Salt-N-Pepa called out Universal Music Group at the Rock Hall of Fame, saying fans can’t stream their music amid a copyright battle over their masters.
Salt-N-Pepa’s long-awaited moment in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame wasn’t just a celebration — it was also a statement.
The pioneering hip-hop trio — Cheryl “Salt” James, Sandra “Pepa” Denton, and Deidra “DJ Spinderella” Roper — made history once again on Saturday night as they were inducted into the Hall during a star-studded ceremony. But instead of just basking in the applause, the group took the opportunity to take a bold stand against what they called “the industry” — specifically Universal Music Group — over a messy fight about their music rights.
“As we celebrate this moment, fans can’t even stream our music,” Salt said from the stage, accepting the Musical Influence Award. “It’s been taken down from all streaming platforms because the industry still doesn’t want to play fair.”
She didn’t stop there. “Salt-N-Pepa have never been afraid of a fight,” she continued. “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 — and that includes streaming platforms too.”
Behind the glitz of the Hall of Fame ceremony, Salt-N-Pepa are in the middle of a serious legal fight with Universal Music Group (UMG). Back in May, the rap legends filed a federal lawsuit against the label, claiming that UMG has refused to let them regain control of their masters — the original recordings of their biggest hits like “Push It,” “Let’s Talk About Sex,” and “Shoop.”
Under U.S. copyright law, artists can reclaim ownership of their work 35 years after release — a right that many veteran musicians have exercised in recent years. Salt-N-Pepa say they filed the proper “termination notices” in 2022 to get their music back. But UMG disagrees, arguing that the group doesn’t have that right because they didn’t sign the original contract themselves — it was handled by the label’s old subsidiary, Next Plateau London Records.
In a statement, a UMG spokesperson said the company has made “repeated attempts” to settle the issue “amicably,” adding that the artists’ legal team is using “the threat of negative media coverage” to push for what they called “unreasonable demands.”
Despite the label’s statement, the group’s catalog remains missing from major streaming platforms — something that’s infuriating longtime fans who can’t play their favorite old-school tracks online.
