Megan Thee Stallion Didn't Tell Carl Crawford She Planned To Sign Deal With Roc Nation

BY Erika Marie 33.3K Views
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Megan Thee Stallion
The former baseball player-turned-music executive was the first to sign her to a record label.

Most people recognize Carl Crawford because of his Major League Baseball career that ended back in 2016 after he retired following being released from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 38-year-old is also known as the ex-fiancé of Basketball Wives star Evelyn Lozada and the father of their son, Carl Leo Crawford. However, in music circles, the 1501 Certified Entertainment CEO's name is tied to Megan Thee Stallion as the professional sports player shifted careers to the music industry and helped the rapper's rise in the charts.

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The Houston native recently caught up with Off The Porch to talk about working with Megan, discovering the leader of the Hotties, and how he was just as surprised as everyone else that she signed a deal with Roc Nation. Carl said that he saw Megan online and immediately started to look into how he could sign her. "It was rawness, something different. Her sound was unique," Carl explained. "In Houston, we never had a rapper embrace sexuality like she did. Most of the girls in Houston, they want to rap like the dudes. That was the first time I saw a girl from Houston dancing and rapping."

At the end of 2018, 300 Entertainment signed Megan to a record deal that allowed her to keep ownership. Even though Carl helped get her the deal she wanted, he says he wasn't kept in the loop about Megan's Roc Nation management contract. "For whatever reason I wasn't kept in tuned about it," he said, adding "It doesn't affect me as a label at all. She's still signed to us. She's able to have a manager to do stuff with her and stuff like that. It's no big deal. She's still signed to 1501 so I just deal with that part." Check out Carl's full interview as he talks about his relationship with Megan, J. Prince, and more below.


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.