by Mary Spiller
November 9, 2025
Salt-N-Pepa used the moment to call out the music industry over music ownership and fairness.
Hip-hop trailblazers Salt-N-Pepa turned their long-awaited Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction into more than a celebration of their groundbreaking career — it became a rallying cry for fairness and artists’ rights.
As Cheryl “Salt” James, Sandra “Pepa” Denton, and Deidra “DJ Spinderella” Roper accepted the Musical Influence Award on Saturday, the trio used their speeches to draw attention to a growing dispute over ownership of their master recordings. “As we celebrate this moment, fans can’t even stream our music,” James told the crowd. “It’s been taken down from all streaming platforms because the industry still doesn’t want to play fair.”
The group’s comments referenced their ongoing legal battle with Universal Music Group (UMG), which currently holds the rights to their masters. In May, Salt-N-Pepa filed a federal lawsuit against the label, accusing it of violating the Copyright Act by preventing them from reclaiming control of their music — a right allowed under U.S. law after 35 years.
According to Variety, court documents show the group filed termination notices in 2022 to regain ownership of songs released under UMG’s subsidiaries, including Next Plateau and London Records. In response, UMG argued the group was not eligible to exercise termination rights since they were not the original signatories on the contracts.
A spokesperson for UMG said the company had made “repeated attempts” to “resolve this matter amicably,” accusing the group’s lawyers of using “negative media coverage” as leverage but maintaining that they remained open to a fair resolution.
Despite the legal tension, the evening was largely joyous — a testament to Salt-N-Pepa’s enduring influence on generations of artists. Missy Elliott, who became the first female rapper inducted into the Hall of Fame two years ago, introduced the group with praise for their trailblazing contributions.
James dedicated the honor “to every woman who picked up a mic when they told her she couldn’t,” while DJ Spinderella reflected on the milestone, saying, “I’ve been DJing for 40 years, and I’m the first female DJ in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
Their performance brought the crowd to its feet as they delivered a medley of fan favorites, including “My Mic Sounds Nice,” “Shoop,” and “Let’s Talk About Sex,” before En Vogue joined them for their 1993 hit “Whatta Man.”
Even amid celebration, Salt-N-Pepa made one message clear: their fight for artistic ownership is far from over.
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