Megan Thee Stallion and record label 1501 Certified Entertainment are in a legal battle over her 2021 album “Something for Thee Hotties”. Her label claims it is not technically an album due to the length of the new material.
Stallion filed a lawsuit against her record label on Feb. 18. The lawsuit says the album is not less than 45 minutes and meets the label’s terms. A month later, 1501 countersued claiming it only contains 29 minutes of new material, the rest being a compilation of older material.
“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,” Stallion’s lawsuit reads.
The dispute has been going on for years now. On March 1, 2020, Stallion shared on Instagram that her label was not allowing her to release new music because of a deal renegotiation. She then filed a lawsuit against 1501 Certified Entertainment CEO Carl Crawford as well as the label as a whole.
The lawsuit detailed Stallion’s deal with 1501. She said she was given a $10,000 advance when signing, and 60% of her recording income would go to the label. She has to pay engineers, mixers and other artists, after which she receives only 40% of the earnings.
Stallion also claims Crawford utilizes a relationship with Rap-a-Lot Records founder J. Prince to intimidate others in the industry. Her team accused Prince and Crawford of leaking her 2015 mugshot in a smear campaign against her.
Stallion was granted a temporary restraining order that would allow her to release music. Crawford filed an emergency motion to overturn the restraining order in response. A judge denied the motion.
Jay’s Green Room, run by David Jay, uploaded a YouTube video on March 2 with Crawford. He spoke about the situation in general terms.
“I don’t care how many Hotties get mad,” Crawford said. “Like they say, the good guy gets punished.”
If the judge declares her new album unsatisfactory, she would then owe the label two more albums, according to her contract.
“This is yet another absurd attempt by 1501 to disregard Megan’s album and squeeze more money and more free work out of her for as long as possible,” Brad Hancock, Stallion’s attorney, said. “We will ask the court to protect Megan from this type of abuse.”
The dispute has yet to be settled. The best outcome would be that 1501 acknowledges her complaints in some way that benefits all parties involved.
