Hip-Hop legends Salt-N-Pepa are calling out Universal Music Group (UMG) in a new lawsuit over the rights to their master recordings.
The iconic duo filed the suit back in May, claiming UMG is breaking federal copyright laws by refusing to give them back the rights to their music after a certain amount of time has passed.
Salt recently spoke about the situation in an interview, saying, “When you’re an artist, in the beginning, you sign a contract saying that the copyrights will revert back to you after 35 years. And we’ve done all the things legally to get our copyrights back. But they’re just refusing, so we had to sue them.” Pepa added, “They wanna keep it. They wanna hold onto it. And they’re tryin’ to fight us. So, obviously, they understand what’s the worth of that.”
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Salt-N-Pepa’s case is part of a long list of artists fighting back against UMG. Drake has also launched a lawsuit against the label, accusing them of defamation connected to Kendrick Lamar’s hit track “Not Like Us.”
Even with the legal battle, the duo has something to celebrate. Salt-N-Pepa will be honored with the Musical Influence Award at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, becoming the first Hip-Hop act to receive the award. Speaking about the honor, Pepa said, “It’s an amazing feeling, because it’s for your music, not just one hit. It’s about your journey, your legacy, what you have done, you know, the influence that you had 40 years and we’re still here.”
Salt-N-Pepa’s fight isn’t just about music; it’s about owning their legacy and getting what’s rightfully theirs.
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