"Let's Talk About Sex" | ||||
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Single by Salt-N-Pepa | ||||
from the album Blacks' Magic | ||||
Released | August 6, 1991 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:33 | |||
Label | Next Plateau | |||
Songwriter(s) | Hurby Azor | |||
Producer(s) |
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Salt-N-Pepa singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Let's Talk About Sex" on YouTube |
"Let's Talk About Sex" is a song by American hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa, released in August 1991 by Next Plateau as the fourth single from their third studio album, Blacks' Magic (1990). It was written and co-produced by Hurby Azor, and achieved great success in many countries, including Australia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and Zimbabwe where it was a number-one hit. Its music video was directed by Millicent Shelton. In 1992, "Let's Talk About Sex" earned a nomination in the category for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the Grammy Award.
The song talks about safe sex, the positive and negative sides of sex and the censorship that sex had around that time in American mainstream media. The song was later included in the trio's Greatest Hits (2000) album. It samples "I'll Take You There" by the Staple Singers. An alternate version of the song entitled "Let's Talk About AIDS" was released to radio on a promotional single and included as a B-side on various singles for the song. The lyrics were changed to more directly address the spread of AIDS and HIV.
The song was certified gold by the RIAA and peaked at No. 13 at the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the purely sales-based UK Singles Chart, the song hit No. 2, and in the German singles chart, the song hit No. 1, the first original song by an American hip-hop act to achieve that feat. It also hit No. 1 in the Australian ARIA Singles Chart .
In 1992, the song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
The song received favorable reviews from many music critics. Steve Huey from AllMusic called it a "playful safe-sex anthem". [1] Larry Flick from Billboard stated that the "hot rap divas show no sign of cooling off with this spicy hip-hopper that pokes fun at people with inhibitions about sex." He remarked that "cheeky rhymes and charming demeanors make this yet another multiformat winner." [2] DeVaney and Clark from Cashbox commented, "Although they have changed their style from their original hip-hop image to commercial/R&B/Rap, the sound of this single is quite catchy and will probably take R&B by storm." They also concluded, "This single, by far, is one of the most commercial rap cuts of the year." [3]
David Thigpen from Entertainment Weekly described it as "an articulate, funny, and danceable primer on sex and the single flygirl that hit male-dominated hip-hop where it hurt." [4] A reviewer from Melody Maker wrote, "It's one of the most uncompromising safe sex raps ever written. The song also recoginises the biological differences between males and females, and the serious messages are balanced by a cheeky, never ribald, sense of humour. Their concern is genuine. It is, as they say, largely about understanding." [5] Kim France from Spin felt that "Let's Talk About Sex" "packs a wallop with the kind of sassy, seducto-humor the two previous Salt-N-Pepa records were chock full of." [6]
The accompanying music video for "Let's Talk About Sex" directed by Millicent Shelton and designed by visual artist and designer Ron Norsworthy, starts in a black-and-white scene with a girl turning on a radio and listening to the song. Then she starts kissing her boyfriend and scenes of Salt-n-Pepa and other couples kissing and hugging are shown. Next the video colorizes when Salt-n-Pepa are shown dancing. Another version of the video has a scene in which a skeleton is shown after the word 'AIDS' with a stamp saying 'censored' in its mouth.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [42] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [43] | Gold | 25,000* |
Netherlands (NVPI) [44] | Gold | 75,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [45] | Silver | 200,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [46] | Gold | 500,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
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United States | August 6, 1991 |
| Next Plateau | [ citation needed ] |
United Kingdom | August 19, 1991 |
| FFRR | [47] |
Salt-N-Pepa is an American hip hop group formed in New York City in 1985, that comprised Salt, Pepa, and DJ Spinderella. Their debut album, Hot, Cool & Vicious (1986), sold more than 1 million copies in the US, making them the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album included the single, "Push It", which was released in 1987 as the B-side to their single "Tramp", and peaked within the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns. It was originally recorded by The Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Brothers for their album Twist & Shout in 1962. The song has been covered by several artists, including the Beatles, Salt-N-Pepa, and Chaka Demus & Pliers, who experienced chart success with their versions.
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"Push It" is a song by American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa. It was first released as the B-side of the "Tramp" single in 1987. Then released by Next Plateau and London Records, it peaked at number 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1988 and, after initially peaking at number 41 in the UK, it re-entered the charts after the group performed the track at Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday concert, eventually peaking at number two in the UK in July 1988. The song has also been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song is ranked number 446 on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and was ranked number nine on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop".
"I Wanna Sex You Up" is a song by American R&B group Color Me Badd, released in March 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, C.M.B. (1991). The song was produced by Dr. Freeze and was also featured on the soundtrack to the 1991 film New Jack City, starring Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Chris Rock and Judd Nelson. The song heavily samples “Tonight is the Night” by Betty Wright.
"What a Man" is a song written by Dave Crawford, and originally recorded for Stax Records' Volt imprint by Linda Lyndell, whose recording reached number 50 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1968. The song was sampled and reinterpreted as "Whatta Man" in 1993 by the trio Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue, which became a commercial success; reaching the top ten in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 2011, German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut covered the song while retaining the original title and lyrics.
This is the discography of Salt-n-Pepa, an American hip hop trio.
Hot, Cool, & Vicious is the debut studio album by American hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa. Released by Next Plateau Records on December 1 1986, it was the first rap album by a female rap act to attain gold and platinum status in the US.
"Shoop" is the lead single released from American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa's fourth studio album, Very Necessary (1993). The song was produced by group members Sandra "Pepa" Denton and Cheryl "Salt" James with Mark Sparks. Released in September 1993 by Next Plateau, the song became one of the group's more successful singles, reaching numbers four and five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 and topping the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. Two months after its release, "Shoop" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); it went on to sell 1.2 million copies. Its accompanying music video was directed by Scott Kalvert. The success of both this single and the follow-up single "Whatta Man" propelled Very Necessary to sell over five million copies in the US, becoming the group's best-selling album.
"You Showed Me" is a song written by Gene Clark and Jim McGuinn of the Byrds in 1964. It was recorded by the Turtles and released as a single at the end of 1968, becoming the group's last big hit in the U.S. The song has also been covered or partially incorporated into other songs by a number of other acts over the years, including the Lightning Seeds, Salt-N-Pepa, Lutricia McNeal and Madison Beer.
"Do You Want Me" is a song by American R&B-hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa, released in February 1991 as the third single from their 1990 album, Blacks' Magic. It reached No. 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and charted at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also peaked at No. 9 in Portugal, No. 16 in the Netherlands, and No. 19 in Australia.
"None of Your Business" is the third single from American hip hop group Salt-n-Pepa's fourth studio album, Very Necessary (1994), released in August 1994 by Next Plateau. Written and produced by Hurby Azor, the song earned the group its first Grammy Award. It is included on the 1996 Barb Wire and 2000 Miss Congeniality soundtracks.
"Expression" is a song by American group Salt-N-Pepa, released as the lead single from their third album, Blacks' Magic (1990). The song was both written and produced by member Cheryl "Salt" James. It became the group's second single to reach the top 40 in the United States, peaking at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 while also topping the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart, becoming their first song to do so. The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In 1992 a re-release charted within the top 30 in Ireland and the United Kingdom and peaked at number 13 in France. The accompanying music video is notable for marking the directorial debut of director Millicent Shelton.
"Champagne" is a song by American hip-hop group Salt-n-Pepa, taken from the soundtrack to the 1996 movie Bulletproof, starring Damon Wayans and Adam Sandler. The song contains elements of "Love Rollercoaster" as performed by The Ohio Players. It reached the top 10 in the Netherlands, and was a top 20 hit in Finland, New Zealand and Sweden, while entering the top 30 in the UK.
"Shake Your Thang" is a song by American R&B and hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa, released by Next Plateau Entertainment and London Records as the first single from their second studio album, A Salt with a Deadly Pepa (1988). The song features the Washington, D.C.–based go-go musical band, E.U. It samples "It's Your Thing" by The Isley Brothers and "Funky President" by James Brown.
"Gitty Up" is a song by American hip hop girl group Salt-N-Pepa from their fifth studio album, Brand New (1997). It was released as the album's second and final single. It samples "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" by Pink Floyd. The song also samples the bass line and the lyric "Say what?" from the song "Give It to Me Baby" by Rick James.
The Best of Salt 'n Pepa is a greatest hits album by American hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa, released in November 1999. The album featured tracks from their five studio albums, Hot, Cool & Vicious, A Salt with a Deadly Pepa, Blacks' Magic, Very Necessary and Brand New. A remixed version of their 1998 song "The Brick Track Versus Gitty Up", "Gitty Up" was released as a single and charted in the top 20 in Australia and New Zealand in 2000.
The Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album by American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa. It was released on October 7, 1991, by FFRR Records and Next Plateau Entertainment. The album was certified Platinum in the United Kingdom.
"Start Me Up" is a song by American R&B and hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa, released in 1992. The song is included in the 1992 American film Stay Tuned and later appeared on Salt-N-Pepa's 1999 compilation album, The Best of Salt-N-Pepa.
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