Carl Crawford is making it clear he wants more credit for his role in Megan Thee Stallion's early career. The former MLB All-Star and founder of 1501 Certified Entertainment (Megan's former label) took to social media this week to respond to critics who have questioned his transition from professional baseball to the music business. During the video, Crawford proudly reflected on his accomplishments, arguing that people overlook what he helped build.
"I retired from baseball and in 18 months we created the biggest artist from Texas since Beyoncé," Crawford said. "That's the real reason they hate. They want me to go back to baseball." He continued by referring to himself as "Mr. Multitask" before adding, "These n**** so f****ng mad that I won with Megan Thee Stallion."
Crawford's comments are sparking debate online. Largely because of his complicated history with Megan. The Houston rapper signed with 1501 Certified Entertainment early in her career, but the relationship eventually deteriorated into a years-long legal battle over her recording contract and music releases. Megan accused the label of attempting to prevent her from releasing new music, while both sides publicly disputed the terms of her agreement.
"If a man gone do one thing consistently, it's hang onto the past," one person commented.
"He didn’t make Meg. Her talents made her & she moved around when it was obvious that success with him would be limited," another person wrote.
Carl Crawford Is Reliving His Accomplishments
As HotNewHipHop previously reported, tensions between Megan Thee Stallion and 1501 Certified Entertainment began escalating in 2019. In September of that year, Megan revealed she had signed a management deal with Roc Nation, with T. Farris joining her team as road manager. That same day, Carl Crawford announced a major business move of his own, partnering with Rap-A-Lot Records founder J. Prince.
At the time, Prince praised Crawford for discovering Megan and warned anyone looking to interfere with his business dealings. Just weeks later, Crawford confirmed that he and Megan were no longer communicating, setting the stage for the lengthy legal battle that followed.
In 2023, Megan officially severed ties with 1501 after the legal dispute came to an end. Finally allowing her to move forward independently. Since then, she has continued her success with multiple chart-topping releases, major brand partnerships, and Grammy-winning projects.
Crawford's label has also faced criticism from former artists, including Erica Banks, who previously alleged she was underpaid during her time with 1501.
Despite the controversy surrounding the label, Crawford appears to stand by his belief that he played a pivotal role in launching one of hip-hop's biggest stars, and he isn't shying away from taking credit for it.
