Salt-N-Pepa are accusing UMG of intentionally blocking entry to their authentic grasp recordings and pulling their music from main U.S. streaming platforms in what they are saying is a calculated try and sabotage their upcoming Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame induction.

The Hip-Hop trailblazers filed a lawsuit claiming UMG has refused to return the bodily two-inch grasp tapes that comprise the highest-quality variations of their albums and singles.

The tapes, that are saved in a safe facility, stay in UMG’s possession regardless of a number of formal requests, in response to the grievance.

“Plaintiffs’ Grasp Tapes maintain important worth and are extremely uncommon. They’re the unique, highest high quality, bodily supply materials of Plaintiffs’ sound recordings,” the lawsuit states.

The authorized battle comes as Salt-N-Pepa put together to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame on November 8, 2025, on the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The ceremony will stream dwell on Disney+, marking a major milestone of their decades-long profession.

The group alleges the battle intensified after they tried to reclaim their copyrights below Part 203 of the Copyright Act.

In response, UMG allegedly started eradicating their music from digital platforms in america, stripping them of streaming income and public publicity.

The grievance claims UMG “halted exploitation of the related sound recordings in america, thereby successfully demonetizing Plaintiffs’ catalogue—months earlier than Plaintiffs are set to be inducted into the Corridor of Fame.”

Salt-N-Pepa imagine the label’s actions are a strain tactic to power them to desert their authorized pursuit of possession rights.

“UMG seems to take the place that it could unilaterally determine when and/or if a recording artist is entitled to termination. This isn’t the regulation, and UMG doesn’t have this energy,” mentioned their legal professional Heidi G. Crikelair. “That is an effort by UMG to strain Plaintiffs into giving up on their effort to recoup their rights to their sound recordings.”

Regardless of the authorized standoff, Salt-N-Pepa say they haven’t any plans to retreat.

The lawsuit additionally notes that the removing of their catalog has erased entry to iconic tracks like “Push It,” which the group says is “ubiquitous at weddings and different celebrations.”

The timing of the takedown, they argue, threatens to decrease their visibility and cultural affect simply as they obtain one of many business’s highest honors.

Salt-N-Pepa are searching for damages and the instant return of their grasp recordings, accusing UMG of conversion and violating federal copyright regulation.

The duo, together with Spinderella, made historical past as the primary feminine rap group to go platinum within the U.S. and are solely the second feminine Hip-Hop act to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame.

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