Salt-N-Pepa accuse Universal Music Group of holding their music “hostage” in lawsuit

Salt-N-Pepa have accused Universal Music Group of holding their music “hostage”, filing a lawsuit in New York federal court yesterday (May 19).

Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton, the group’s remaining members after Deidra “Spinderella” Roper left in 2019, accused the label of refusing to honour their legal right to reclaim control of their music’s intellectual property.

The complaint sets out that the rap icons followed a copyright law permitting artists to take back control of their music 35 years after they sign away the rights, and that they filed notices of termination to reclaim the master rights in 2022.

“UMG has indicated that it will hold Plaintiffs’ rights hostage even if it means tanking the value of Plaintiffs’ music catalogue and depriving their fans of access to their work,” the lawsuit reads, via Associated Press – referring to the band’s hits, including ‘Push It’ and ‘Let’s Talk About Sex’ being removed from major streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music.

Reps for UMG did not immediately respond to Associated Press’ request for comment.

A statement from Salt-N-Pepa’s legal representatives reads: “As they prepare to make history as only the second female hip-hop act ever inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Salt-N-Pepa are also fighting to reclaim rightful ownership of their iconic, barrier-breaking music.

“UMG has pulled their songs from all major platforms in the U.S., punishing them for asserting those rights and silencing decades of culture-shifting work.”

The group has argued that their ability to profit from their own work has effectively been frozen, and they have requested the rights to the masters, actual damages that could “well exceed $1million” and a permanent injunction confirming their rights to the songs recorded.

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The success of Salt-N-Pepa’s 1986 debut album, ‘Hot, Cool & Vicious’, saw them become the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status by the Recording Industry Association of America, and as stated by their legal representatives they’re set to become just the second female rap act to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November.

In a 2023 interview, they credited their longevity with their friendship being “like a marriage”. James explained: “We’re with each other more than we are with our own families. So it’s important to give each other space. It’s like a marriage. Sometimes we sleep in the bed together, and sometimes Pep sleeps on the couch.”

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