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Salt-N-Pepa are in a standoff with one of the biggest labels in the game — and their fans are feeling it.
In a new federal lawsuit, Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton accuse Universal Music Group of yanking their classics off major streaming platforms while the two sides fight over who owns the duo’s master recordings. Tracks like Push It, Shoop, and Let’s Talk About Sex vanished earlier this year, just months before the rap legends are set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Under U.S. copyright law, artists can reclaim rights to their work after 35 years. Salt-N-Pepa say they filed all the right paperwork in 2022 to take back control of their early music. UMG, they claim, ignored them — and instead pulled their catalogue, “effectively demonetizing” it and cutting off streams right when their visibility matters most.
“Plaintiffs’ Master Tapes hold significant value and are incredibly rare,” their complaint reads. Salt put it more plainly: “We’ve done all the things legally to get our copyrights back. But they’re just refusing, so we had to sue them.”
UMG is trying to get the case tossed, arguing the group can’t exercise those rights because they didn’t sign the original contract. Salt-N-Pepa call it “punitive tactics” meant to hold their music hostage. They’re asking for damages, the immediate return of their masters, and for their catalogue to be restored online.
Until then, fans might have to dust off their old CDs — or wait for one of hip hop’s most important groups to win back the sound that made them icons.
