Salt-N-Pepa say fans can no longer stream some of their biggest hits due to a legal dispute with Universal Music Group (UMG). In a recent interview with Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts, Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton accused the music giant of deliberately removing key tracks from streaming platforms, including their breakthrough single “Push It”—as part of a battle over their master recordings.
“It just keeps us from re-releasing our music—promotin’ it,” Denton told Roberts during the interview, which aired Monday on GMA.
The duo filed a lawsuit against UMG in May, alleging the company is violating federal copyright law by refusing to return the rights to their early recordings. According to U.S. copyright law, artists are allowed to exercise “termination rights,” a legal mechanism that lets them reclaim the copyright to their original work after 35 years.
“When you’re an artist, in the beginning, you sign a contract saying that the copyrights will revert back to you after 35 years,” said James. “We’ve done all the things legally to get our copyrights back. But they’re just refusing, so we had to sue them.”
“It’s the law. That’s what it really boils down to,” Denton added.
UMG, for its part, has filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that Salt-N-Pepa cannot invoke termination rights because they were not the original signatories on the relevant contracts. The company declined to comment publicly, citing the ongoing litigation.
The legal battle comes at a celebratory moment in Salt-N-Pepa’s four-decade career. The groundbreaking hip-hop duo is set to receive the Musical Influence Award at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony this November, making them the first hip-hop act in history to earn that distinction.
“It’s an amazing feeling, because it’s for your music—not just one hit,” Denton said of the honor. “It’s about your journey, your legacy, what you have done, the influence that you had… 40 years and we’re still here.”