Hip-hop icons Salt-N-Pepa have been embroiled in a legal dispute with Universal Music Group since 2022. Initially, the duo sought sole ownership of their master recordings. After difficult negotiations and an incident that Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton called “retaliation” from the music company, the presiding judge threw out their case in January 2026.
This decision ultimately landed in UMG’s favor. U.S. District Judge Denise Cote made the ruling clear. Salt-N-Pepa failed to “establish that they ever owned the copyrights to their sound recordings, let alone transferred them to anyone else,” per a report from Music Radar.
The battle started when Salt-N-Pepa approached UMG to reclaim the rights to their albums from 1986 to 1990. They did this minus former member Deidra Roper, aka DJ Spinderella. In that time, they released their first three albums, Hot, Cool & Vicious, A Salt With a Deadly Pepa, and Blacks’ Magic. When UMG refused, the duo sued in May 2025.
UMG then pulled those three albums from streaming platforms. For Salt-N-Pepa, this was an act of “retaliation.” Not only did this hurt the group, but it also denied fans their music.
Salt-N-Pepa Lose Out On Master Recordings After Judge Throws Out Lawsuit
Salt-N-Pepa signed their first recording contract in 1986 with Noise In The Attic Productions, owned by producer Hurby Azor. The same day they signed that agreement, they entered into a distribution contract with Next Plateau Records. Their first three albums were released on Next Plateau. But Azor’s transfer agreement from Noise In The Attic to Next Plateau didn’t exactly involve Salt-N-Pepa.
According to the original contract, Noise In The Attic “shall be the sole and exclusive owner of any and all rights, title and/or interest in and to master recordings recorded hereunder, including but not limited to the worldwide sound copyrights therein,” per a report from Music Business Worldwide.
Azor’s agreement with Next Plateau transferred all the rights to Salt-N-Pepa’s recorded music to the label. But, as noted by Judge Cote, “It was only Azor and [Noise In The Attic] that granted a transfer of rights in 1986 to Next Plateau Records.” In other words, Salt-N-Pepa never owned the rights to their music in the first place.
UMG later gained the rights to the master recordings as the “successor-in-interest” to Next Plateau. After the ruling, a UMG spokesperson commented on the lawsuit.
“While we are gratified that the court dismissed this baseless lawsuit, it should never have been brought in the first place,” they said, per Music Business Worldwide. “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.”
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for RRHOF
The post Salt-N-Pepa Lose Legal Battle Against UMG Seeking Ownership of Master Recordings appeared first on VICE.
