The cultured genre of hip-hop, which includes R&B and rap, has a slew of pioneers. Artists from Sugarhill Gang to Run DMC dominated the airwaves. Hip-hop belonged to men. It was their territory. No one had ever even conceived such a notion of an all-girl rap group. That is, until Salt-N-Pepa came into place. Salt-N-Pepa are one of hip-hop's biggest influences for women whom are presently involved in the music industry. They were one of the many women whom lit the torch for women and have passed it down to artists such Nicki Minaj, Kelly Rowland, and many others. Salt-N-Pepa are inspirations for many women around the world.
Cheryl Wray and Sandy Denton, better known as dynamic rap duo, Salt-N-Pepa, from Brooklyn, New York, burst onto the all-male scene of hip hop in the 1980’s as Super Nature with “The Showstopper,” an answer track to Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick’s “The Show.” Since then, the two made remarkably incredible music together. They met at Queensborough College in New York. They were polar opposites. Cheryl (Salt) was the quiet reserved one who always had her nose in a book and Sandy (Pepa) was the loud, outgoing party girl. One day, according to Denton’s autobiography Let’s Talk About Pep, Cheryl floated around the cafeteria handing out applications for positions at her then job at Sears. Denton accepted one, filled it out, and got a job at Sears with James where she met Hurby Azor, Salt-N-Pepa’s future producer, songwriter, and manager. Since the first song, Salt-N-Pepa went on to sell many albums and win plenty of awards. They’ve inspired many women as well as most, if not all, female rap, R&B, and hip-hop artists such as Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj, and others.
As mentioned before, Salt-N-Pepa weren’t always Salt-N-Pe...
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...e been considered a force to be reckoned with by many critics and reviewers. There are many who want the two to at least record another album, if not get back together, but James, whom has dedicated her life to Christ, says she has moved on from that. Denton, besides doing three reality shows, has written a book, entitled Let’s Talk About Pep, with Karen Hunter. They both claim that they will always be friends and nothing will ever come in between their friendship.
Works Cited
Burns, Kate. Rap Music and Culture. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. 2008
Denton, Sandy "Pepa" with Karen Hunter. Let's Talk About Pep. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008.
Jones, Yolanda. "Salt-N-Pepa continue to blaze way for female rappers." The Commercial Appeal. 03 Mar. 2011. 05 Dec. 2013.
Mundy, Chris and Peggy Sirota. "Mamas got a brand new bag." Rolling Stone. 16 Oct. 1997. 05 Dec. 2013.
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"40 Years on from the Party Where Hip Hop Was Born." BBC Culture. N.p., 9 Aug. 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
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