Overview
- Honored with the 2025 Musical Influence Award in Los Angeles, Salt-N-Pepa used their acceptance to say fans cannot currently stream their music.
- Cheryl “Salt” James told the audience their catalog was taken down from major platforms, which their legal team has described as retaliatory conduct.
- Court filings say the group served 2022 termination notices for 1986–1993 recordings and sued in May after UMG subsidiaries allegedly refused to honor them.
- Universal Music Group disputes the artists’ termination claims and says it has made repeated attempts to resolve the matter, including offers of mediation and compensation.
- The lawsuit remains active in federal court, with Salt-N-Pepa seeking damages that could exceed $1 million and a permanent injunction, and DJ Spinderella became the first female DJ inducted into the Rock Hall.