Hot, Cool & Vicious received little attention until a San Francisco DJ named Cameron Paul created a remix of "Push It" (The b-side to "Tramp"). Mr. Paul's remix of "Push It", rereleased as a single, quickly became a national hit and was nominated for a Grammy, pushing both the single and LP to Platinum album status.
They released A Salt With a Deadly Pepa, which was only a minor hit, though it featured "Shake Your Thang". Their third original LP, Blacks Magic, which received generally positive reviews and expanded Salt 'N' Pepa's fanbase among hip hop fans using more R&B. It included "Let's Talk About Sex", one of their biggest songs.
Salt 'N' Pepa left Next Plateau and the influence of Azor released "Very Necessary", a largely self-produced album in 1993, and it performed very well on the charts, buoyed by "Shoop" and "Whatta Man" (with En Vogue). In 1994, they appeared in the motion picture "Who's The Man?".
The less commercially successful single "None of Your Business," won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance in 1995. Since Very Necessary, both Salt and Pepa have focused primarily on their acting careers. They released their final album "Brand New" in 1997.
Despite their girl group beginnings, Salt 'N' Pepa insist that they wrote many of the lyrics on their first album, and by Blacks Magic they displayed a sex positive, and responsible, feminism, and are often seen as innovators or role models.
In March 1999, Salt 'N' Pepa embarked on their final live tour. Pepa (Sandy Denton) married Treach of Naughty By Nature on July 27, 1999. Salt 'N' Pepa's greatest-hits album, entitled Salt 'N' Pepa: The Best Of was released on January 25, 2000. Treach and Pepa were divorced on July 31, 2001. The group officially disbanded in 2002. Upon disbanding, Salt (Cheryl James) claimed she had become a born-again Christian, and would no longer be involved in hip-hop. However, all that changed when Cheryl announced that she would be releasing her first solo cd "Salt of the Earth" which later changed to "Salt Unrapped".
Cheryl James and Sandy Denton appeared on VH1's Hip Hop Honors in November 2004 without Spinderella. They did not perform.
In March 2005, it was announced that Sandy Denton would join Jose Canseco, Bronson Pinchot, Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, Caprice Bourret, Janice Dickinson, and Carey Hart on the 5th season of the VH1 series The Surreal Life.
Salt 'N' Pepa reunited on September 22, 2005, and gave their first performance in six years. They sang Whatta Man, along with En Vogue, as a part of VH1's Hip Hop Honors program.
IT'S ALRIGHT
Salt 'N' Pepa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We get tougher, aye (??)
Salt and Pepa draw the people into hysterics
With the serious lyrics, right?
It's all right
We gonna take it to the top
And we got, we got, we got, gotta make it hot
So come, get on, hop on the dance floor
If you want to declare war - it's all right
It's all right
Now it's ruckus time in the place tonight
Salt and Pepa has just comandeered the mic
Hurby the producer ain't no joke
He always makes sure the beats are dope
When I explore I take you down to the core
Wanted by the FBI as a wicked outlaw
For torturing and murdering MCs
Who try to recreate def rhymes like these
On stage I'm a terror, mascarra don't smear-a (?)
Stockings don't run, and men don't dare-a
Speak out and disrespect Salt and Pepa
We smash MCs with one big stepper
Here to rule, MCs I school
The mic's my tool, I'm no one's fool
That's right, I said it, the girl's got brains
And my full name is Cheryl James - all right
It's all right
It came straight from the mouth rhymes I disperse
I save sucker duck rappers to quench my thirst
I sucker all suckers by selling a dream
When I serve and strengthen any rap team
We'll ignite and your crew just melt like wax
So tell your family and your friends
That we're here to attack
We prepare to win a battle at any cost
Just remember duck rapper, it's not my loss - it's all right
It's all right
And when I rhyme a funky rhyme
Till my throat is sore
When I rhyme till you just can't take no more
You disagree? Kill the noise
Cuz you know I can
Just place the microphone inside my hand
And watch me rhyme-a funky lyrics
You gotta admit, you disagree?
Ask your man - even he's on it
Cuz when I wanna show damage, I'll explode
At a wink of an eye rhymes I'll reload - it's all right
It's all right
Now when we came, we saw, we conquered
Because you tried to be bold, you tried to be bad
You tried to get ill, you tried to fake mad
Whip out my microphone and Turtle Wax that ass
So don't mess around, don't make me laugh
You gotta be jokin', you will get broken
I'll burn you and leave your ashes smokin'
Then I'll put you in my hand, blow you into the wind
So you better notify your next of kin - all right
It's all right
Rip it again, right
It's all right
Rewind selector right
The lyrics to Salt 'N' Pepa's song "It's Alright" are a proclamation of their skill and power as MCs. The song begins with a call-out to the music selector to forward the music and get things moving. Salt and Pepa are hyping up the crowd by drawing them into a frenzy with their serious lyrics. They declare that it's all right and they're going to take things to the top and make the audience's bodies rock. They challenge anyone who wants to declare war with them, showing they are not afraid to stand up for themselves.
The song continues with Salt and Pepa proclaiming that it's ruckus time in the place tonight and they have commandeered the mic. They praise their producer, Hurby, for always making sure their beats are dope. Salt shares that she's a terror on stage and drives fear into men who dare to disrespect her. They talk about being wanted by the FBI for torturing and murdering MCs who try to recreate their rhymes. Pepa shares that they'll take on any rap team and ignite the audience while making their opponents melt like wax.
They end with the message that they're here to conquer and don't mess around with them, or they'll leave their opponents in ashes.
Overall, the song is an expression of Salt 'N' Pepa's confidence and skill as MCs. They want their audience to know they're the real deal and can take on any opponent. The song is a testament to their power in the rap world and their ability to command a crowd.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey-a, forward the music selector
Let's get the party started by asking the DJ to play some music
We get tougher, aye (??)
We are about to show our strength and level up in the game
Salt and Pepa draw the people into hysterics
With the serious lyrics, right?
We are famous for driving people crazy with our powerful and meaningful lyrics, don't you agree?
We gonna take it to the top
We're gonna make your body rock
And we got, we got, we got, gotta make it hot
So come, get on, hop on the dance floor
If you want to declare war - it's all right
We are going to make you dance and have a great time, and if you want to challenge us by starting a battle, it's all good
Now it's ruckus time in the place tonight
Salt and Pepa has just comandeered the mic
Hurby the producer ain't no joke
He always makes sure the beats are dope
We are taking over the microphone and the producer Hurby is the real deal, he always creates amazing beats
When I explore I take you down to the core
Wanted by the FBI as a wicked outlaw
For torturing and murdering MCs
Who try to recreate def rhymes like these
When I rap, I take you deep down to the essence of my music, and my rhymes are so good, the FBI considers me a dangerous threat to other MCs who try to copy my style
On stage I'm a terror, mascarra don't smear-a (?)
Stockings don't run, and men don't dare-a
Speak out and disrespect Salt and Pepa
We smash MCs with one big stepper
When I perform on stage, I'm a force to be reckoned with, my makeup stays perfect, my clothes stay intact, and anyone who disrespects me or my partner Salt will face the consequences
Here to rule, MCs I school
The mic's my tool, I'm no one's fool
That's right, I said it, the girl's got brains
And my full name is Cheryl James - all right
I am here to dominate, I am the teacher and other MCs are my students. I am smart and talented, and my name is Cheryl James
It came straight from the mouth rhymes I disperse
I save sucker duck rappers to quench my thirst
I sucker all suckers by selling a dream
When I serve and strengthen any rap team
The rhymes I produce come straight from my mouth, I am always looking for lesser rappers to defeat and gain satisfaction. I can fool people with my calm demeanor and am happy to help any rapper on their journey to success
We'll ignite and your crew just melt like wax
So tell your family and your friends
That we're here to attack
We prepare to win a battle at any cost
Just remember duck rapper, it's not my loss - it's all right
We will come at you with such force that your crew will fall apart, make sure you let people know that we're here to start a battle that we will win, we'll do whatever it takes and remember, if you lose, it's on you
And when I rhyme a funky rhyme
Till my throat is sore
When I rhyme till you just can't take no more
You disagree? Kill the noise
Cuz you know I can
Just place the microphone inside my hand
And watch me rhyme-a funky lyrics
You gotta admit, you disagree?
Ask your man - even he's on it
Cuz when I wanna show damage, I'll explode
At a wink of an eye rhymes I'll reload - it's all right
I will keep rhyming and rapping until my voice gives out, and if you don't agree with me, stop wasting your time. Watch me hold the microphone and produce funky lyrics, even your man will agree, and if I need to make a point, I can do it in an instant
Now when we came, we saw, we conquered
Because you tried to be bold, you tried to be bad
You tried to get ill, you tried to fake mad
Whip out my microphone and Turtle Wax that ass
So don't mess around, don't make me laugh
You gotta be jokin', you will get broken
I'll burn you and leave your ashes smokin'
Then I'll put you in my hand, blow you into the wind
So you better notify your next of kin - all right
We came, we saw, we conquered, you tried to challenge us, but we showed you who's boss. Don't mess around or you'll get hurt, and if you keep playing, I'll finish you off and make sure everyone knows not to challenge us
Rip it again, right
It's all right
Rewind selector right
Let's keep producing good music, it's all good, and let's ask the DJ to play our favorite song again
Contributed by Isabelle V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.