Salt-N-Pepa Broils UMG During Hall of Fame Induction Speech

Photo Credit: David Burke / CC by 2.0

Salt-N-Pepa used their platform at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony to call out UMG, with whom they are still in a heated legal battle.

Salt-N-Pepa took the stage at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday night to accept the Musical Influence Award. But the iconic rap duo used the opportunity to argue that their masters rightfully belong to them and accused Universal Music Group (UMG) of punishing them for trying to reclaim them. Their remarks come amid a heated legal battle between the musicians and UMG, the label that still owns the rights to Salt-N-Pepa’s masters.

“When we came out, the industry was different,” said Cheryl James, better known as Salt. “We didn’t have streaming; we didn’t have social media. We had cassette tapes, turntables, and dreams. But even back then, we had to fight to be heard, to prove our worth. We’re in a fight right now for our masters that rightfully belong to us.”

“After 40 years, as we celebrate this moment, fans can’t even stream our music. It’s been taken down from all streaming platforms because the industry still doesn’t want to play fair,” she added. “Salt-N-Pepa have never been afraid of a fight.”

“We have to keep using our influence until the industry honors the creativity the way the audience does—with love, respect, and fairness,” she concluded. “And that includes streaming platforms, too. Hip-hop gave us a voice, and we’ll keep using it.”

Earlier this year, Salt-N-Pepa filed a lawsuit against UMG, alleging violations of the Copyright Act, which gives artists the right to reclaim intellectual property 35 years after its release.

The artists claim that the company is deliberately blocking them from reclaiming their masters and removing their music from streaming platforms in retaliation. However, as of publishing time, DMN notes that Salt-N-Pepa’s biggest hits, such as “Shoop” and “Whatta Man,” are available on Spotify.