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Megan Thee Stallion is officially calling on Warner Music Group (WMG) to provide information that might help to identify the individual(s) who leaked parts of Traumazine.
This high-profile development represents just the latest twist in a years-running legal battle between Megan Thee Stallion (whose real name is Megan Pete) and her record label, 1501 Certified Entertainment.
Founded by former MLB player Carl Crawford – who’s not hesitated to speak out against Megan Thee Stallion despite the ongoing litigation – 1501 signed the “Hot Girl Summer” artist in early 2018 and has released each of her albums and EPs to date.
But Megan Thee Stallion in March of 2020 took aim at the terms of her 1501 pact, indicating that the Houston-based label was blocking new releases after she attempted to renegotiate her contract. This renegotiation, in turn, was set in motion by Roc Nation, which signed the rapper to a management deal in September of 2019.
Needless to say, given the initially mentioned “years-running” nature of the confrontation, this 2020 dispute hardly marked the end of the disagreement; Megan Thee Stallion clashed with 1501 over the release of her “Butter” remix and named it in a second lawsuit in February of 2022.
In the latter complaint, which was recently amended to include a $1 million damages demand, Megan Thee Stallion maintains that the previously noted Traumazine is the final album on her 1501 deal.
And the label, for its part, claims that the Grammy winner’s Something for Thee Hotties doesn’t constitute an album under the terms of their contract, besides stating in a countersuit that it’s entitled to “millions” in outstanding payments stemming from touring, endorsements, and other areas of Megan Thee Stallion’s career.
Bearing in mind these multifaceted background details as well as the fact that Warner Music’s 300 Entertainment distributed Traumazine, Megan Thee Stallion is insisting that WMG provide documents concerning the album leak.
On this front, the San Antonio, Texas, native released Traumazine early after portions of the work entered the public spotlight (without authorization) sooner than anticipated. (Predictably, the creator in her 1501 lawsuit expresses the belief that the label is the culprit and claims that the company hasn’t assisted in identifying the responsible party.)
“From my cover art, pieces of my track list and me even hearing a part of a song I haven’t dropped yet leaking (and we ALL know who the only ppl who had access to all these PRIVATE links are..) I might as well…lol,” Megan Thee Stallion wrote on Twitter the day before the album officially rolled out.
While the “Sweetest Pie” artist doesn’t believe “at this time” that WMG itself leaked the 18-track effort, she is nevertheless interested in receiving the major label’s internal “documents and communications” pertaining to Traumazine, according to legal filings, and the persons who had access to the work before it formally dropped.
Additionally, Megan Thee Stallion and her attorneys are pushing for internet service providers (ISPs) to disclose the IP addresses of the party or parties behind the leak. At the time of this piece’s writing, Warner Music Group didn’t appear to have commented publicly on the demand for information.