Salt-N-Pepa’s Sandra Denton recently revealed that the hip-hop group’s biggest record almost got them into some big trouble over the years while performing.
During Glamour magazine’s Women of the Year Awards ceremony that took place on Monday, Nov. 8, Denton told Page Six law enforcement used to be at live shows awaiting the ladies: Denton, Cheryl James, and DJ Spinderella, to perform their hit 1986 record “Push It.”
“They said if you say a curse word, we’re going to take you off the stage,” the 55-year-old explained. “We were saying ‘Push It;’ they thought we were saying, ‘P—y, real good.’ So the police were waiting for us. We had to show them the lyrics: We’re saying ‘PUSH It’ not p—y.”
The “Whatta Man” rapper, who presented fellow female emcee Megan Thee Stallion with an award, shared how blown away she is how by hip-hop has evolved for women since she and her bandmates got their start in the music industry in the mid-’80s and since the time of the group’s later ’90s hit single “Let’s Talk About Sex.”
The legendary female rapper reflected on the backlash her group received and how their music was misperceived.
“I was just trying to educate,” she said. “To teach about the do’s and the don’ts. That’s nothing now! It’s amazing to see how everything has evolved and women are bossing up and taking care of their own business and heading their own empire. It’s a beautiful thing, especially these women in hip-hop because it was such a male-dominated field.” She added, “It’s important to see that strength and know your worth.”
Much of Salt-N-Pepa’s success can arguably be attributed to them pushing the envelope when it came to their music’s subject matter covering sexuality, among other things–something not many female acts at that time were doing.
Through their wordplay in songs like “None of Your Business” and “Express Yourself,” the group promoted their brand of feminism, which typically included avoiding emotional and financial dependence and other forms of female autonomy.
Denton is currently starring in the WE tv reality series “Growing Up Hip Hop” — which also stars her daughter Egypt — as she gears up to go on tour with New Kids on the Block for the second time.
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