Can’t Megan Thee Stallion just live her life and be great without some executive or creepy guy trying to make things difficult?
This time around, the “Body” rapper is fighting her record label for the opportunity to receive well-deserved recognition from fans. According to Billboard, the Houston native, whose real name is Megan Pete, was granted a restraining order against her record label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, and distributor, 300 Entertainment. Per court documents obtained by the outlet, Megan claims that as she prepared for the 2022 American Music Awards, the two companies “‘unlawfully’ took steps ‘to block or interfere with Pete exploiting, licensing, or publishing her music.’”
The “Savage” artist is nominated for Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist at the 2022 American Music Awards and she sought the restraining order after claiming 1501 used “threatening and retaliatory” actions to keep her from using her own music at the event. The court documents do not offer details on what alleged actions 1501 made to prevent Pete from using her music at the awards show. Per Billboard, this is the latest legal step in an ongoing battle between Meg and 1501. In February, the Grammy-winner filed a lawsuit saying that the label wouldn’t count her 2021 release Something for Thee Hotties as an album, which is a major point of contention between the two parties, as Megan’s contract requires her to produce three albums for 1501.
Representatives from 1501 and 300 did not comment for Billboard, but a hearing where the label can respond to the restraining order is scheduled for Tuesday. Of course, the AMAs are on Sunday, so that seems a little late to make any difference in this specific matter.
Just because she’s a successful Black woman who exists in the hip-hop world, Meg is constantly being forced to fight multiple battles on multiple fronts. She can’t even be honored at a major industry event without someone telling her she only gets to be recognized a certain way. I can’t imagine how exhausting this must be for her all the time. However, I want the “Sweetest Pie” artist to know that her confidence and strength is inspiring, and her music creates a place where women can go to feel like they can take on the world–no matter what bullshit is being thrown at them.