Megan Thee Stallion signs Interscope distribution deal for her label

Megan Thee Stallion has signed a distribution deal with Interscope, and the fine print matters more than the label's name. She keeps ownership of her masters and holds on to creative control, putting her in the rare position of running things as an independent artist in hip-hop while a major handles the reach. The arrangement runs through Roc Nation and her own company, Hot Girl Productions.

Deals framed this way have become a goal for established artists who spent their early careers signed to terms they did not set. For Megan, who has been public about past label friction, keeping her masters is the bigger story here, more than the Interscope name itself.

The pact also clears the way for her next album, tentatively titled ACT III, which the deal is built to release. Distribution partnerships like this let an artist use a major's resources for pressing, marketing and getting a record into stores and onto platforms, without handing over the catalog.

The Interscope deal lands during an active year for Megan. Her song 'WAP' with Cardi B reached Diamond certification this summer, and she is separately headed toward trial in a lawsuit from a former photographer. Her next record is expected under the new distribution setup.