Megan Thee Stallion Keeps Ownership of Her Music in History-Making Record Deal with Warner Music Group

Rap superstar Megan Thee Stallion stays booked, busy, and unbothered by the haters. The reigning queen of rap has inked a history-making record deal with Warner Music Group that could revolutionize the music industry.

Megan’s new deal sees her keep her power as an independent artist while WMG provides distribution and marketing. The “HISS” rapper will retain the publishing rights and masters of her original music. In addition, all new music will be released through her independent label, Hot Girl Productions.

“This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter of my life and career,” Megan Thee Stallion said in a statement. “I’m really focused on building an empire and growing as an entrepreneur, so I’m proud to take this next step in my journey and work with Max Lousada and the entire Warner Music Group team in this new capacity. I know we’re going to create history together.”

This is a huge victory for Megan, who sued her former label 1501 Certified Entertainment in 2020 over a royalties dispute and creative control. They eventually settled out of court and Megan established herself as an independent artist. Megan now retains her independence while reaping the benefits of a major studio deal.

The issue of ownership and masters rights became major news in 2019 when Taylor Swift announced she was re-recording her albums after manager Scooter Braun purchased her catalog from Big Machine Records. Swift’s re-releases have been massively successful, and she is nearly done re-recording her first six albums.

Megan’s new deal is a bold step for the rapper and sets the stage for collaborators and future artists. Now, Megan not only retains ownership of her music, but she also has full creative control going forward. Despite the setbacks that life throws at her, Megan always rises above and comes out on top. Next stop? Megan Thee Mogul.

(via Rolling Stone, featured image: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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