Megan Thee Stallion is going toe to toe with her record label again over her contract. The “Thot Shit” rapper is suing 1501 Entertainment for third time, this time over the legal definition of an album.
In October 2021, Megan released Something For The Hotties, a compilation album comprising of her freestyles and loose singles. It’s not considered a mixtape because the record contains all original production, versus Megan rapping over beats made by other artists. The rapper claims 1501 said the work did not meet the requirement of an album two months after its release, and therefore does not fulfill the “Minimum Recording Commitment” in her recording agreement.
Per the parameters of an album in her contract with 1501, according to Pitchfork, the only defining characteristic is that the runtime is at least 45 minutes. Something For The Hotties comes in at 45 minutes and 2 seconds. In the suit, she’s seeking a non-monetary judgement which will force 1501 to consider Something For The Hotties an album and therefore satisfying the contract with the company.
According to BBC, the suit claims 1501 is trying to keep Megan locked into the contract so it can continue to profit from sales.
“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 [Megan], at great expense and not in good faith,” the suit reads.
Megan first sued 1501 Entertainment in 2020, seeking to terminate the contract entirely after negotiations around it failed. She took to Instagram Live to explain how she got stuck in the contract in the first place, and said the label would not allow her to release new music. She sued the label, calling the agreement “unconscionable.” At the time the judge granted a temporary restraining order, which allowed her to release her album Suga.
She sued the label a second time over the release of the BTS song “Butter,” which featured the rapper. She was once again given an injunction on the contract, as the judge found 1501 Entertainment was “recently engaged and will continue to engage in conduct preventing the release of [Megan Thee Stallion’s] new music.”