--��.--------------------�-------------------------- --------�
pinderella
Pepa
By ltJREKA TURK
Michigan Cltlz n
Okay, you really can't
front, even if you're a brother
and you can't get with female
rappers because you're a
chauvinist - Salt-N-Pepa,
were dope back when they
came out in 1986.
They were part of the evo­
lution of females in rap be­
cause they brought a
feminine funkiness to the rap
industry at a time when male
rappers dominated the scene.
Wi th songs Ii ke "I'll Take
Your Man" and "Tramp",
Salt-N-Pepa validated their
stance in the rap industry
with their debut "Hot, Cool,
and Vicious". And they even
had a female DJ (although
current DJ Spinderella didn't
come on the scene U J l til a li t­
tIe later) unlike female rap­
pers like MC Lyte.
Salt-N-Pepa had range,
something they proved with
their release "Shake Yo'
Thang" a rap duet with G0-
Go band EU on their second
album '�Salt With A Deadly
Pepa".
And the album of all Salt­
N-Pepa albums, "Black's
Magic", the ladies' third re­
lease, truly screamed out tal­
ent and variety. Al though
sometimes consider a "male­
bashing", album, "Black's
Magic" contained th most
creative style, message, and
conten t Sal t � - Pepa h ad ever
displayed.
GROUP MEMB R alt
produced the album after the
ladies' producer Herby Luv
Bug was busy working with
other artis .
With Salt's intuitive mind,
songs like "Independent",
"Express Your elf', and "You
Showed Me" cam alive with
female power and had to h'ave
been the adopted album of
1990 by femal all ov r.
"When you get a ch ance to
voice a worn n s point of view
and be heard, you hav to
jump on it. ongs like 'lnd -
pend en t', 'Do You Really
Want Me' and 'Expre s Your­
self women (i I lik the t,"
says Pepa.
Part of th
hind the fern I group i the
fact th t they h v in the
past; managed to hold ru to
th ir own ound no m t r
wh t kind of xperim nts
they cho etod .Balt- - p
played up th ir femininity
becaus th y saw room for it
in th rap industry. nd it
paid ff. ' It- .p P I r the
only f m r rap h v
gone platinum.
"I don't know why there
aren't more female acts with
pl tinum album , cause I
he r a lot of strong, dope stuff
from other women. I think
the problem i that this is still
a very male dominated field.
And there is still some resis­
tance to women rappers and
letting them t theirs," says
Pepa.
"But artists like Ice Cube,
Chuck D, and KRS-ONE
have told us our stuff was
dope. That kind of support
means a lot to us," says Spin­
derella.
Support like that is very
important, but it is even more
important to realize that the
su pport is there for a reason,
talent. Which leads to the
perplexing issue of the
group's newest release, 'Very
Necessary" .
AFTER TlffiEE YEARS,
Salt-N-Pepa have released
an album they feel strongly
about and I'm trying hard to
figure out why. Since the
group firmly believes in their
own style and taking- control
of their careers, it's hard to
imagine why their new re­
lease sounds like a combina­
tion of all rappers out there
now, male and female. There
is barely a hint of the origi­
nality Salt- -Pepa possess.
En Vogue lent their voices
to "What A Man", a song
lightly reminiscent oftalent.
A tribute to men and th ir
"abilities", "What A Man"
verges on sexism.
"My man knocksme out
with on shot
For th r st of the night"
is tedious and repetitious.
Let's count how many ways
we can talk about ex, appr
ciat men, di s
again, and folk
Pepa raps:
'al � -P pa' n w release
BY KARIN DAVIES
Associllted Pres Writer
,
C 1'01 wick 'd
H n ix i
I )a nne -nu n,
urd
See HENDRIX 82
T
T de-