Salt-N-Pepa were the leading female emcees of their time and have significantly impacted hip-hop culture since their emergence in the 1980s. Comprised of Cheryl ‘Salt’ James and Sandra ‘Pepa’ Denton, the pair have ascended to legendary status.
Both James and Denton are still close today, and the hip-hop duo’s most recent appearance on last year’s New Kids on the Block single ‘Bring Back the Time’ was shockingly good to many.
In an interview with Us Weekly, the pair spoke about how they have managed to remain so close both musically and personally. Revealing that they spend a lot of time together, James admitted, “We’re with each other more than we are with our own families. So it’s important to give each other space. It’s like a marriage.”
Elaborating on the extent to which they spend time together, James continued, “Sometimes we sleep in the bed together, and sometimes Pep even sleeps on the couch.”
The duo were one of the first female acts to sell more than one million copies of their album Hot, Cool & Vicious. One of the pair’s most well-known songs is their 1987 single ‘Push It’, a platinum-certified single.
While speaking to Us Weekly, the pair were asked to name their career highlight, and upon reflection, Denton stated, “Winning the Grammy in 1995 [for Best Rap Performance for ‘None of Your Business’]. We boycotted the Grammy in 1989 because we’d been nominated, but hip-hop was never televised. We were really fighting for our music to be visual and seen.”
The pair are still known for their songs, such as 1987’s ‘Let’s Talk About Sex‘ in 1991 and the 1993 collaboration with En Vogue, ‘Whatta Man’. The duo were honoured with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.
