The women behind Salt-N-Pepa, the history-making female hip-hop group, claim that Universal Music Group has removed some of their biggest hits from streaming platforms amid a legal battle.
Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton said in a new interview with Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts that their fans are not able to hear some of their music amid the lawsuit, in which the singers claim Universal Music Group is allegedly denying them the rights to the master recordings of their early music, including hits like “Push It.”
“It just keeps us from re-releasing our music — promoting it,” Denton told Roberts in the interview, which aired Monday on GMA.
Denton and James claim that Universal is allegedly violating federal copyright law by refusing to allow them to exercise their so-called “termination rights,” which allows artists to reclaim the copyright to their original recordings after a period of time, according to the U.S. Copyright Office.
“When you’re an artist, in the beginning, you sign a contract saying that the copyrights will revert back to you after 35 years,” James said. “And 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. It’s the law,” Denton added.
The Grammy Award-winning duo filed the lawsuit against Universal Music Group in May in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Universal Music Group has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming in part that Salt-N-Pepa cannot exercise their “termination rights” because they were not the ones who signed the relevant contract. The company declined to comment to ABC News citing the active litigation.
Denton and James told Roberts that they are the artists, and they believe the copyright law is meant to “protect the artists.”
“We didn’t have that leverage. We didn’t have that knowledge. We didn’t have that control in the ’80s. And so, to be held to a contract from 1985, and 40 years later, it’s, like, ridiculous,” said James.
Denton said she believes Universal Music Group is allegedly holding onto their music because they know its “worth.”
“Obviously, it’s something. They wanna keep it. They wanna hold onto it. And they’re tryin’ to fight us,” she claimed. “So, obviously, they understand what’s the worth of that.”
The duo’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group comes as they are preparing for a high point in their career, receiving the Musical Influence Award at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony this November.
Salt-N-Pepa will make history as the first hip-hop act to receive the coveted award.
“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, you know, the influence that you had … 40 years and we’re still here.”
Amid both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honor and the ongoing lawsuit, the boundary-breaking artists told Roberts they want to be remembered for staying true to who they are.
“Authenticity, especially in art, I think, leads to longevity. And I feel like that’s a big part of why people took to Salt-N-Pepa, because we are authentic,” James said. “And I wanna inspire women, inspire and encourage women to be themselves, to go for it, you know? And to not be afraid to knock down barriers in the workplace, in the world, whatever you’re doing. Just be strong.”
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