Megan Thee Stallion Sues Record Label Again — This Time Over The Definition of ‘Album’

Megan Thee Stallion has filed a new lawsuit against her record label 1501 Certified Entertainment, accusing the company of trying to keep her locked into her record deal by refusing to consider a recent release as an “album.”

Nearly two years after the she first sued her label for blocking the release of her music, Stallion — who’s legal name is Megan Pete — launched a new case Friday seeking a ruling that her Something for Thee Hotties meets the legal definition of an “album.” That’s a crucial question, as the rapper is contractually obligated to release a certain number of albums for the label.

“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 not in good faith,” her attorneys wrote.

Citing her “long and tortured history of disputes” with the label, Stallion’s attorneys said she had been “forced to bring this action” to “protect herself, her music, and her artistic choices.”

The filing of the new lawsuit, which was obtained by Billboard on Tuesday (Feb. 22), sheds new light on a public war of words that played out Tuesday between Stallion and Carl Crawford, the CEO of 1501 and a former Major League Baseball player.

On Tuesday morning, Crawford shared a news article reporting that Stallion had dropped her earlier lawsuit. Indeed she had; court records show that the rapper filed a motion on Feb. 16 to dismiss her claims, saying the earlier dispute had been “resolved” when she successfully released music that she claimed 1501 had been trying to block.

Stallion quickly clapped back at Crawford, posting a response to Instagram, telling the executive that “we are most definitely STILL IN COURT” and that “YOU STILL GETTING SUED.” Now it’s clear what she was referring to in those messages.

A rep for 1501 did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The new case is the latest development in a two-year legal battle between Stallion and 1501 that centers around the rapper’s primary claim that Crawford and his label duped her into a signing an “unconscionable” record deal at a young age.

Stallion first sued 1501 in March 2020, claiming the label was improperly blocking her from releasing her EP Suga after she sought to renegotiate the deal. In that case, she quickly won a restraining order that allowed her to release the music. Megan went to court again in August 2021, arguing the label was pulling a similar move with a remix of BTS‘ “Butter,” on which Stallion was a featured artist. A judge quickly issued a ruling allowing the track to hit the market.

In the new suit, Stallion says 1501 improperly classified Something for Thee Hotties — a compilation of previously-released freestyles and unreleased archival songs. Her attorneys say the label sent her a letter “out-of-the-blue” in January making that claim, and that it’s doing so because it wants to “chain Pete down” for more albums.

“The intended result of its actions is clear: 1501 wants to tie Pete down to release more albums under the contract to the financial benefit of 1501,” the rapper’s attorneys wrote in the new lawsuit. “This is inconsistent with the contract terms, which are clear and unambiguous.”