Salt n' Pepa
| Salt-N-Pepa | |
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Salt-N-Pepa performing at the Canberra Theatre in Australia, 2013.
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| Also known as | Super Nature |
| Origin | New York City, New York, U.S. |
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| Website | saltnpepa |
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Salt-N-Pepa is an American hip-hop/rap trio from New York City, New York. The group, consisting of Cheryl James ("Salt"), Sandra Denton ("Pepa") and originally Latoya Hanson, who was replaced in 1986 by Deidra Roper ("DJ Spinderella"), was formed in 1985 and was one of the first all-female rap groups. They won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
The group entered the music industry at a time when hip-hop music was believed to be a fad and major record companies were reluctant to sign hip hop artists. Many early hip hop artists recorded for independent labels. Originally calling themselves Super Nature (on their first single), James and Denton debuted in 1985 with the single "The Showstopper", an answer record to Doug E. Fresh's hit single "The Show". "The Showstopper" was produced by Hurby Azor. The song utilized a melody from the 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds. The finished recording garnered some airplay on a New York City rap radio program. The independent Pop Art Records gave it an official release, and "The Showstopper" became a modest R&B hit. Salt-N-Pepa made their impact on hip-hop by being one of the first all-female rap groups. With lots of concerns about sexist lyrics and video clips that objectified women's bodies in hip hop music, many feminists disliked rap and hip-hop music because of its bad portrayal of women. However, Salt-N-Pepa changed the look of hip hop. They were scantily clad in sexy clothing and were not afraid to talk about sex and their thoughts about men. Their song "Let's Talk About Sex" was a huge hit.
With the success of Showstopper, the group's name was changed to Salt-N-Pepa (which they had called themselves in the first verse of the song) and they signed to the independent Next Plateau Records to record a full-length album. Roper then joined the group as the DJ, replacing DJ Latoya Hanson as Spinderella, and the group's first album Hot, Cool & Vicious was released afterwards in 1986. The album was produced by Hurby Azor, Salt's boyfriend at the time and also the group's manager. Years later, the women would have legal issues with Azor as they accused him of paying unfair royalties. Hot, Cool & Vicious provided some moderate R&B hits with the singles "My Mic Sound Nice", "Tramp", and "Chick On The Side". But when San Francisco DJ and producer Cameron Paul created a remix to "Push It", the B-side of the "Tramp" single, it gave the group their first major hit. "Push It" (US #19, UK #2) became a platinum single in the United States, and a hit in several other countries, and was added to subsequent pressings of Hot, Cool & Vicious. It was nominated for a Grammy Award, and the strength of that single catapulted the album to platinum sales in the US with one million sold, making Denton, James, and Roper the first female rap act (group or solo) to go gold or platinum. The album ultimately sold 1.4 million copies worldwide.
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