Salt-N-Pepa Battle UMG Over Masters

- The core of the legal dispute revolves around the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, which allows artists to reclaim their copyrights after 35 years. Salt-N-Pepa, comprised of Cheryl "Salt" James and Sandra "Pepa" Denton, filed termination notices in 2022 to regain control of their early recordings. - Universal Music Group has countered that the duo's music was created as "works made for hire," which would make them ineligible to reclaim the rights under the Copyright Act. This argument centers on their original 1986 recording agreement with Noise in the Attic (NITA) Productions, a company owned by their former manager and producer, Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor. - In May 2025, Salt-N-Pepa officially sued UMG, alleging the label was wrongfully blocking their attempts to reclaim their masters. The lawsuit also claimed that as a "punitive measure," UMG removed their first two albums, "Hot, Cool & Vicious" (1986) and "A Salt With a Deadly Pepa" (1988), from streaming services for a period in 2024. - A significant setback for the duo occurred in January 2026, when U.S. District Judge Denise Cote dismissed their lawsuit. The judge ruled that Salt-N-Pepa had failed to establish that they ever owned the copyrights to their master recordings in the first place, and therefore could not reclaim them. - Following the dismissal, Salt-N-Pepa's legal team filed an appeal with the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in February 2026, signaling their continued determination to fight for ownership of their catalog. - This legal battle does not involve the group's former member, DJ Spinderella, as she was not a party to the early recording agreements that are central to the dispute.