On Saturday (Nov 8), Salt-N-Pepa were among the 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees.
The iconic trio, Cheryl “Salt” James, Sandra “Pepa” Denton, and DJ Deidra “Spinderella,” were given a warm tribute by Missy Elliot. “These three women are the bricklayers to the foundation that holds hip-hop together,” Grammy-winning singer Elliott told the audience before introducing their performance. “They gave us their shoulders to stand on.”
Elliot became the first female rapper to be nominated and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023.
Salt-N-Pepa’s performance featured En Vogue, alongside Herby Luv Bug and Kid ‘N Play. They performed a medley of their hits, kicking it off with the iconic lines of “My Mic Sounds Nice” into “Shoop.” They then transitioned into their 1991 smash “Let’s Talk About Sex” featuring male dancers humping the floor, capturing the boldness of the hit.
Afterwards, during their acceptance speech, James publicly addressed their ongoing legal battle with Universal Music Group (UMG) over ownership of their master recordings—a fight that began in May.
“This is for every woman who picked up a mic when they told her her she couldn’t,” said James while accepting the honor. While both Denton and Roper gave individual speeches thanking their friends, family, genre, and audience, James used her time at the podium to tell the crowd that the group is fighting for the rights to its master recordings. “As we celebrate this moment, fans can’t even stream our music. It’s been taken down from all streaming platforms because the industry still doesn’t want to play fair. Salt-N-Pepa have never been afraid of a fight. This is the Influence Award. We have to keep using our influence until the industry honors creativity the way the audience does — with love, respect, and fairness — and that includes streaming platforms too.”
In May, Salt-N-Pepa sued Universal Music Group, the owner of their masters, saying the label is in violation of the Copyright Act of 1976, which allows musicians to reclaim control of their music after 35 years. The rap group alleges UMG has refused to relinquish ownership.