In May of this year, Salt-N-Pepa added one more legal issue to Universal Music Group’s plate. In a lawsuit filed in New York federal court, they alleged that the company has violated the Copyright Act. The act gives artists the right to reclaim intellectual property 35 years after its release.
“To the contrary, UMG has indicated that it will hold Plaintiffs’ rights hostage even if it means tanking the value of Plaintiffs’ music catalogue and depriving their fans of access to their work,” the lawsuit alleges. Additionally, they claim that they filed notices of termination in 2022 in an attempt to start the process of reclaiming their masters.
“UMG’s copyright ownership interest in the Sound Recordings is not subject to termination. For the reasons stated, UMG will continue to possess the exclusive right to exploit the Sound Recordings pursuant to its rights,” the company’s legal team responded at the time. “Ms. James and Ms. Denton are hereby advised to refrain from attempting to exploit the Sound Recordings or taking any other actions interfering with UMG’s continuing rights in the Sound Recordings.”
Drake UMG Lawsuit
Salt-N-Pepa aren’t the only artists suing UMG either. Drake also filed a lawsuit against the company in January. In it, he alleges that they artificially inflated the success of Kendrick Lamar‘s hit diss track, “Not Like Us.” He’s received a decent amount of backlash for it too, as many argue that it makes him look like a sore loser in their viral lyrical battle.
Of course, when Salt-N-Pepa filed their lawsuit, it sparked some comparisons to the Toronto performer. According to Cheryl James of the duo, however, these comparisons are completely unfounded.
“Well, I’m old school, and hip-hop is like battling and going back and forth,” she said when asked about the comparisons by paparazzi, per The Jasmine Brand. “It’s kind of like calling the police… I love Drake though, but… I can’t get with that one.”