Salt-N-Pepa sue Universal Music Group in bid to regain masters
Iconic hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa are suing Universal Music Group in an attempt to regain the master copies of their songs.
The duo, consisting of Cheryl ‘Salt’ James and Sandra ‘Pepa’ Denton, filed a copyright lawsuit against Universal Music Group in New York on May 19th, citing the 1976 Copyright Act that grants artists the right to reclaim ownership of master recordings and terminate past agreements after 35 years.
They claim that after being signed to Next Plateau Records in 1986, which now comes under the banner of Universal Music Group, they filed to terminate the agreement in 2022, which “inexplicably, Universal has refused to honour.”
Universal claim this was due to the fact that the members of Salt-N-Pepa were not party to the initial agreement, which their lawyers refute. In response, Universal has now removed the group’s early discography from streaming platforms, with only their 1987 breakout hit ‘Push It’ available via a 2023 re-recording.
Salt-N-Pepa argue that other elements of their discography, including the album Very Necessary, originally released in 1993 and which went quintuple platinum, should have its rights made available to them over the course of the next year, per the terms of the previous contract.
However, the duo are seeking to have independent ownership of their most iconic hits, given their seismic contributions to the world of rap and hip-hop.
In recognition of this, they are set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year via the ‘Musical Influence Award’, joining Missy Elliott as the only female hip-hop acts to gain the status among music’s upper echelons.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.