Legendary rap duo Salt-N-Pepa say they are not backing down after a U.S. federal judge dismissed their copyright lawsuit against Universal Music Group, a major setback in their effort to reclaim control of their classic catalog and royalties. The ruling, issued in the Southern District of New York by Judge Denise Cote on January 8, 2026, sided with UMG and rejected the group’s claims over ownership of their master recordings, intensifying a high-stakes battle over legacy hip-hop rights and compensation, according to Music Business Worldwide and legal analysis from Law Commentary.[2][1]

Salt-N-Pepa — Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton — sued UMG in 2025, arguing that they were entitled to reclaim copyrights and physical master tapes to early recordings like their mid-1980s material under the Copyright Act’s termination provisions.[2] They had served a Notice of Termination in March 2022, with the earliest termination date listed as May 15, 2024, asserting that decades-old contracts should not permanently lock them out of their own work.[2] Judge Cote, however, ruled that the duo never held the copyrights to those sound recordings in the first place, finding that a 1986 recording agreement gave ownership to producer Hurby Azor’s company, Noise In The Attic Productions, which then transferred those rights down the chain to labels now owned by UMG.[2][1]

The court concluded that because Salt-N-Pepa did not personally execute a transfer of copyrights they owned, they could not use Section 203 termination rights to reclaim them, and also dismissed a separate conversion claim over alleged interference with their master tapes.[2][1] UMG, the successor-in-interest to Next Plateau and London Records, welcomed the ruling, calling the suit “baseless” and stating that it had repeatedly attempted to resolve the dispute and improve the duo’s compensation without legal obligation, according to Music Business Worldwide and a statement cited by Law Commentary.[2][1] In earlier comments, the group’s legal team had framed the case as a fight over “legacy, justice, and the future of artist ownership,” and Cheryl James publicly criticized the situation during their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, noting that parts of their catalog had been pulled from streaming amid the dispute.[1]

In a new response reported by outlets including AllHipHop, Salt-N-Pepa have reportedly vowed to appeal and explore additional legal avenues, characterizing the setback as just one round in a broader struggle over legacy artists’ rights in hip-hop and beyond. They are positioning their battle with UMG as part of a larger debate about how classic rap catalogs are controlled, monetized, and shared with fans, especially as early hip-hop pioneers seek fairer deals and long-term equity. Even as UMG publicly signals it remains “open and willing” to find a resolution and “amplify Salt-N-Pepa’s legacy for generations to come,” the clash underscores how complicated decades-old recording deals remain for artists who helped build the genre’s commercial foundation.[2][1]