When it comes to groundbreaking achievements for a female hip-hop act, New York’s Salt-N-Pepa can’t be beat.
Formed in 1985 and consisting of Cheryl “Salt” James, Sandra “Pepa” Denton, and Deidra “DJ Spinderella” Roper, Salt-N-Pepa were the first female rap group to have a record go platinum (1986 debut Hot, Cool & Vicious) and multiplatinum (1993’s 7-million-selling Very Necessary, home to hits “Whatta Man” and “Shoop”), and the first to win a Grammy Award (Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1995 for their song “None of Your Business”).
Despite all of the industry respect they now command — add a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction for Musical Influence in 2025 to their many accolades — Denton tells Rolling Stone AU/NZ that in the ’80s and ’90s hip-hop scene, gaining the approval of their peers was next to impossible.
“We did feel like outsiders,” says Denton from her home in Las Vegas. “It was a male-dominated field, and it was such a from-the-street kind of music, and here you have us. But the thing was, we were having hits after hits, and every time we did, they would go, ‘No, they ain’t gonna last, they just getting lucky.’ Then we were touring and then headlining our own tours where all those same people who were talking about us had to open for us — but we were always nice.”
Although “pop” is no longer a dirty word, it was during the nascent hip-hop scene that Salt-N-Pepa emerged from. Their mainstream appeal didn’t sit well with many of their contemporaries.
“The climb was crazy because our music was so popular that we were crossing over — we were on the top of pop charts,” says Denton. “So they were calling us sellouts, but now everyone wants to be popular. And that’s all it meant — ‘pop’ means ‘popular’. But to some, [Salt-N-Pepa] wasn’t street. ‘They in the UK, they in Australia. They ain’t street!’ So at that point, we was like, ‘Huh?’ But we were also like ‘we’re gonna keep going.’ It was so funny to go through that time, and to be here today to still experience it with this timeless music [we made] is beautiful.”
Salt-N-Pepa’s run of hits began with the evergreen smash “Push It”, which cracked the US Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 and went platinum; in Australia it reached No. 3 on the ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart. It’s somewhat shocking to discover that “Push It” was originally a B-side to the song “Tramp” and was never intended to be a single. It’s also a song that was even too “pop” for Salt-N-Pepa, who were never particularly fond of it.
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“Yes, true on every level!” says Denton. “‘Push It’ came along and I said, ‘They really gonna get us now, the streets!’ We didn’t know at the time [it would be big]. We recorded it in Fresh Gordon’s [Gordon Pickett, a pioneering Brooklyn DJ, producer, and rapper] bathroom and he was like, ‘Yeah, trust me on this!’ That song has so much history to it. The song, the video, the jackets we wore in the video — it’s just taken over with a life of its own. We gonna be pushin’ it forever — we still gonna be pushin’ it when we 70, 80, I promise!”
“Push It” also almost landed Salt-N-Pepa in jail, thanks in part to US social activist Tipper Gore’s headline-grabbing crusade against explicit lyrics in the mid-80s.
“Back then everything was so censored,” says Denton. “Your album had to have a certain sticker on it [the ‘Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics’ label] so you could buy it. So it was very clear that there was to be no cursing or any type of profanity. Now, ‘Push It’ is a dance song. It says, ‘push it real good,’ you know.
“And so we’re on stage doing ‘Push It’ as our final number, and the police were waiting for us at the end of the stage. As soon as we got off, they were taking us away to arrest us, and we were like, ‘No, we didn’t curse. What are you talking about?’ They thought we were saying the P word [pussy] when we were saying ‘push it.’ We had to show them the song [to prove] that it actually says, ‘push it real good’, otherwise we would have went to jail. We would have been gangster then — like, ‘Yeah, we popular and gangster!’” [laughs]
Another of the group’s songs that courted controversy upon release — despite the fact it promoted safe sex — was 1991 hit “Let’s Talk About Sex”.
“When that song first came out, [the topic of sex] was taboo,” says Denton. “At the time, our producer Hurby [Azor], his intention was to draw attention with that song. We knew that the song was educational and that all you had to do was get through the lyrics to realise we were trying to teach people something! As it grew, people started catching on to that, and that’s why they were using the song in PSAs and sex education classes. So it’s amazing, it’s good.”
Considering Salt-N-Pepa’s groundbreaking rap songs about sex positivity and female empowerment, we ask Denton if she sees the group’s influence on the current crop of female rappers.
“It is a beautiful thing to see a lot of the women of today [who I think we’ve influenced] — the Megs [Megan Thee Stallion], the Doechiis, the Missys [Missy Elliott],” she says. “Plus, all of those who talk about Salt-N-Pepa or have used a Salt-N-Pepa song [several artists have sampled or interpolated Salt-N-Pepa tracks, including Elliott, Saweetie and Miley Cyrus]. It just keeps growing and being introduced to a new generation — it’s great to see that. My girl Missy has a ‘Push It’ mural of us in her studio.”
Although Salt-N-Pepa is deservedly showered with love from their peers in 2026, that love hasn’t always been present internally, with Denton and James attending therapy together at several points during their career to address lingering issues.
“I recommend therapy for groups, because it’s difficult for groups,” says Denton. “If you’re a solo act, you make all the decisions. The only people you have to be bumping heads with is managers and your lawyers, but you’re the boss. When you are in a group, sometimes you don’t take the time [to work things out]. Sitting down together is important because communication is the key to any successful relationship.
“I think it’s great to hear the other person out. I’ve already said it, but I needed rap therapy too because I was traumatised from a few things [laughs]. I think it’s healthy and something that should maybe be mandatory for groups — or at least suggested.”
With their relationship now stronger than ever, Denton and James united last year to sue their record label, Universal Music Group, alleging that UMG blocked their attempts to exercise the copyright termination rights that allow artists to reclaim copyright of their music after 35 years.
The case was ultimately dismissed earlier this year due to the group’s original contract being executed by producer Hurby Azor, thus categorising Salt-N-Pepa’s musical contributions as works made for hire. Regardless, UMG have said in a statement that it was “willing to find a resolution to the matter and turn the page so we can focus our efforts on working together to amplify Salt-N-Pepa’s legacy for generations to come.”
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“Honey, where you read that? Could you forward that?” laughs Denton when informed of the statement. “This is a story that I’ve heard about artists way before me, particularly a lot of R&B groups from my mom’s time. I’ve watched a lot of documentaries about [artists losing rights to their music], and I never thought I would be in that [category] with such a successful catalogue! It’s like, wow. We are fighting for our rights because we are the artists who did physically record those songs, you know what I mean?
“And there was a right put in place [for the music] to resort back [to the artist] after 35 years, so honour it. It’s just plain and simple. We could all play in the sandbox, but I think it should be fair. That’s all we’re fighting for — the fairness. It’s time. We worked hard. It’s a fight we were always willing to fight.”
Up next for Denton, though, is an online paranormal show she’s working on with the brilliant title Pepanormal (I have proof — I have pictures and video. See, God knew to give a black woman receipts!” she cackles), and an Australian and New Zealand tour later this year with Boyz II Men and Bell Biv DeVoe.
“We’re excited to be doing it all over again together,” she says. “I love Australia. I have great memories of Australia and the people. Beautiful. That is something we always carried with us. And just the wildlife, for me. I’m big with the zoo because I’m an outdoor person. But the energy of the shows there is always unbelievable. We always know it’s gonna be a great time.”
Salt-N-Pepa, Boyz II Men, and Bell Biv DeVoe perform in Perth November 26th, Geelong November 28th as part of A Day on the Green, Auckland December 1st, Sydney December 4th, the Hunter Valley December 5th (A Day on the Green), and Mount Cotton December 6th (A Day on the Green).
