On August 11, just hours before releasing her new album Traumazine, Megan Thee Stallion publicly addressed leaked music on her Twitter account. The leak included “[her] cover art, pieces of [her] track list and [her] even hearing a part of a song [she hasn’t] dropped yet,” as Megan put it in her tweet.
She continued: “we ALL know who the only ppl who had access to all these PRIVATE links are.” The rapper ended the message saying that she “might as well…lol,” and released Traumazine at 12 a.m. Eastern the following day. Now, Megan’s attorneys are attempting to retrieve documents from Warner Music Group that could reveal who leaked Traumazine, as Billboard reports.
Megan’s lawyers filed the paperwork in a Houston court on Monday (August 22) and told a judge that WMG “was one of the few companies that received a copy of Traumazine in advance of its formal release,” according to documents viewed by Billboard. (WMG owns Megan’s distributor 300 Entertainment.)
The filing added that Megan “does not, at this time, accuse WMG of intentionally releasing her album, but does believe that receiving documents and communications from WMG related to Traumazine and its release should help discover who improperly leaked her artistic work.” Megan also “wishes to ascertain who all received access to Traumazine through WMG.” In addition, Megan is asking the judge to force internet service providers Cablevision and Datacamp to release information regarding the IP addresses that leaked Traumazine.
Megan’s demand was filed within a recent lawsuit against her label, 1501 Certified Entertainment. Though she initially sued the label in 2020, the most recent complaint—filed in February—alleges that 1501 is refusing to allow her to fulfill the terms of her contract, and she is seeking a ruling that her Something for Thee Hotties meets the legal definition of an “album.”
In March, 1501 countersued the artist, claiming that she is in breach of contract and that Something for Thee Hotties does not meet the requirements of an album. The label is seeking a declaration from the court that the record is not an album, monetary damages based on the contract breaches, and attorneys’ fees and costs.
Megan first sued 1501 back in 2020 to get out of her contract. The suit materialized after Megan claimed the label was preventing her from releasing new music. The allegations were first stated in an Instagram Live session, during which Megan said that she didn’t understand what was in her contract when she initially signed with the label. She also claimed that 1501 would not let her renegotiate her contract.
Earlier this week, Megan filed an additional demand in her most recent 1501 dispute, as Billboard recently reported. The amended complaint suggests that 1501 played a role in the Traumazine leak. The leak, as the filing points out, “occurred within only a few days after” Megan sent it to 1501. “Two subsequent leaks” followed. The complaint also alleged that Megan “had no choice” but to release Traumazine early,” as the label did not assist her with investigating the leaks. The amended filing also includes a demand for $1 million in damages due to allegations of unpaid royalties.
Pitchfork has reached out to legal representatives for Megan Thee Stallion for additional information and comment.
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