Salt-N-Pepa Sues Universal Music Group, Demands Control of Iconic Catalog

Legendary hip-hop duo Salt-N-Pepa is taking Universal Music Group (UMG) to court, accusing the label of unlawfully withholding rights to their groundbreaking music catalog. Cheryl James and Sandra Denton, known to fans as Salt and Pepa, filed a 166-page lawsuit in New York on Monday, seeking to reclaim ownership of hits like “Push It,” “Shoop,” and “Whatta Man” under U.S. copyright law.

The suit alleges that UMG is “holding their music hostage,” refusing to honor termination rights granted to artists under Section 203 of the Copyright Act of 1976. That law allows creators to terminate copyright grants and reclaim their rights after 35 years. Denton and James claim they submitted valid notices of termination but were met with rejection from the label.

“UMG has indicated that it will hold Plaintiffs’ rights hostage even if it means tanking the value of Plaintiffs’ music catalog and depriving their fans of access to their work,” the suit reads.

Despite generating an estimated $1 million in synchronization licenses in just five months — “with little to no marketing efforts” by UMG — the group says they have been unfairly shut out of the revenue and control of their legacy. Their lawsuit accuses UMG of removing songs from streaming platforms and making the catalog “unavailable for commercial exploitation in the U.S.”

The hip-hop pioneers, who call themselves “the First Females of Rap,” emphasize their foundational role in shaping the genre. “We not only transformed the genre but created, recorded, and performed some of the most famous hits of the twentieth century,” Denton and James assert in the suit. “We will not tolerate disrespect.”

UMG has responded by claiming the recordings were “works made for hire” and therefore not subject to termination. In court filings, their lawyers also argue that Denton and James were not personally party to the 1986 agreement covering the group’s early albums — a claim the artists strongly refute. Their suit asserts that “the pair’s agreements with the label very clearly state that they were not” works for hire.

While UMG has expressed openness to mediation, the group is demanding a jury trial, seeking both actual and punitive damages. According to the filing, the actual damages alone could “well exceed $1 million.” They’re also requesting a permanent injunction confirming their rights to their catalog.

The lawsuit arrives just ahead of a major milestone: Salt-N-Pepa’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on November 8. The duo was the first female rap group to win a Grammy in 1995 and received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2021.

With the legal battle heating up, the duo remains firm in their stance. “We paved the way for generations of female rap and hip-hop artists,” they argue — and now, they want what they believe they’ve rightfully earned: control over their own music.