A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by rap pioneers Salt-N-Pepa against their record label over ownership of their master recordings. U.S. District Judge Denise Cote decided in favor of Universal Music Group, saying that the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers never owned the copyrights to their sound recordings. “Plaintiffs can only terminate copyright transfers that they executed,” Cote wrote. “None of the contracts identified by Plaintiffs indicate that they ever owned the Master Tapes.” Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton filed the federal lawsuit in New York against the music corporation in May 2025 to reclaim the rights to their own music. UMG argued that the recordings in question were “works made for hire,” and were never owned by the Grammy-winning duo. “Even with the court’s complete rejection of their claims, we remain open and willing to find a resolution to the matter and turn the page so we can focus our efforts on working together to amplify Salt-N-Pepa’s legacy for generations to come,” the company said in a statement. Reps for Salt-N-Pepa said they disagreed with the decision and “fully intend to pursue our rights on appeal.”
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