Judge dismisses Salt-N-Pepa's lawsuit to reclaim master recordings from
Universal Music Group
[January 10, 2026]
By MARK KENNEDY
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed the pioneering hip-hop
group Salt-N-Pepa’s lawsuit to reclaim ownership of their master
recordings from Universal Music Group.
U.S. District Judge Denise Cote on Thursday sided with the recording
giant, arguing that the Grammy-winning group never owned the copyrights
to their sound recordings and didn't transfer them to anyone else.
“Plaintiffs can only terminate copyright transfers that they executed,”
the judge wrote. “None of the contracts identified by Plaintiffs
indicate that they ever owned the Master Tapes.”
UMG argued that the recordings were “works made for hire,” which would
not allow for the reclaiming of rights. Salt-N-Pepa’s lawsuit said their
agreements with the label made it clear that they were not.
“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,” UMG said in a statement.
Representatives for Salt-N-Pepa said in a statement that they disagreed
with the judge's decision and “fully intend to pursue our rights on
appeal,” adding: “We remain committed to vindicating and reclaiming our
rights as creators under the Copyright Act."
The Queens, New York, duo of Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa”
Denton became Salt-N-Pepa in 1985. They were later joined by DJ
Spinderella, who was not part of the early agreements under dispute and
is not involved in the lawsuit.
Salt-N-Pepa signed with Next Plateau Records and released their debut
album "Hot, Cool & Vicious" in 1986. Next Plateau was an independent
label at the time, and it’s now under the banner of Universal’s Republic
label. Some of the group's hits include 1993’s “Shoop” and 1987’s “Push
It.”
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Missy Elliott, from left, and Sandra Denton with Cheryl James, right
of Salt-N-Pepa, react during the 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Induction Ceremony on Nov. 8, 2025, at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. (AP
Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
 In 1995 they became the first female
rap group to win a Grammy, and in 2021, they received a Grammy
lifetime achievement award. In November, they followed Missy Elliott
as the second female hip-hop act in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,
handed the Influence Award.
At the podium during the induction ceremony, James noted the group's
legal fight: "This is the Influence Award. We have to keep using our
influence until the industry honors creativity the way the audience
does — with love, respect and fairness.”
In their lawsuit, Salt-N-Pepa claimed that the 1976 Copyright Act
gives artists the right to reclaim ownership of master recordings
and terminate past agreements after 35 years.
But the judge sided with UMG's argument that there is no evidence
that James and Denton granted the label copyright that they can now
reclaim.
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