Megan Thee Stallion’s record label, 1501, has countersued her, weeks after she filed a lawsuit against them over a row about what constitutes an album.
According to 1501 Certified Entertainment, Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Something For Thee Hotties’ record does not qualify for an album. Megan has already claimed that it does meet the conditions for an album.
In a court document, 1501 wants an order in its favor and damages awarded for claims that Megan has “repeatedly breached her contracts”.
It is worth mentioning that the 2021 release debuted at number three on the US Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in its first week of release.
In the original case filed by Megan’s lawyers, it says the record “clearly meets the definition” of an album, explaining that a length of 45 minutes or more is the only requirement in Megan’s contract to define what an album is. However, in 1501’s countersuit against Megan, it argued that the record was not “original material” as it “included freestyles available on YouTube and archival material”, and only amounts to 29 minutes of new recordings featuring her.
The label claims Megan’s agreement dictates that “she must include at least 12 new master recordings of her studio performances of previously unreleased musical compositions” to get credit for an album under contract.
‘Let me go’- Megan Thee Stallion Cries
Megan responded on Twitter to the countersuit against her. She lambasted her label 1501 Certified Entertainment for countersuing her as she described the suit as “groundless”.
Taking to Twitter, the Houston rap star slammed the company for claiming that her last album wasn’t a complete album as 1501 demands “more” from the 27-year-old.
“Let me go”, Megan wrote. “First the man over my label said I don’t make him any money… now he is countersuing, trying to keep me on his label because he wants to make more money. If I am not making you any money why not just drop me?”
Megan’s legal team, who waded into the conversation claimed that the label wants to keep her locked in her contract for longer, so they can profit from her sales.
In a statement provided to local media, Megan’s lawyer Brad Hancock averred that the countersuit was “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”.
“We will ask the court to protect Megan from this type of abuse”, said Brad Hancock.
It is worth noting that record deals are usually signed with an agreement of how many albums the artist will release before they can renegotiate or leave the label.
A public feud
This isn’t the first time Megan has had a conflict with her record label. In 2020, she started a previous lawsuit against 1501, claiming they were blocking her from releasing new music because she wanted to renegotiate the terms of her contract. On Instagram Live at the time, she said: “When I signed, I didn’t really know what was in my contract. I was young. I think I was like 20, and I didn’t know everything that was in my contract”.
That lawsuit has since been dropped, and the label allowed her to release the music. The lawsuit that was filed by Megan isn’t seeking payment from 1501, except for legal fees and recognition that ‘Something for Thee Hotties’ is an album.
Read also: Assin North MP: The Notice of Appeal was Struck Out, It Wasn’t Dismissed- Abraham Amaliba
