Salt-N-Pepa sue label to reclaim rights to their hits

2025 was supposed to be a milestone year for Salt and Peppa

The legendary hip-hop duo is said to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

but now they're also heading to court. Cheryl Salt-James and Sandra Peppa Denton are suing their longtime label Universal Music Group

or UMG, over the rights to their biggest hits, songs like Push It, Shoop, and Let's Talk About Sex

According to the lawsuit filed on May 19th, the duo says they've been blocked from reclaiming ownership of their master recordings, despite a U.S. copyright law that should allow them to do so

Under the Copyright Act of 1976, artists can terminate copyright agreements and take back ownership 35 years after the original deal

Salt-N-Pepa say they followed the law and filed the proper paperwork in 2022, but UMG said no

Not only that, UMG allegedly pulled some of their songs from major streaming platforms

The lawsuit claims the label is, quote, holding their rights hostage, even if it hurts the value of their music and cuts off fans

Saat and Peppa argue this is exactly why Congress changed the law back in the 70s to help artists who signed bad deals when they were young and unknown Before that change they would have had to wait 56 years to take back control

UMG claims the music is considered work made for hire, meaning the label owns it permanently

But Salt and Peppa say that doesn't apply to them. They weren't employees and their contracts

don't meet the strict legal definition for that label. The lawsuit also points out their music

still has major cultural impact, like this viral Geico ad from a decade ago

and argues they should have the right to profit from their own legacy. The group is seeking damages that could exceed a million dollars

UMG has not publicly responded yet, and Salt-N-Pepa aren't the only artists pushing back

Several big-name artists have taken their record labels to court over the years

over ownership of master recordings, including Taylor Swift, Kesha, and Prince. Swift took legal action against her former label Big Machine after it sold the rights to her first six albums without her consent

She later found a workaround by re-recording and re-releasing those albums under a new label, ironically, Universal Music Group

With Straight Arrow News, I'm Kennedy Felton. Download our app or visit san.com for more