Milwaukee - When you speak of 'firsts" you can't help but mention this rap music duo sensation. They were the first all-female rap crew. They had the first rap song to be nominated for a Grammy. As one of the first rap groups to cross over into pop mainstream, they helped to lay the groundwork for the music's widespread acceptance in the early 1990's. They paved the way for the likes of TLC, En Vogue, and others. This June 11, They also will become the first rap group to perform as headliners at PrideFest.
Cheryl James and Sandy Denton, otherwise known as Salt-N-Pepa, not only were "firsts", they were pioneers who showed the industry that women were more than just window dressing or a gimmick. In the process, they sold over 15 million albums and singles worldwide, won a Grammy Award, and had six of their singles certified either platinum or gold.
Emerging in the late 1980s with "Show Stopper," ( with producer Hurby "Luvbug" Azor ) , Salt-N-Pepa established a standard with their string of hits, including "Push It," "Shake Your Thang," "Shoop," and "Whatta Man," as well as their socially responsible mega hit, "Let's Talk About Sex," which catapulted them to the forefront of the national discussion about safe sex and AIDS. It was re-writen as "Lets Talk about AIDS," for a PSA in 1992, and proceeds benefited the TJ Martell Foundation for AIDS Research and The National Minority AIDS Council.
Having just recently come off the Hip Hop Legends tour, Salt-N-Pepa will be debuting their full headline show at PrideFest.
"This is the first headlining Rap act in the history of PrideFest" said PrideFest Entertainment Director David Charpentier. "And what a way to do it than with the best selling female rap act of all time."
Their first album, "Hot, Cool & Vicious," had three hits, including "Push It," which sold more than a million copies and became the first rap song to be nominated for a Grammy. Deejay Spinderella ( Deidre "Dee Dee" Roper ) joined them for their second album, "A Salt with a Deadly Pepa" featuring "Shake Your Thang," with go-go band EU. "Blacks' Magic" was next, featuring "Expression," which was the first single ever produced by Cheryl. It spent eight weeks at the top of the rap charts and went gold.
Salt-N-Pepa's fourth album, "Very Necessary," was released in 1993 with such memorable hits as "Shoop," and "Whatta Man," in which they teamed with the ladies from En Vogue. But it was "None of Your Business," which captured the 1995 Grammy for Best Rap Performance, before thier split in 1997 to focus on personal issues.
In 2007, VH-1's "The Salt-N-Pepa Show" chronicled events in the lives of the ladies as they returned to the recording studio. On October 12, 2010, Salt-N-Pepa received the "I Am Hip Hop Award" at the Bet Hip Hop Awards, and by February of this year, they embarked on a national tour entitled Salt N Pepa's Legends of Hip Hop Tour.
Salt-n-Pepa will perform at PrideFest on Saturday, June 11 on the Miller Lite Mainstage. For more information, and tickets, please visit www.pridefest.com .