Megan Thee Stallion has amended her lawsuit against 1501 Entertainment and is now seeking $1 Million in damages as she also signals to the court that she has fulfilled her contractual obligations and wants to be released from the label.
Her latest motion has also drawn backlash from the CEO of 1501 Certified Entertainment, Carl Crawford, and label consultant, J. Prince.
The artist’s latest filing says that with her latest album, Traumazine, she has “satisfied all option periods” her contract with 1501 stipulated.
The Houston rapper and 1501 Certified Entertainment are still in court over her contract, which Megan says is unconscionable. The parties have disagreed that her 2021 album ‘Something for the Hotties’ is an “album,” but the latest lawsuit insists that along with ‘Traumazine,’ “both constitute an ‘album’ as defined in the parties recording agreement.”
“Over the past two (2) years, Pete and 1501 shared a long and tortured history of disputes with each other concerning Pete’s recording agreement, including the unconscionability of the agreement in its original form, as well as disputes concerning the release of Pete’s music,” the complaint says.
“The two have been able to resolve some of the disputes through the issuance of multiple temporary restraining orders against Defendants from this Court,” Megan’s filing read, adding, “but a new dispute has arisen requiring further assistance from the Court.”
According to the complaint, 1501’s latest argument is a ruse to hold on to the artist.
“1501’s new position, taken months after the album’s release, is clearly a ruse in an effort to try to take further advantage of Pete, at great expense and in bad faith,” the complaint continued.
1501 Certified Entertainment, headed by Carl Crawford, had previously denied that the 2021 project was an “album” since it was not 45 minutes long and contended that the rapper had not completed her obligations under the contract and owed the label another album.
In the meantime, Megan recently shared her excitement as she announced the latest album is her final under the label, even as she made grave allegations that the tracks and art were leaked by the label to undermine her.
“Thank you hotties for rocking with me through the bulls**t WE ALMOST OUT LETS STAY FOCUSED AND RUN THIS LAST ONE UP,” she said in a tweet two weeks ago.
In the meantime, as things seemingly come to an end, Megan, who previously did not seek monetary damages, wants a minimum of $1 million in damages from the label, which she says had caused her to incur costs in the “entirely one-sided” contract. She added that the label withheld her share of royalties in her music, and she wants them to pay it over.
In the meantime, 1501 has claimed that the “Wap” rapper owes “many millions” for work outside of creating music, such as touring, endorsing, and merchandising.
The attorney for 1501, Steven M. Zager, says they are presently “assessing” the latest album to see if it meets the definition of an album. According to People, the attorney said, “our belief is she owes us one more album, at least.”
“We’re evaluating Traumazine. But there’s no way Something for Thee Hotties qualifies as an album as that term is defined under her recording commitment in her various contracts with 1501,” he said.
Meanwhile, as news spread of Megan’s latest filings, Rap-A-Lot co-founder J. Prince who consults for 1501 Certified Entertainment, wrote a lengthy response to the filing. Megan previously named J. Prince as one of the persons who tried to block her from releasing new music in 2020. She has since won at least three court orders to allow her to release music since 2020 when she first sued the label for blocking her music releases after she attempted to renegotiate her contract.
J. Prince is clearly not pleased with Megan and her management company, Roc Nation, which he accuses of lying on Crawford and 1501 Ent. He also claims that 1501 Enter did spend money on Megan’s early career, contrary to Megan’s claims.
“For years we have stood by quietly as MTS and her mgmt at Roc Nation has lied about Carl Crawford and his 1501 label. The truth is that Carl discovered, developed and fully financed MTS early in her career which led to a life changing distribution agreement for her with 300 Entertainment,” Prince begins.
J. Prince refers to earnings from music Megan generated as “profits” of 1501 Certified, which he says the company “generously” distributed.
“From 1501’s earliest agreement with Megan, long before MTS was a household name; 1501 generously agreed to give Megan 40% of its PROFITS which is substantially more than the customary record royalty that a new artist receives from a record label. Any attempt by MTS [Megan Thee Stallion] or RN [Roc Nation] to portray a contract that provides a new unknown artist with 40% of the label’s PROFITS as unconscionable or unfair is blatantly false and contrary to the customs or norms in the music industry. In fact, we have seen several RN contracts and RN pays its new artists a customary royalty that is significantly less than the 40% of PROFITS that 1501 agreed to pay Megan,” Prince said as he attacked Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.
“In addition, MTS has consistently and intentionally breached her 1501 contract with impunity for years in ways that are too numerous to list here – from entering into agreements inconsistent with her contract, falsely claiming publishing shares that belong to 1501 – failing to notify, account or pay ancillary revenue; releasing albums of outtakes and previously released material and falsely claiming that she is out of her contract- and now falsely alleging that 1501 leaked her album when the album was always intended by Megan to be released on 8/19 and where the leak actually hurt 1501 as much, if not more than Megan, rendering her claim to be specious and nonsensical,” J. Prince ended.
Within minutes of J. Prince sharing the message, Megan popped on Twitter, where she ripped into J. Prince for claiming the credit for developing her career. She also switched the argument that their claim that they built her into a successful artist is false when the reverse is true- she “developed” 1501 Certified Entertainment.
“Im so over these grown a*s men trying to take credit away from the work me and my mama put into the beginning of my career…me and my mom “developed” my career I was already known for free styling and I was already working on Tina snow before I got to 1501,” Megan wrote on Twitter.
“When my mama died I knew a bunch of hood ni**as who just started a label for the FIRST time were not gonna be able to manage me PROPERLY so I got with roc…by this time I was a bigger artist and I asked to renegotiate… NOT LEAVE what was wrong with that? That man is GREEDY,” she accused Carl Crawford.
She also referred to J. Prince as Crawford’s “back up” and called both of them out for trying to claim credit for the success her career has seen.
“Like for this man to keep getting on the internet with his back up to talk like he made me is ridiculous… was you writing my songs? Were you with me in my dorm room recording me rapping ? What abt all that rapping out side my mamma car ? Think cyphers?? I ain’t even know YOU,” she told J. Prince.
“If you wanna be REALLL I DEVELOPED 1501,” Megan said in response to another tweet she made about 1501’s reportedly bad dealings with other artists. “They keep signing people and everyone got the same story … go find allll the girls and the guys that started over there with me and some of the girls after me… ask anybody in Houston how that man is fake a*s Ni**a talked so much sh*t abt jprince now that’s your bestie ok,” she said.
Meanwhile, Megan also addressed critics who accused her of changing her story when she said she only asked to initially renegotiate her contract with 1501 Certified Entertainment which was rejected.
Megan challenged Crawford and J. Prince to beat her in court.
“I only respond when people say my name so all them weirdo comments abt ‘I’m looking for sympathy and attention’ is DEAD…talk to me & ima talk back when I feel like it I don’t need validation from the internet but I’m not weak either … beat me in court not the comment section,” she said.
Im so over these grown ass men trying to take credit away from the work me and my mama put into the beginning of my career…me and my mom “developed” my career I was already known for free styling and I was already working on Tina snow before I got to 1501.
— TINA SNOW (@theestallion) August 24, 2022
When my mama died I knew a bunch of hood niggas who just started a label for the FIRST time were not gonna be able to manage me PROPERLY so I got with roc…by this time I was a bigger artist and I asked to renegotiate… NOT LEAVE what was wrong with that ? That man is GREEDY
— TINA SNOW (@theestallion) August 24, 2022
Like for this man to keep getting on the internet with his back up to talk like he made me is ridiculous… was you writing my songs ? Were you with me in my dorm room recording me rapping ? What abt all that rapping out side my mamma car ? Think cyphers?? I ain’t even know YOU
— TINA SNOW (@theestallion) August 24, 2022
They keep signing people and everyone got the same story … go find allll the girls and the guys that started over there with me and some of the girls after me… ask anybody in Houston how that man is fake ass Nigga talked so much shit abt jprince now that’s your bestie ok ??
— TINA SNOW (@theestallion) August 24, 2022
I only respond when people say my name so all them weirdo comments abt “I’m looking for sympathy and attention” is DEAD…talk to me & ima talk back when I feel like it????? I don’t need validation from the internet but I’m not weak either … beat me in court not the comment section
— TINA SNOW (@theestallion) August 24, 2022
