Salt-n-Pepa wants to gain the rights of a music master. On Monday, the rap duo (Cheryl "Salt" James and Sandra "Pepa" Denton sued Universal Music Group (UMG) for breaching the label for the copyright law because musicians are not allowed to control the intellectual property rights of the music 35 years after release.
According to the lawsuit, Rolling stones The two submitted a termination notice in 2022 to revoke the main rights owned by UMG's Next Plateau Record and London Record, signed in 1986 and 1992, respectively. The Associated Press first reported the news.
"Instead, UMG said that even though it means reducing the value of the plaintiff's music catalog and depriving their fans of their jobs, it will take the plaintiff's hostage," the lawsuit reads.
According to the accompanying exhibition, the pair provided notice of termination to UMG, claiming that in 1988 Salt and deadly pepa and 1986 Hot, cool and vicious The exhibition also terminates its copyright. The exhibition also states that copyright ownership in the 1990s Salt N-PEPA hits blitz and black magicand 1993 Very necessarystarts in 2025. It also lists several remix versions of their album, as well as other recordings they say should end in 2026.
A response letter from UMG's legal team in June 2022. "Ms James and Ms. Denton are hereby advised to avoid attempts to use sound recordings or take any other action to interfere with UMG's ongoing rights in sound recordings."
UMG's representative did not respond immediately scroll Stone' Request a comment.
Salt-N-Pepa's legal representative told Rolling stones Deleting the couple's music from the main platform was "stunning act of revenge". The lawsuit is a leading position in musicians’ admission to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“(They) punished them for claiming these rights and silent cultural transformation work,” the representative wrote. “Like many artists, they challenged a system that profited from their work while denying their control. This struggle is more than just a contract, it is about the future of legacy, justice and artist ownership.”
In addition to rights to the Masters, the two also demanded that the actual losses "may exceed $1 million." They also requested a permanent ban to confirm their rights to recorded songs and claim they want to reach a “mutually acceptable resolution.”