label, a judge has sided in Meg’s favor in the pre-trial. 1501 submitted a motion that asked the court not to consider her album Something For Thee Hotties as an album. However, the judge rejected the motion, which now allows the case to go to trial, per Rolling Stone.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 24: Megan Thee Stallion attends the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 24, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 24: Megan Thee Stallion attends the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 24, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)

The judge’s decision could lead to a bigger win for Meg down the line. If she succeeds during the trial, she’ll be released from 1501 Certified Ent. after fulfilling her contractual obligations.

The Carl Crawford-founded label submitted the motion in September on claims that Something For Thee Hotties wasn’t actually an album. His attorneys claimed that it didn’t meet legal criteria because of previously released material included on the album. They also stated Meg “failed to follow the proper approval procedures” before dropping the album.

In response, Meg claimed that she followed the guidelines for recording the album. She added that she deserved to make her case in front of a judge. Meg said she never released the freestyles and skits commercially on DSPs. She explained these songs don’t qualify as previously released material because they weren’t widely available.

NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 11: Megan Thee Stallion is seen on October 11, 2022 in New York. (Photo by MEGA/GC Images)

Additionally, Megan stated that she revealed 300 Ent., the company she signed a distribution deal with in 2018, “kept 1501 apprised of developments” throughout the process and provided a copy of the project three days before its release. However, she noted that the company didn’t object to the album’s release until 2 months before it was due out.

The trial for her suit against 1501 Certified Ent. will come just after the conclusion of Tory Lanez’s criminal case in Los Angeles. Last week, a jury found the Canadian rapper guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. The court convicted him of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharge of a firearm with gross negligence and faces 22 years in prison.

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Megan Thee Stallion’s Label Countersues, Saying ‘Something For Thee Hotties’ Was Not An Album

The tension between Megan Thee Stallion and Carl Crawford’s 1501 Certified Entertainment flared up last month when the rapper sued the label over the classification of her latest project, Something For Thee Hotties. While Megan contends that she was told the release would count as an album off of her four-album contract with 1501, it appears 1501 instead classified it as a mixtape — as the label also did with Fever and Suga. Now, the label has issued a countersuit, according to Billboard, arguing that the project only constituted 29 minutes of new material.

The label’s attorney, Steven M. Zager, wrote, “MTS knows that each ‘album’ must include at least twelve new master recordings of her studio performances of previously-unreleased musical compositions. She also knows that 1501 gets to approve the musical compositions to be included on each album. And MTS knows that none of that happened here.” The countersuit blames Roc Nation, Megan’s management company, for “trying to persuade its management clients to leave their record labels.”

Megan was unhappy about the claims, expressing her frustration on Twitter. “First the man over my label said I don’t make him any money,” she wrote. “Now he counter suing trying to keep me on his label because he wants to make more money lol if I ain’t making you no money why not just drop me?”

She explained, “My lawyers asked him for an expense report(money 1501 supposedly has spent on ME)… why this grown ass man put his jewelry and chains on there… lord free me from this joke ass label… Carl I don’t wanna be signed to yo pill popping ass! You talking abt I ain’t paid for a show and you sound slow. Im the artist I don’t pay you directly maybe fight with THE MAN YOU SIGNED TO AND YOU MIGHT SEE SOME MONEY YOU FUCKING POWDER HEAD! You hiding behind JPRINCE. Carl you got a wholeeee contact with 300 and talking shit to me like I got yo fucking money! You are ATTACKING ME ..why? Bc you want to be FAMOUS NOT RICH. Ask KEVIN LILES WHERE YO MONEY AT STUPID.”

Megan also insinuated that she’d been in contact with 1501 artist Erica Banks, who some fans tried to pit against her, calling the “Buss It” rapper a “replacement” for Meg. Instead, Thee Stallion suggested that even Banks is fed up with 1501, writing, “I choose not to say nothing back abt court and address shit online but im getting tired of being painted the BAD GUY 2/47 the last girl on 1501 mad at this man too !”

Megan Thee Stallion Sues Her Label After Her Latest Project Wasn’t Counted Against Her Deal

The battle between Megan Thee Stallion and her label, Carl Crawford’s 1501 Certified Entertainment, had simmered down over the past two years after a judge granted the rapper an order allowing her to release music again, but today, hostilities flared up again as Megan sued the label over the classification of her most recent project. Complex reports Megan is upset that Something For Thee Hotties wasn’t counted as an “album” according to the terms of her contract, despite being 21 tracks and over 45 minutes long.

The point of contention here is that Meg’s contract with 1501 is for four albums and that despite releasing Tina Snow, Fever, Suga, Good News, and Something For Thee Hotties in the four-odd years since she signed the contract, only Good News was counted against that total. Obviously, she wants out of her original contract, and her popularity is such that she may never actually need to sign another one. But having her under contract is (ostensibly) a good thing for 1501, which gets a percentage of all her royalties, whether they come from “albums” or “mixtapes.”

Unfortunately, 1501 is operating from a well-established playbook — it’s actually common practice for labels to count projects as mixtapes to keep artists under contract for longer, a problematic legacy of hip-hop’s penchant for putting out unauthorized, unofficial, or surprise releases. However, by the strictest terms, anything 45 minutes or more should technically count as an album as they’ve been defined for the past 80 years or so (EPs are 22 minutes, leaving a lot of wiggle room between the two designations). That’s Meg’s argument here; her lawyers write in the suit, ” There are no other parameters or requirements under the contract for what can be deemed an ‘Album’ other than total run time of the album. As such, Something for Thee Hotties satisfies her ‘Minimum Recording Commitment’ for the second option period of the agreement.”

Incidentally, Megan showed her teeth earlier today after Crawford posted a headline boasting of a victory in their previously existing case; however, it seemed he had misunderstood which of the cases against him she’d dropped. The suit regarding fair royalty splits is still ongoing and now, Megan’s added another one to the collection in the hopes of no longer dealing with Crawford again.

Weird Al Yankovic Had A Funny Critique Of Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Something For Thee Hotties’

Over the weekend, Megan Thee Stallion released her new mixtape, Something For Thee Hotties, rejuvenating her musical image somewhat among longtime fans who were disappointed by the stylistic departures on her debut album Good News. Rapping over bass-heavy, club-friendly beats produced by the likes of Buddah Bless, Juicy J, Murda Beatz, and OG Parker, Megan got back to basics, reviving her Tina Snow persona with a selection of freestyles and unreleased tracks hearkening back to her early days on the come-up.

One unexpected fan, though, turned out to be Weird Al Yankovic, who jumped into the Twitter discussion about the tape this morning with a funny, tongue-in-cheek critique about one of the project’s 20 songs, “Eat It.” You may remember that Weird Al has a song with the same title, a parody of Michael Jackson’s 1982 hard rock hit “Beat It” from Al’s 1984 album “Weird Al” Yankovic In 3-D. Apparently, upon listening to Megan’s song, Al was surprised to learn that it was not, in fact a homage to his own parody work, responding with a winking assessment that it was “Not a very faithful cover version, if you ask me.”

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

Megan Thee Stallion Drops Her New Mixtape ‘Something For Thee Hotties’

It seems like Megan Thee Stallion never sleeps. Though she told fans back in April that she was planning to enter a phase of rest and regeneration, looks like that didn’t take. Just a few months later, she’s back with a new mixtape, this one devoted to her dedicated Hotties. The Texas rapper first teased Something For Thee Hotties last week, and shared the tracklist yesterday. Now, the tape is officially here, and it’s more of the certified bangers we’ve come to expect and love from Houston’s finest.

Aside from putting out a whole new project for her diehard listeners, Meg has also been busy doing many other things, like oh, say, graduating from college! Then there’s the intro she gave for Joc Pederson before Game 2 of the World Series – in which she bestows on him the highest honor, calling him a “bad B” — or the recent remix of BTS’ smash hit “Butter” she hopped on. Basically, anywhere you look, whether it’s hip-hop, pop, a college campus, or even baseball, Megan will be there, dominating the conversation and doing her absolute best. This woman’s work ethic is a thing of beauty, and so is her new tape.

Stream Something For Thee Hotties above.

Something For The Hotties is out now via 1501 Certified Ent./300. Get it here.

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

Megan The Stallion Unveils The Tracklist For ‘Something For Thee Hotties’

Megan Thee Stallion is gearing up to release some new music in just a couple of days. The Houston native announced her new mixtape Something For Thee Hotties last week, her first release in over a year. She said it will consist of “freestyles thee hotties have been asking for and a few unreleased songs from THEE ARCHIVES.” Now, just two days before the project arrives, Megan unveils its tracklist.

Something For Thee Hotties clocks in at 16 songs with no features, and as promised, it includes some previously heard tracks that include “Tuned In,” “Out Of Town,” and “Southside Forever,” as well as her single from earlier this year, “Thot Sh*t.”

The tracklist reveal comes after the rapper showed off her graduation cap, bedazzled with her signature catchphrase “Real hot girl sh*t”, for her degree in health administration.

You can view the tracklist below.

1. “Tuned In Freestyle”
2. “Megan Monday Freestyle”
3. “South Side Forever Freestyle”
4. “Outta Town Freestyle”
5. “Megans Piano”
6. “Eat It”
7. “All Of It”
8. “Tina Snow Interlude”
9. “Let Me See It”
10. “Opposite Day”
11. “Freakend”
12. “Bae Goals”
13. “Pipe Up”
14. “Bless”
15. “The Booth Freestyle”
16. “Thot Sh*t”

Something For Thee Hotties is out 10/29 via 1501 Certified Entertainment / 300 Entertainment. Pre-order it here.

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

Megan Thee Stallion Will Deliver ‘Something For Thee Hotties’ Next Week

Next month, Megan Thee Stallion will celebrate the one-year anniversary of her debut album Good News. It’s a project that was received well by fans and critics and that eventually attained Platinum-selling status as well. The rapper is actively working on her next body of work, but before that’s delivered to the world Megan announced Something For Thee Hotties. In a post to her social media pages, the rapper revealed that the upcoming release is comprised of “freestyles thee hotties have been asking for and a few unreleased songs from THEE ARCHIVES.”

The Houston native also confirmed the project would arrive next week on October 29. Some of the freestyles that could appear on the project include those that she’s released this year. “Tuned In,” “Out Of Town,” and “Southside Forever” are just some that fans expect to hear on the project.

The announcement comes after Megan and her boyfriend Pardison Fontaine shared adorable pictures and videos on social media to celebrate one year of dating. She also teamed up with Popeyes to release her own Hottie Sauce as we all some merchandise for her supporters.

You can view her announcement in the tweet above.

Something For Thee Hotties is out 10/29 via 1501 Certified Entertainment / 300 Entertainment. Pre-order it here.

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