Salt-N-Pepa Lose Bid to Reclaim Master Recordings From UMG

Court rules they’ve never owned the master rights

A New York judge has dismissed Salt-N-Pepa’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) in which the hip-hop trailblazers sought to gain control over their master recordings.

Backstory:

Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton filed the lawsuit in 2025.
It referenced the Copyright Act of 1976, which enables artists to reclaim their copyright after 35 years.

The judgment:

In granting UMG’s motion to dismiss, Judge Denise Cote noted that Salt-N-Pepa never owned their master tapes.
The contracts for the recordings were between their first label Noise in the Attic (NITA) Productions, to whom the group had granted ownership, and Next Plateau Records.
In her dismissal, the Judge noted that “the statutory text in § 203 is clear: Plaintiffs can only terminate copyright transfers that they executed. They cannot terminate a copyright grant executed by NITA. As a result, Plaintiffs do not plausibly allege a claim for declaratory relief.”

What they said:

James and Denton (in a statement to Variety): “We respectfully disagree with the Court’s decision and fully intend to pursue our rights on appeal. We, Cheryl James and Sandra Denton, also known as the Hip Hop icons Salt-N-Pepa, are the creative and driving force behind all our sound recordings and have performed these songs over the past 40 years. We remain committed to vindicating and reclaiming our rights as creators under the Copyright Act.”

A New York judge has dismissed Salt-N-Pepa’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) in which the hip-hop trailblazers sought to gain control over their master recordings.

Backstory:

Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton filed the lawsuit in 2025.
It referenced the Copyright Act of 1976, which enables artists to reclaim their copyright after 35 years.

The judgment:

In granting UMG’s motion to dismiss, Judge Denise Cote noted that Salt-N-Pepa never owned their master tapes.
The contracts for the recordings were between their first label Noise in the Attic (NITA) Productions, to whom the group had granted ownership, and Next Plateau Records.
In her dismissal, the Judge noted that “the statutory text in § 203 is clear: Plaintiffs can only terminate copyright transfers that they executed. They cannot terminate a copyright grant executed by NITA. As a result, Plaintiffs do not plausibly allege a claim for declaratory relief.”

What they said:

James and Denton (in a statement to Variety): “We respectfully disagree with the Court’s decision and fully intend to pursue our rights on appeal. We, Cheryl James and Sandra Denton, also known as the Hip Hop icons Salt-N-Pepa, are the creative and driving force behind all our sound recordings and have performed these songs over the past 40 years. We remain committed to vindicating and reclaiming our rights as creators under the Copyright Act.”

A New York judge has dismissed Salt-N-Pepa’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) in which the hip-hop trailblazers sought to gain control over their master recordings.

Backstory:

Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton filed the lawsuit in 2025.
It referenced the Copyright Act of 1976, which enables artists to reclaim their copyright after 35 years.

The judgment:

In granting UMG’s motion to dismiss, Judge Denise Cote noted that Salt-N-Pepa never owned their master tapes.
The contracts for the recordings were between their first label Noise in the Attic (NITA) Productions, to whom the group had granted ownership, and Next Plateau Records.
In her dismissal, the Judge noted that “the statutory text in § 203 is clear: Plaintiffs can only terminate copyright transfers that they executed. They cannot terminate a copyright grant executed by NITA. As a result, Plaintiffs do not plausibly allege a claim for declaratory relief.”

What they said:

James and Denton (in a statement to Variety): “We respectfully disagree with the Court’s decision and fully intend to pursue our rights on appeal. We, Cheryl James and Sandra Denton, also known as the Hip Hop icons Salt-N-Pepa, are the creative and driving force behind all our sound recordings and have performed these songs over the past 40 years. We remain committed to vindicating and reclaiming our rights as creators under the Copyright Act.”