Salt-n-Pepa: A Salt With A Deadly Pepa : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

If there's such a thing as retro rap, this trio from Queens, New York, is leading the retreat. As rap gets more and more topical (and less danceable), Salt-n-Pepa throw matters back on the floor – their surprise hit single "Push It" was an uncompromising urban grind that opened the pores of the collective club populace and clawed its way into the pop Top Twenty.

There's nothing as galvanizing as "Push It" on S&P's second album, but Cheryl James, Sandy Denton and Dee Dee Roper remain fixed on kicking rap in the pants. Moving from club to club and from party to party, they celebrate their new fame with original raps and a handful of not-so-easy covers, including a pumped-up "Shake Your Thang," sung with the go-go band E.U., and a metalized "I Gotcha," complete with splattering, Bonhamesque drums. In the best rap tradition, Salt-n-Pepa balance humor, arrogance and practicality; in the chorus of "Solo Power," they seem on the verge of singing, "Let's get laid," but always come out instead with "Let's get paid."

Salt-n-Pepa – the first female rappers to cross over – neither ignore their sexuality nor exploit it. It's just one part of the big equal-opportunity mix, whose only rule is "Shake it or take it somewhere else." As Salt-n-Pepa sing, "See those chairs, please just ignore them/Believe me, there'll be no need for them."