Will Smith is starting his next venture as host of the new “Class of ‘88” podcast following one of if not the most influential year in hip-hop history.
Cheryl “Salt” Renee James, and Sandra “Pepa” Denton, two-thirds of the iconic hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa, were the latest guests on the show, and the trio talked about what it was like being young females in the male-dominated scene and coming up in the burgeoning new music genre at a young age.
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One of the memories the three also discussed related to the pivotal move by the group, which then included DJ Spinderella, to boycott the 1989 Grammys. Pepa explained that as female rappers, they had much more to lose than their male counterparts by protesting.
She tells the podcast, “As women, we didn’t win any awards at that time at all, and as a male-dominated field and taking a chance, we didn’t even know if the Grammys is going to say, ‘You know what? You went against us. You never gon’ be seen.’ But they listened.”
The trio ended up winning an award for Best Rap Performance in 1995.
Hardships and sacrifice weren’t the only things the three rap pioneers discussed. Smith and Pepa revealed to listeners that during the year they boycotted the Grammys, Pepa and Treach of Naughty By Nature were on a break, so Smith took Pepa on a date.
According to Pepa, the “Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble” rapper was “very nice” during their one-time rendezvous through Los Angeles.
Smith said that since she and Treach had broken up, he was trying to toss his hat in the ring as a new partner. “So in my mind,” Smith told his former love interest, “I was trying to spit my game, but I ain’t really have nothing.”
Smith revealed that he was scared during the date because of Pepa’s ex. “My concern was that I was gon’ get killed,” the actor said, to which Salt replied with a straight face, “That was a legit concern.”
The podcast clip went viral, prompting Pepa’s now-ex-husband Treach to respond with a call back to the most-talked about Oscars moment in 2022. The “Hip Hop Hooray” rapper reposted the podcast video with the caption, “KEEP MY NAME CONCERNING MY EX-B—H OUT YO F—ING MOUTH!! [laughing emojis],” as an obvious homage to Smith’s infamous Oscars meltdown.
He also commented under his post, “Chris Rock Is Training me for the Perfect Smack Fo Yo A–.” Fans were split on his comeback as some thought it was hilarious, and others called the rapper out for disrespecting his ex.
People like Bone Thugs-N-Harmony members Layzie Bone and Flesh-N-Bone, as well as Bryan-Michael Cox and “Wild N’ Out” star Justina Valentine, commented on the post with laughing emojis.
A few others, however, didn’t find it funny. One fan wrote, “Salt, Latifah, or somebody gotta be like, ‘Who you callin a btch?!'” Another person said, “Nah, Unc can’t be calling Auntie a B like that smh.”
Salt and Pepa aren’t the only guests that Smith has had on the throwback podcast. The “Independence Day” actor also has influential and iconic stars like Flavor Flav, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Queen Latifah making an appearance on the show to talk about how 1988 affected their career at the time and the groundwork they laid for the artists after them.
