Speaker 1: That's okay because no one here is.
Speaker 2: Hi, everybody, and welcome back to teen Beat, a podcast
Speaker 2: in the diversified portfolio we call the Danielle Fischer Shows.
Speaker 2: Teen Beat is where I sit with interesting people who
Speaker 2: have done interesting things to investigate their past, like I'm
Speaker 2: some sort of talky private eye.
Speaker 3: Because I know that by remembering.
Speaker 2: Yesterday, we get ready for today. Put that on a
Speaker 2: greeting card. Baby. Sure, I spent my entire adolescence on
Speaker 2: TV for the world to see, but not everyone had
Speaker 2: a hair and makeup team before a learner's permit. I
Speaker 2: see it this way. I gave you my childhood. It's
Speaker 2: time we hear yours. The term legends is thrown around
Speaker 2: quite a bit in twenty twenty six, in my opinion.
Speaker 3: A bit too much.
Speaker 2: When it comes to handing out this title of culture immortality,
Speaker 2: I think people should be a little pickier. You need
Speaker 2: decades of relevancy, a past filled with revolutionary achievements, a
Speaker 2: history of opening doors for others who may not have
Speaker 2: had the chance without you, and a bunch of bops
Speaker 2: that will find their way onto workout playlists for the
Speaker 2: next one hundred years. So make no mistake about it.
Speaker 2: My guests this week are legends. They taught us to
Speaker 2: push it, to express ourselves, and to talk about sex.
Speaker 2: They were the first ever female rap act to go
Speaker 2: gold and platinum, and alongside Queen Latifah, were the first
Speaker 2: to win a barrier breaking Grammy on a night that
Speaker 2: changed the event forever. They have sold more than fifteen
Speaker 2: million records worldwide and just last year were inducted into
Speaker 2: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And now they
Speaker 2: are going out on the road to co headline the
Speaker 2: It's Iconic Tour alongside TLC with special guests En Vogue,
Speaker 2: be Still my Nineties, R and B Heart. It's my
Speaker 2: absolute honor to welcome to the podcast the first Ladies
Speaker 2: of Rap, Saltan Pepa Ladies. Hey, this is such an
Speaker 2: honor to be here with you. Thank you so much
Speaker 2: for sitting down with me. I'm I'm honestly starstruck, and
Speaker 2: I don't know starstruck very often, but I feel it now.
Speaker 2: I love that your legendary hip hop career, this game
Speaker 2: changing Hall of Fame rap group all started at US Sears. Yes,
Speaker 2: you both worked there as customer service reps. So first
Speaker 2: I must know what are the worst phone calls you
Speaker 2: got while they're.
Speaker 4: The hang ups, it will be the Ryl James calling
Speaker 4: from sears click because because you have to reach your Koda,
Speaker 4: so it's very important to keep them on. Very depressing
Speaker 4: is so it was so depressing. They had like charts
Speaker 4: like on display for everyone to see, and then graphs. Right,
Speaker 4: so if you made a lot of sales, your graph
Speaker 4: was up to here. And me and Pep's grass always like.
Speaker 5: We always didn't called it.
Speaker 4: We would call each other and then the supervisor walked
Speaker 4: by and then we're like, yes, that would be twenty
Speaker 4: eight dollars a month, just taking just talking about your weekend.
Speaker 5: Yeah, exactly, Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2: And so who broke the ice? Who started talking to
Speaker 2: the other one? First?
Speaker 6: You did?
Speaker 4: I started talking to her because I used to see
Speaker 4: her in the lunch room and I was in a
Speaker 4: bit of a loudmouth and I used to be loud, loud, loud,
Speaker 4: and I used to always see her, you know, a
Speaker 4: crossing the lunchroom corner. I was quit quiet, quiet, very quiet.
Speaker 5: She ain't involved but not doing right.
Speaker 4: She's that story. Yes, my friends always adopted me, and
Speaker 4: I came over one know, like this is a good
Speaker 4: old tea, like, you know, you see this in a movie.
Speaker 5: You know, we did a movie. But I came over
Speaker 5: like like, basic, what's your deal?
Speaker 4: She was all punk rock. Yeah, that was liked blonde
Speaker 4: hair and leopard depends in my ears. We were just
Speaker 4: a total opposite total That opposite attract thing is a
Speaker 4: real thing.
Speaker 2: When she came over and said like, what's the deal,
Speaker 2: what's your story?
Speaker 4: Did you you were like I was fascinated because people
Speaker 4: don't usually like across my my quiet barrier. And she's
Speaker 4: just like, who are you? Are you only about yourself
Speaker 4: talking to anybody?
Speaker 2: Well, you guys were coincidentally also both nursing school students
Speaker 2: at the same school, but you met at sears, not
Speaker 2: at school.
Speaker 4: Yeah, we were nursing students college, but we didn't need
Speaker 4: at college, yes, and just taking the courses, the courses
Speaker 4: together together. Liberal Arts was you know, when you don't
Speaker 4: know what you want to do.
Speaker 5: That was me.
Speaker 4: And we also didn't go to class. Well I didn't
Speaker 4: go to class.
Speaker 5: I'm Jamaican. I had to do.
Speaker 4: We used to play spades in the lunch roy at
Speaker 4: at Queensboro College. Yeah, we just started like the thing
Speaker 4: about our friendship is our sense of humor. Like you
Speaker 4: know when you have a friend that you just have
Speaker 4: this warped sense of humor with totally and you just
Speaker 4: lose your mind laughing and nobody else.
Speaker 5: Joe be there exactly, that would be us.
Speaker 2: It's nice to feel seen on a whole other l
Speaker 2: No one else would be laughing at this get exactly
Speaker 2: Well this sears also had play from Kidd and Play
Speaker 2: and Martin Lawrence is the greatest I've ever heard of.
Speaker 4: Yes, it was Kid and Play at serious Martin, Martin Lawrence,
Speaker 4: all of us and our producer Herbie Yeah, and everyone
Speaker 4: had a dream and we all talked about what we
Speaker 4: were going to do and we all did it.
Speaker 2: You all did it.
Speaker 4: We always said whoever makes it first, well, you know,
Speaker 4: help out the other one. So we got put on first,
Speaker 4: and our first shows we had Martin Lawrence open up
Speaker 4: opening for us and do his comedy. So we was
Speaker 4: bringing hip hop and comedy before it's time.
Speaker 2: You guys were trailblazers every capacity.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Wow, Well we know that it was Herbie love Bugs
Speaker 2: as Salt's boyfriend who had a school project that first
Speaker 2: got you to record the showstopper, your first ever song.
Speaker 3: Did either of you have to be convinced?
Speaker 2: Was it like, all right if we have to help
Speaker 2: you out for your first song?
Speaker 5: No?
Speaker 4: Yeah, no, I was failing miserably in school. I was like, oh,
Speaker 4: this is it for me, this is what I want
Speaker 4: to do, maybe a little different.
Speaker 5: I did not think I was going to do that
Speaker 5: at all, like at all, at all, at all.
Speaker 4: You could have told me I was gonna wrap like
Speaker 4: you knows.
Speaker 5: We knew it, we played with it, but not to
Speaker 5: make a record with it.
Speaker 4: So I wasn't thinking that, And so I had a
Speaker 4: more difficult time in the beginning with it, you know.
Speaker 4: And I love the hard work, like the what I
Speaker 4: went through, the hours in the studio, the grind like.
Speaker 5: This is and I was still going to college.
Speaker 4: Was like, you gotta quit because you know, girl, we
Speaker 4: made it.
Speaker 2: We gotta get on the row already. She's Jamaican, she's.
Speaker 5: You know, she didn't know that's right.
Speaker 4: Two tree jobs y.
Speaker 2: So this school project starts getting radio play from one
Speaker 2: of the greatest to ever do it, DJ Marley Morrow.
Speaker 2: Do you remember the first time you heard it on
Speaker 2: the air?
Speaker 6: Best moment ever?
Speaker 3: Tell me everything about it.
Speaker 6: I was driving in my dots in two ten.
Speaker 4: It has a hole in the right side passenger side,
Speaker 4: so shevel has it when it's raining and the puddle
Speaker 4: seat up up beat up ready today, but driving on
Speaker 4: you know, you're in Queens and then we've been waiting,
Speaker 4: like you know, rap music wasn't even played by an
Speaker 4: hour on Saturdays, and everyone's waiting, and then at one
Speaker 4: point we just kind of gave up, you know, like
Speaker 4: are they gonna play?
Speaker 5: I was just.
Speaker 4: Casually driving that day and then it came on the
Speaker 4: radio and I was driving. I threw that car and
Speaker 4: parked like so fast, and I screamed and.
Speaker 5: We was we was like, were on the radio, We're.
Speaker 4: On radio, jumping out the car.
Speaker 5: Was.
Speaker 2: Like, I don't care.
Speaker 5: I wanted to hear the song the car. We could
Speaker 5: actually the song.
Speaker 4: We're on the radio. Enjoy it. But that's that's like
Speaker 4: the highlight, I feel like of any artist's career for
Speaker 4: the most part at that time, right because it's it's
Speaker 4: something about the first time you know your voice is
Speaker 4: going out through the airwaves after you put in all
Speaker 4: that hard work and you hustled, and now somebody's actually
Speaker 4: playing your record on the radio. Unmatched rock and Roll
Speaker 4: Hall of Fame, that Star on the Walk Fame.
Speaker 5: I could go on to that moment. We already got
Speaker 5: show that's good.
Speaker 2: From there, buzz starts circulating. You drop out of nursing school,
Speaker 2: make the decision, you get a record deal, which uh
Speaker 2: it turns out you end up having your debut album
Speaker 2: Hot Cool and making you the first female rap group
Speaker 2: to receive both gold and platinum certification, led by the
Speaker 2: single Push It. What percentage of people do you think
Speaker 2: know that that song is about dancing.
Speaker 4: And me.
Speaker 5: At least that's what we thought.
Speaker 4: For real, people do not believe that. They're like, come on, girls,
Speaker 4: y'all knew what that song is about for interpretation, because
Speaker 4: some people thought it was saying real good. Yes, and
Speaker 4: we definitely was not.
Speaker 5: The producer we had, trust me, if he his intention was.
Speaker 4: For that, it would have been that he would have
Speaker 4: It would have been very clear. It was so organic
Speaker 4: how everything from the video to the song, how it
Speaker 4: picked up the moments, because that wasn't even the single
Speaker 4: that was being promoted. It was a B side to
Speaker 4: a song Tramp that we were actually which is say
Speaker 4: a side so you know, DJ flipped it, so everything
Speaker 4: it's just yeah, a DJ in San Francisco.
Speaker 6: I hate that.
Speaker 4: I don't remember his name. He passed away. We got
Speaker 4: to google his name, but he just started playing the
Speaker 4: record and it just took off, like no Paola, you know,
Speaker 4: no setup, no planning, Like everybody just responded to that song.
Speaker 4: And we were on tour actually, and Herbie called us
Speaker 4: and he was like, do push it in your next
Speaker 4: said yeah, put it, like what and we performed it
Speaker 4: and got the radio that is the raised performance was
Speaker 4: the video that funny.
Speaker 2: It's like radio back then was really the algorithm of
Speaker 2: its time.
Speaker 3: It's like this way was just saying, yeah, you can't predict.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you can get talented people all in a room
Speaker 2: listening the same album and the one that's going to
Speaker 2: hit with the audience.
Speaker 3: Sometimes you just can't put your finger.
Speaker 4: On and as an artist, artists usually don't know right,
Speaker 4: Like we'll have a favorite song even though she is
Speaker 4: our favorite song and it was a hit, but they
Speaker 4: an artist will pick something obscure and then the audience
Speaker 4: is like, it's so close to you, close to you exactly.
Speaker 4: My son loves you. By the way, I.
Speaker 5: Just wanted to say that we look weird too. Yeah,
Speaker 5: like the biggest car. I was just telling moment.
Speaker 4: Like, I can't wait to tell him.
Speaker 5: I needed to get that out.
Speaker 4: You got your momentum to take.
Speaker 2: A picture together. So what do your families think about
Speaker 2: this now becoming your job? Did they think you were
Speaker 2: just going to end up back at nursing school or
Speaker 2: did they believe in it?
Speaker 4: Yeah, my family had a little hot time in the beginning,
Speaker 4: and I was like, no, this is it.
Speaker 5: This is good.
Speaker 4: I think this is gonna go. This is gonna go,
Speaker 4: you know, and was like, okay, I'll support you and
Speaker 4: I'm grown still, but we always have to still get
Speaker 4: permissions with each other in this like family.
Speaker 6: Again.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I just got I had got my first tattoo.
Speaker 2: I had to clear it with my mom.
Speaker 4: Wow at what age?
Speaker 2: No, Yeah, I just I just was like, you can
Speaker 2: be okay. She was like, I don't really like tattoos,
Speaker 2: but I'm okay with that.
Speaker 4: That's me and my daughter. But I was I'm the rebel.
Speaker 4: Tell me what to do? You listen to your used
Speaker 4: to listen to her older sisters. I feel like you listen.
Speaker 2: To your sisters.
Speaker 4: Your mother. So my parents were like her do her
Speaker 4: thing because you know, she's gonna do it anyway. We
Speaker 4: don't know what she's doing and we don't understand it.
Speaker 2: But okay, okay. Were you guys raised in musical homes?
Speaker 2: What did you listen to growing up?
Speaker 4: A lot of mold town Jim Green, A lot of
Speaker 4: reggae music, but a lot of that old soul music,
Speaker 4: all the soul music. Yeah, And my dad used to
Speaker 4: be a do whopper. He was like one of those,
Speaker 4: Like he had a group that used to be on
Speaker 4: the corner, so he always played a lot of jazz.
Speaker 4: And you know, Saturday morning cleaning, did you do that
Speaker 4: and you.
Speaker 2: Turn on the music everybody together.
Speaker 4: Yes, So we had music playing on the high fi
Speaker 4: before it was Wi Fi every Saturday, and you know,
Speaker 4: you're not you're absorbing that energy and you don't know that.
Speaker 6: It's like.
Speaker 4: The y is coming back, making the comeback. People like, yeah, funny.
Speaker 3: That like we attacked the music is.
Speaker 2: It brings so much joy into our lives, specifically from
Speaker 2: those moments where you're actually doing it to distract from
Speaker 2: mature you don't want to do. Those always end up
Speaker 2: being our favorite memories as time as a family. It's like,
Speaker 2: you know, similar to the way You don't get to
Speaker 2: pick the algorithm what's going to work. You don't get
Speaker 2: to pick the core memories. They're all they're not the
Speaker 2: things you think. They're not the big, over the top extravaganzas.
Speaker 2: There's the moments of listening to music. Cleaning on a Saturday.
Speaker 4: Yeah, those are bonding. I wish I would have raised
Speaker 4: my kids to clean on Saturdays. Good lord, Yeah, we
Speaker 4: do Sunday cleaning.
Speaker 6: You do.
Speaker 4: That's such a great.
Speaker 2: Mom Saturdays are we're you know, we're in at sports,
Speaker 2: so we got Saturday.
Speaker 3: Games and Saturday this, and on Sunday it's.
Speaker 2: Like we're going to hang out at the house. We're
Speaker 2: going to get this place off spiffy for our week.
Speaker 4: Such a good thing to teach your kids. We had.
Speaker 4: We traveled a lot, so we had nannies and housekeepers
Speaker 4: and they never learned anything.
Speaker 5: Just feel like she throws her jacket on the and then.
Speaker 4: Like that a real because it's somebody picking up and
Speaker 4: when you pay attention, Wow, I could see where that's
Speaker 4: a problem for the kid because you're on the road.
Speaker 4: So anyway, that's a whole.
Speaker 5: Other podcast, Full Kids, No, No, your.
Speaker 2: Whole class of mid eighties rappers is full of legends.
Speaker 2: Ll Cool, JKRS One Fresh, Prince Cool Mod obviously a
Speaker 2: boys club.
Speaker 3: But were you making friends and hanging out with other
Speaker 3: rappers at the time.
Speaker 4: I was, yeah, because when I got a you know,
Speaker 4: I was ended up going with.
Speaker 5: Marquis d from the Fat Boys.
Speaker 4: So he was my industry and I was new in
Speaker 4: the in the in the industry then, and so I'm
Speaker 4: looking up to him.
Speaker 5: He's already done a movie.
Speaker 4: Then, and and he's you know, with run DMC, and you're.
Speaker 5: You're on their tour. So I'm hanging with old DEENI
Speaker 5: he taking.
Speaker 2: So I'm like, oh, shoot, that's.
Speaker 6: Like that.
Speaker 5: So I got to hang for me then.
Speaker 4: That was like wow those times the run DMC, l
Speaker 4: L and Yeah. Yeah, we also had like a family
Speaker 4: within our own camp, Like we came up with Heavy
Speaker 4: D and the Boys and Kid in play Right, and
Speaker 4: those were like our boys, our cily. We were a
Speaker 4: little bit insulated, bus sharing tour buses. Yeah, it's fun.
Speaker 2: I want to jump into your third album, Black's Magic,
Speaker 2: which includes Let's talk about Sex. Nowadays, it would be
Speaker 2: hard pressed to find a female rapper who doesn't talk
Speaker 2: about sex, But back then, this was unheard of. Did
Speaker 2: anyone push back at the fearlessness of it?
Speaker 5: Oh yeah, oh yeah, that's what it was supposed to do.
Speaker 4: Yeah. Note, He'm gonna play this on the radio. That's
Speaker 4: a little conversation we had in the beginning of the song,
Speaker 4: knowing that it would be some conish, but the song
Speaker 4: is about being responsible, being aware, having the conversation. But
Speaker 4: most people don't listen to lyrics sadly, and so we've
Speaker 4: had parents come up to us and say, oh, we
Speaker 4: thought you were great role models and da da da da,
Speaker 4: and we're like, did you listen to this?
Speaker 5: You know?
Speaker 4: So it actually took on a life of its own.
Speaker 4: Also eventually became like the anthem for sexual awareness classes
Speaker 4: in college. We turned Let's Talk about Sext's assay called
Speaker 4: Let's Talk about AIDS. Peter Jennings played it on his
Speaker 4: special and so Salt and Pepper kind of like at
Speaker 4: a time when it wasn't popular to be an advocate
Speaker 4: for HIV and AIDS awareness, we were outside talking about
Speaker 4: it because we were actually like, man, it's serious.
Speaker 5: Yeah, separation in the industry, and I want to know
Speaker 5: about the dudes under don't.
Speaker 4: I used to talk to my little sister. I'll be like, girl,
Speaker 4: don't be out here messing around. You gotta make sure
Speaker 4: he wrapped that thing up. So yeah, we kind of
Speaker 4: led the charge in that, and then a lot of
Speaker 4: organizations like Life Beat it was a gay men's health crisis,
Speaker 4: like we just became their baby, you know, and they
Speaker 4: just adopted us to do all the stuff.
Speaker 3: Well, yeah, because they have so much fear mongering at
Speaker 3: the time.
Speaker 2: It's not a lot of direct education. Yes, and so
Speaker 2: to be able to put direct education in a song
Speaker 2: that people can just mauve along to and know the words,
Speaker 2: it's like you're so ahead of your time in so
Speaker 2: many different ways. Well, then the next album, nineteen ninety
Speaker 2: three's Very Necessary just has hit after hit after hit
Speaker 2: after hit. It has sold more than seven million copies worldwide.
Speaker 2: You want a Grammy sharing the honor of first female
Speaker 2: rap act to win the award with Queen Latifah. Did
Speaker 2: it feel special when you were recording it.
Speaker 4: I have to say it felt amazing because of the
Speaker 4: timing of that album. Uh, we were just waking up,
Speaker 4: like in terms of like trying to figure out our
Speaker 4: rights and things like that.
Speaker 5: We should be getting more.
Speaker 4: We're doing so much we're selling with this and that
Speaker 4: and just out of you know, it's like I said, Timm,
Speaker 4: it was mc hammer's brother because at the time they
Speaker 4: said this is how much you get. Only Michael Jackson
Speaker 4: could get this kind of points. Like we're like, oh,
Speaker 4: okay and.
Speaker 5: Michael Jackson, so we don't talk about that's it sure,
Speaker 5: And I never forget mc hammer brother. Louis Barrell.
Speaker 4: We're discussing and I was telling them the points we
Speaker 4: get and what we're selling. He was like, you this, this, this, this,
Speaker 4: go back and tell him you you need this and
Speaker 4: I said, no, they're going to say this. He said,
Speaker 4: you tell them you need this and don't take no
Speaker 4: finansa And I was like okay, and talk to Saul
Speaker 4: and we went in like this this, you know, this
Speaker 4: is what we're gonna yes if they're not fair and
Speaker 4: we're standing our crowd, right, and then I have to
Speaker 4: the song came up with a shoot right, I had
Speaker 4: just me so I'm like the dog Dog Dog. We
Speaker 4: cannot put pepper song first on an album, like you know,
Speaker 4: the labels was calling Herbie like what's this? You know, like, no,
Speaker 4: we can't do that, but you know it ended up
Speaker 4: being undeniable. But people were like, Yo, this is a song,
Speaker 4: this is a single, let's go. It's no song I wrote,
Speaker 4: and we was like, let's go.
Speaker 5: I produced it, and we was like.
Speaker 4: We did it all the above. We changed our deal
Speaker 4: at that moment, got a better deal. That song for us,
Speaker 4: our first single, not Herbie Salt and Pepper, and we
Speaker 4: broke the album.
Speaker 5: It takes you know, makes.
Speaker 4: The temperature that you know, it sets the temperature for
Speaker 4: the a the focus track.
Speaker 5: Right, and it was just like wow that time.
Speaker 4: And so that's why. Yeah, it's such a fun song
Speaker 4: to perform too, and that album is iconic for sure.
Speaker 1: Yes.
Speaker 2: Also, I think all white people are legally obligated to
Speaker 2: know every word to it, and you'll do it any
Speaker 2: chance we get. It's another it's a reimagining of the
Speaker 2: hip hop trope since it celebrates women flipping some of
Speaker 2: those sexist traditions and subverting the male gaze. Are you
Speaker 2: shocked at all by the longevity of it? A whole
Speaker 2: new generation has fallen in love with now thanks to Deadpool.
Speaker 2: I mean, you've got kids right now hearing it and
Speaker 2: knowing all the words, Like, is that surprising to you
Speaker 2: at all or does it just feel like it all
Speaker 2: makes sense because of that timing since the way it
Speaker 2: fell from the beginning, I.
Speaker 4: Just think these things happen to us without any big
Speaker 4: machine behind us. I mean, because we go through it
Speaker 4: like we get you know, pushback a lot, and.
Speaker 5: We just kept will show up like okay, we're doing it.
Speaker 4: We keep going and pushing it, pushing it, and so
Speaker 4: when it happens for us, it's like thank you. Yeah
Speaker 4: right right, yeah, it's such a nice sense to me.
Speaker 4: From the beginning, it kind of just took off. It's
Speaker 4: like I don't know, it was just beyond music. It
Speaker 4: was it was something I feel, like the friendship, you know,
Speaker 4: the connection, like we have this like crazy connection, the chemistry,
Speaker 4: you know, like everything just lined up pretty much and
Speaker 4: it never stopped, like never stopped, you know what I
Speaker 4: mean even now, like to your point, all these years later,
Speaker 4: like they call us for like the biggest things without
Speaker 4: any any like you said, big machine is just so organic,
Speaker 4: you know, so I kind of expected it. What I
Speaker 4: am surprised though about, is that the timing in my
Speaker 4: mind at a certain age, you know, likes you did
Speaker 4: your thing, Okay, now, sit down, you know, the calls
Speaker 4: we get is constant. It's crazy. No rest for you.
Speaker 3: Yeah you thinking maybe next year I'll get to take
Speaker 3: a nap.
Speaker 4: No, no, no, not the rock and roll.
Speaker 5: She's gonna be in the house on the Mountains College.
Speaker 5: Now they're really going to start calling on her. The
Speaker 5: ship out, don't get off that island, bring her back.
Speaker 5: She thinks she is taking a raft. I don't think so.
Speaker 2: Who is the craziest person you've ever met? Who knows
Speaker 2: every word to shoot? Craziest person we've ever another? Another
Speaker 2: famous person?
Speaker 5: Ellen?
Speaker 4: Oh, Ellen, she's crazy.
Speaker 5: She losing a license in check from the Ellen Show.
Speaker 5: Like to sing it?
Speaker 4: She did?
Speaker 5: Like shoot? She always have to wrap it with her Yes,
Speaker 5: that's her. That was her song.
Speaker 2: Well that song would have been enough, But then the
Speaker 2: second single is what a Man? Another immortal track. How
Speaker 2: did you connect with en Vogue for that one?
Speaker 4: Okay, so, okay, you know Herbie, you know we all
Speaker 4: came up with this song. Herbie produced us. But this
Speaker 4: was the part of I never forget. We were in
Speaker 4: the studio. I think it was al Machira. This is
Speaker 4: we were like in the studio something Herbie studio. But anyway,
Speaker 4: the fact that we were trying to see who could
Speaker 4: sing this hole, who could sing this hook? And then
Speaker 4: I just sat there and thought of in Vogue, right,
Speaker 4: so I said, let's get let's try in Vogue. Then
Speaker 4: we always like wet, you know we Invoge. I was like,
Speaker 4: let's just try, let's see we would sing it. And
Speaker 4: they end up saying yes to shoot for the stars
Speaker 4: shoot and we.
Speaker 6: Was like they said yes and it was.
Speaker 4: It was funny, perfect, just as famous as them. That's
Speaker 4: what artists are like that, They're like, you think they'll
Speaker 4: do it right?
Speaker 2: I get that all. I'll have a little bit of
Speaker 2: imposter syndrome.
Speaker 4: Yes, yes, they were honored. They were honored. Yeah, that
Speaker 4: is so.
Speaker 5: The video was a When we had to put that
Speaker 5: video together.
Speaker 2: Uh huh, that was fine.
Speaker 4: Yes, Kiss Girl power to the fullest. Yes.
Speaker 2: Well, I have two specific questions about the song. First,
Speaker 2: I found two different writers with two varying opinions, and
Speaker 2: I want you to give the final word on it.
Speaker 2: The lyric is, although most men are hose, he flows
Speaker 2: on the down low because I never heard about him
Speaker 2: with another girl. Does that mean he is faithful or
Speaker 2: does it mean that he's just really good at keeping
Speaker 2: it quiet and you appreciate.
Speaker 4: So when you pick that out, I've picked that lyric
Speaker 4: out and I was like, someone's going he.
Speaker 2: Keep his ho in under wraps, all right, there it is.
Speaker 4: I appreciate that at least at least he does it
Speaker 4: in secret, which is pathetic to say. But you don't
Speaker 4: want to know the disrespect he said that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, oh yeah, I mean that's yeah.
Speaker 4: If you're gonna go to McDonald's but not being my McDonald's,
Speaker 4: and I'm telling you better go two hours over, I.
Speaker 3: Couldn't agree with you more.
Speaker 2: Also, anytime somebody there's a cheating scandal in the news
Speaker 2: and we think, okay, you know what, don't judge people
Speaker 2: who decide to stay so much of it is. How
Speaker 2: blatant was it? How comfortable are you?
Speaker 4: Respectful? Was she in my bed?
Speaker 5: Yeah?
Speaker 3: How comfortable were you disrespecting me?
Speaker 2: For alluse?
Speaker 4: I know one thing, I've had my camera ready.
Speaker 5: How they we got cameras, don't you know?
Speaker 4: Yeah? I forget that.
Speaker 2: Good luck trying to get I mean, now people just
Speaker 2: take people to concerts.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and then yeah, crazy.
Speaker 5: That's crazy.
Speaker 4: Cheaters a rap for cheaters. Either tell the truth or
Speaker 4: don't cheat, you know, what I mean, because you're going
Speaker 4: to get caught you Yeah, exactly, someone who says.
Speaker 3: I don't want to rubbing it in my face.
Speaker 4: But as long as and give him the opportunity, it
Speaker 4: goes both ways. Yes, if you want, if you'd want that,
Speaker 4: might not even want to do that, sure, I mean I.
Speaker 2: Definitely wouldn't want to, but I would also not want
Speaker 2: him to know that I wouldn't want to because I want,
Speaker 2: I want.
Speaker 6: We have to play the game.
Speaker 2: So many games.
Speaker 4: It's so many, just.
Speaker 6: So many games.
Speaker 3: Okay, My second question.
Speaker 2: The music video featured Tupac, and I just want to
Speaker 2: hear what that day was like and what you remember from.
Speaker 3: Were you friends with himyway? It's not like he was
Speaker 3: a big cameo guy.
Speaker 4: Yeah. Actually, Pep and Trench were together a tretch of
Speaker 4: blody by nature, and Trench was friends with Tupac, so
Speaker 4: he was in close proximity with us, kind of had
Speaker 4: some conversations with him. I knew not to mess with Tupac,
Speaker 4: you know what I mean, and he was very respectful.
Speaker 4: But when they said who's your leading man going to be?
Speaker 4: I was like, I get to roll around in the
Speaker 4: bed with Tupac.
Speaker 1: Girls, just like a man.
Speaker 5: When they picked those scenes. Sitting there, we get I
Speaker 5: had a boy. I was with somebody signing.
Speaker 4: To for you, right, So I did that scene with him,
Speaker 4: and my toes were literally curling.
Speaker 5: It was so it's beautiful.
Speaker 4: I was like, because everybody was enamored with.
Speaker 5: Him, that was a given from him with the gun.
Speaker 4: Yeah, but my, my, the father of my child was
Speaker 4: actually in the room and I had to kick him out.
Speaker 4: I was like, I can't kuts with.
Speaker 5: You standing here. I have to make a good video.
Speaker 5: No to be like I'm enjoying. Yeah, that was. That was.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that was a good moment.
Speaker 2: Do you want to tell us about the gift or no?
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, oh no.
Speaker 5: I would to say how he gave us a gift one.
Speaker 4: Time, but we wanted to gram.
Speaker 5: Yeah it was. It was made like a machine gun.
Speaker 4: It was a case.
Speaker 5: It was a case.
Speaker 4: It was made like a block a block block, a
Speaker 4: cake in the shape of the gun, painted black and everything.
Speaker 2: So we was going.
Speaker 5: Like, is he congratulating?
Speaker 7: Like that was?
Speaker 5: It was so cute, so fun We would that question
Speaker 5: seriously staring at this gun, like what the heck.
Speaker 4: Thank you?
Speaker 5: I'm s.
Speaker 4: It was funny.
Speaker 2: What was the connection for you know, we still don't know, Okay.
Speaker 5: Doug life.
Speaker 2: Okay, I would be remiss if I did not talk
Speaker 2: a little salt and Pepa fashion because the iconic eight
Speaker 2: ball other jacket. People may not know who designed those,
Speaker 2: but they were designed by play who was your stylist
Speaker 2: before his career took off. In another sense, well, he
Speaker 2: was very and so he gave suggestions and had ideas
Speaker 2: and he.
Speaker 4: And he designed those jackets. He was an artist. He
Speaker 4: still is an artist. He just remade them for us
Speaker 4: for a rock and roll Hall of Fame. They like
Speaker 4: reimagine Yeah, and Dapper Dan, who was huge at that time,
Speaker 4: still is constructed the jackets. We got our boots from
Speaker 4: Fava remember Payless like those I love.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's where Bogo That's why started cheap boots.
Speaker 4: And then we had got the Kente hats from this
Speaker 4: lady named Mary Bird. She had a little hat shop
Speaker 4: next to the Apollo and Harlem and we just like
Speaker 4: back in the day, we didn't have stylists in hand,
Speaker 4: makeup and all that. We were just making it up
Speaker 4: as we went along, and that became like the most
Speaker 4: iconic book shopping for the dancers all the things so
Speaker 4: and it was more fun back then. It was like
Speaker 4: some more organic I know, get in your looks and
Speaker 4: then those looks go on. Yeah history, yeah forever, just
Speaker 4: kids making up stuff. The ripped up gen She's always
Speaker 4: claiming the ripped up gans us money money everyone.
Speaker 5: You never see the.
Speaker 4: Own patches on our show, wearing our merch on stage
Speaker 4: doing look at those gens you pay.
Speaker 5: We end up paying three five hundred one thousand dollars.
Speaker 4: After day, and we did them ourselves.
Speaker 2: My grandfather still now, I will give him credit for
Speaker 2: starting the joke all grandparents. And you are you having
Speaker 2: a tough time? Do you need me to buy you a.
Speaker 5: Pair of.
Speaker 2: Parents cover your h I love that you're wearing your
Speaker 2: merch on stage. It takes the like wearing the concert
Speaker 2: to the concert just one step further.
Speaker 5: Yes, it was like my.
Speaker 2: I mean, you really are the best for it. Okay,
Speaker 2: I want to show you a couple other photos too.
Speaker 2: Let's go to the next next photo.
Speaker 5: Look at this.
Speaker 4: Is the photographer that was beautiful.
Speaker 2: Bras like colors.
Speaker 4: I was so extra like I look like my son
Speaker 4: in that picture. Is this the thing?
Speaker 3: This got you?
Speaker 5: Guys?
Speaker 2: A Victoria's secret.
Speaker 6: Deal, we will wear our own bras.
Speaker 4: Yeah, so we were just doing our own bra and
Speaker 4: then Victoria's Secrets approached us, and then and we started
Speaker 4: wearing we were wearing all that bras stage like, Yeah,
Speaker 4: we were wearing those bra with the little campaign with them.
Speaker 2: Literally, you guys were the original Angels.
Speaker 3: Go to the next picture.
Speaker 2: These are just a few of my favorites. Favorite shape.
Speaker 5: Look at the y.
Speaker 4: That was Derek Khan. That's when we first started getting
Speaker 4: a stylist. That probably was Yeah, maybe they like clueless.
Speaker 2: You know, it's just beautiful. Got to bring that back,
Speaker 2: all right, let's go the next one. Last one, Yes,
Speaker 2: I love that one.
Speaker 6: I remember was Derek Khan. Yeah, that was Derek Khan.
Speaker 8: You can tell when we started getting styles. Beautiful little
Speaker 8: metallic mini dresses. I love that little she Those are
Speaker 8: my favorit types of umbrellas to the sheer, see the range.
Speaker 5: I like that.
Speaker 2: That is cute. I wonder though, was that sweaty? What
Speaker 2: happened when you got hot in a little pleathar shear?
Speaker 5: I was already cool enough.
Speaker 2: Thank you. This past you were inducted into the Rock
Speaker 2: and Roll Hall of Fame. Truly incredible and well deserved
Speaker 2: recognition after your forty year career in music. Uh, I
Speaker 2: know you took time on stage to also shed some
Speaker 2: light on the frustration and roadblocks you have run into
Speaker 2: while trying to retain your master recordings. I feel like
Speaker 2: so many fans have followed this story hoping for the
Speaker 2: right thing to happen and for you to get back
Speaker 2: your music. Has there been any progress with it?
Speaker 4: So it's like so depressing that you even talk about,
Speaker 4: let's just say this, we're still fighting, still fighting. I'm
Speaker 4: just gonna wrap that right on up into we are
Speaker 4: still fighting and we're going to fight as long as
Speaker 4: we can. Yes, it's been long, it's been hard, it's
Speaker 4: been expensive, but the greed in this industry is so
Speaker 4: ridiculously shameful. After you've exploited someone's music for forty years,
Speaker 4: to fight them for what's rightfully there is to continue
Speaker 4: to get I can't even say the Lion's share more
Speaker 4: than the Lion's share. To the point that the music
Speaker 4: has been taken down on all platforms, I'm like they
Speaker 4: want to it's like beyond just greed at this point now, Despike,
Speaker 4: So now the fans can't even access our music, and
Speaker 4: for you to make a statement of whatever kind is ridiculous.
Speaker 4: So and I think still like we're hoping for you know,
Speaker 4: the best of course, but at least it raised awareness
Speaker 4: for any other artists to pay attention to their deal
Speaker 4: and understanding the thirty five year rule and see if
Speaker 4: it applies to you.
Speaker 5: Yeah, and start getting that, you.
Speaker 4: Know, because you never know, you know, you start out
Speaker 4: your career, you don't know that you think you're going
Speaker 4: to be successful, but you don't know that your music
Speaker 4: is going to be worth millions millions over the years.
Speaker 4: We are some of the most licensed music, and not
Speaker 4: just hip hoping music period. Like you know, you can
Speaker 4: barely watch TV and I hear what a man you know?
Speaker 4: Or push it or shoot like let's talk about sex
Speaker 4: like we spoke of. So that last over a period
Speaker 4: of time, and it is worth fighting for it in
Speaker 4: the beginning.
Speaker 2: In the beginning, right said, get off on the right foot. Yeah, well,
Speaker 2: I am rooting for you guys, and thank you for
Speaker 2: spreading that awareness. When you look back on your careers,
Speaker 2: is there one performance that sticks out as the most
Speaker 2: quintessential Salt and Peppa.
Speaker 4: When we performed for the Grammys, I think I would think, yeah,
Speaker 4: that's because we yeah, we we rehearsal, and you know,
Speaker 4: they should would go to hair like they distinctly said,
Speaker 4: we had a good rehearsal, Yeah we got it, and
Speaker 4: then yeah, yeah, because that's when we won. We performed,
Speaker 4: We won, and then we ran to the wrong podium
Speaker 4: like three blind mice and they were like, ran because
Speaker 4: we have boycotted the Grammys because there was a time
Speaker 4: when it was being nominated but not televised. So Will
Speaker 4: Smith actually pulled public Enemy Salt and Pepper kidn't play
Speaker 4: quite a few people and we we refused to go,
Speaker 4: and we had a whole press conference. And then years
Speaker 4: later and they started televising the category. So it was
Speaker 4: also that you know, so that really meant a lot.
Speaker 5: To us, ye cause we took the chance. You know,
Speaker 5: they'd be like, well, it's true, you ain't gonna never.
Speaker 4: Get another, right, but they still, you know, that was
Speaker 4: important and they thought about it. So it was a
Speaker 4: good move because it was televised. I saw said so yeah,
Speaker 4: And Woodstock was another yeah, just to be yeah, another
Speaker 4: Woodstock was insane because that was the main member of everything.
Speaker 4: It was Woodstock that was and they and our set
Speaker 4: was long. It was like we were on the main stage.
Speaker 2: That's of course, yes, everyone that main stage.
Speaker 4: And it was a long show. Wasn't like just two
Speaker 4: or three songs, So what was special performance?
Speaker 2: Well, speaking of performing, you are going out on the
Speaker 2: road for the It's Iconic Tour alongside TLC and en
Speaker 2: Vogue starting August fifteenth.
Speaker 3: What a lineup? What can fans.
Speaker 2: Expect when these three legendary groups team up. I see
Speaker 2: this as like, this is my nineties hip hop and
Speaker 2: R and b Avengers.
Speaker 4: Yes, wow, yeah, I love that.
Speaker 5: That's because we're gonna use that.
Speaker 3: This is the nineties hip hop and R and b Avengers.
Speaker 4: Yes, that's how we feel. Like when it came together,
Speaker 4: we were like, why didn't we think of this years ago?
Speaker 6: Everything?
Speaker 4: And it's time. Of course it's the perfect time, but
Speaker 4: the lineup is like, we didn't think of it, and
Speaker 4: we haven't done any shows with TLC.
Speaker 5: Yeah, so that's why.
Speaker 4: Like, wow, you know, it's going to be nostalgic. Like
Speaker 4: I always say, you know, back in the day, it
Speaker 4: felt like we were performing for you guys, but now
Speaker 4: we've all grown up together, so it's more of like
Speaker 4: a US thing. Like, we're all just going to go
Speaker 4: back to the time when we first heard waterfalls, shoot,
Speaker 4: when we first heard hold on, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4: And so we're also doing an integrated show, which is
Speaker 4: gonna be crazy fun. So yeah, we're looking forward to
Speaker 4: it and it's been selling out. There was some controversy
Speaker 4: attached to it for a minute, you know, yeah, and
Speaker 4: the people are just like we showing up, you know,
Speaker 4: when showing up, we're appreciative, and.
Speaker 5: We've been rehearsing.
Speaker 4: Then we're going to rehearsal after.
Speaker 5: So I'm like, oh, we love it because we have.
Speaker 4: Six boy dancers.
Speaker 5: Of our favorite thing to do. We be sitting there
Speaker 5: like wow, shout out to the.
Speaker 4: Dances killing killing it all over again, auditioning dancers back
Speaker 4: in the day about David.
Speaker 5: It was our other favorite things, the favorite auditions. Auditions.
Speaker 7: Yes, I lot of boys, no boy, and we've never
Speaker 7: messed with dancers, but we like to look at him,
Speaker 7: you know yourself.
Speaker 5: For yourself. You haven't.
Speaker 7: I'm like, wait's.
Speaker 5: Something I don't know. I know you don't think so wait.
Speaker 4: Girl, Oh you know, Oh no, I knew I forgot Yeah. Yeah,
Speaker 4: but he's not a dancer. See listen, let's context. Okay,
Speaker 4: I'm talking about dancers. We hired that to dance for us.
Speaker 2: Okay, in that specific yes, okay. But in the broader context.
Speaker 5: We don't mess with the employees. Yourself.
Speaker 2: Have time for everything.
Speaker 4: That's what we're saying.
Speaker 5: Oh it's too late for that. Yeah, I'm not that
Speaker 5: year that ship shell.
Speaker 2: I cannot thank you both enough but for coming on
Speaker 2: to teen Beat. This is really a career highlight. You
Speaker 2: have brought me so much joy over the years, so
Speaker 2: to have you here in front of my face and
Speaker 2: be able to have a conversation with you has really
Speaker 2: meant a lot.
Speaker 4: So thank you.
Speaker 2: You can catch Saltan Peppa on the road in the
Speaker 2: Iconic Tour with TLC and en Vogue starting August fifteenth
Speaker 2: in Franklin, Tennessee. You can see all of the dates
Speaker 2: and get your tickets now at Saltanpeppa dot com. Teenbeat
Speaker 2: is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fischel,
Speaker 2: Executive producers Jensen Carp and Amy Sugarman, Executive in charge
Speaker 2: of production Danielle Romo, producer and editor Tara Subosch. The
Speaker 2: theme song is by Mark Coppis. Yes that Mark Coppas.
Speaker 2: Follow us on Instagram at Teenbeatpod