salt n pepa
Salt-N-Pepa, the legendary Hip-Hop group that amassed several hit songs in the 1980s through the 1990s, is currently fighting for the rights to their master recordings. Salt-N-Pepa filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG), claiming that the label is violating copyright law by not giving the rights back to the group.
The Associated Press reports that Salt-N-Pepa, separately known as Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton, are angling to see the master recordings of their previously released material returned to them, especially as their music has viability in today’s market. Adding to this, many legacy acts are cashing via the ownership of their catalogs.
James and Denton asserted in their filing that they have rights to their music due to the Copyright Act of 1976, which allows artists to do away with previously signed deals and reclaim their master recordings.
This has been an ongoing fight for years after Salt-N-Pepa attempted to regain their master recordings but were rebuffed by UMG. The legal back and forth between the group and the label sparked UMG to remove its musical catalog from DSPs.
“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,” a portion of the lawsuit read.
Salt-N-Pepa made their debut in 1986 with their album Hot, Cool & Vicious, produced by Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor. The group is also hoping to obtain the rights back to tracks like “Push It,” a song that has been used in movies and commercials several times since its release.
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Photo: Getty
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Source: Super7 / Super7
Regardless of what many people may feel, action figures are still very much popular collectables amongst grown-ass adults. With that in mind, toy manufacturer Super7 is releasing a line of figures featuring one of your favorite Hip-Hop artists from yesteryear.
Source: Super7 / Super7
According to Variety, Super7 is set to add to their already illustrious line of Hip-Hop figures and will now honor the likes of Salt-N-Pepa for their latest Hip-Hop drop. The news comes after the brand had already seen success with the release of previous Hip-Hop figures, which featured the likes of The Notorious B.I.G, OutKast, The RZA, Ghostface Killah and DMX amongst a few others.
Now that Salt-N-Pepa are getting their own figures, don’t be surprised if these collectables pop up in the home of your your middle-aged sugar mama (just sayin’).
Variety reports:
On May 29, San Francisco-based pop culture collectible manufacturer Super7 will release a two-pack of plastic figures molded after Salt-N-Pepa’s looks from the music video for “Push It,” their breakthrough song. Released in 1987, “Push It” immediately eclipsed the A-side track “Tramp,” earning a Grammy nomination after selling almost 1.5 million copies worldwide. The eight-ball jackets the figures wear immediately conjure images of both the video and the cover for the group’s 1988 single “Shake Your Thang,” featuring the same outfits. (Unfortunately, Super7will not be recreating the jackets themselves — at least, not yet.)
As to how Super7 goes about choosing the artists they want to immortalize in miniature plastic form, it’s quite simple as far as the company’s spokesperson explained:
Describing their approach to selecting artists or characters for their product lines, a Super7 spokesperson explained, “We aim to celebrate artists who have significantly influenced the music industry, pop culture, and who have also influenced our own lives. We work in collaboration with the artist or their representatives to decide what era to celebrate, such as an album or music video. The conversation also includes what form factor and stylization would be appropriate for the artist.”
Check out the new Salt-N-Pepa figures, and let us know if you’ll be copping in the comments section below.
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