Salt (rapper)

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Salt
Cheryl James (salt).jpg
Salt performing with Salt-N-Pepa in 2013
Born
Cheryl Renee James [1] [2]

(1966-03-28) March 28, 1966 (age 57)
Other names
  • Salt
  • Cheryl Wray
Education Queensborough Community College
OccupationRapper
Spouse
Gavin Wray
(m. 2000;div. 2018)
Partner Hurby Azor [3] [4] (1984–1989)
Children2
Musical career
Origin Queens, New York City, U.S.
Genres
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1985–present
Labels

Cheryl Renee James (born March 28 1966) [5] is an American rapper. She is best known as a member of the female rap trio Salt-N-Pepa, which also includes Pepa (Sandra Denton) and Spinderella (Deidra "Dee Dee" Roper). James starred in The Salt-N-Pepa Show , a reality TV series focusing on reforming the group; which aired on the VH1 network in 2008.

Contents

Early life

The daughter of a transit worker and Barbara James, [6] a bank manager, [7] James was born in Brooklyn, New York City. The middle of three children, James grew up in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. [8] James attended Grover Cleveland High School, graduating in 1983. [9] After high school, James enrolled at Queensborough Community College to study nursing. James met Queens-native Sandra Denton in 1985 while attending college.[ citation needed ]

Career

After forming a friendship with Denton, James' then-boyfriend and co-worker Hurby Azor approached the pair and asked them to record a rap for a class project. With Azor's guidance as their manager, James and Denton then formed the group [10] "Super Nature" (which eventually changed to "Salt N' Pepa") and were joined by Latoya Hanson who was replaced by Deidra Roper joined in 1987. They released five studio albums: Hot, Cool & Vicious (1986), A Salt with a Deadly Pepa (1988), Blacks' Magic (1990), Very Necessary (1993), and Brand New (1997). Salt also co-starred in the 1993 motion picture Who's the Man? . In 1997, she recorded the song "Stomp" with gospel artists Kirk Franklin and God's Property for their album God's Property , one of the bestselling albums in gospel music history. They were the first female rap act to have gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums, and the first female rap act to win a Grammy. The group disbanded in 2002 but reformed in 2008.

James appeared on VH1's inaugural Hip Hop Honors program in November 2004, along with Pepa, but they did not perform. Salt, Pepa, and Spinderella, however, did perform on the second Hip Hop Honors on September 22, 2005, performing their hit "Whatta Man". This was the trio's first performance as Salt-N-Pepa since 1999. On October 23, 2008, Salt-N-Pepa performed "Shoop", "Push It", and "Whatta Man" at the 2008 BET Hip Hop Awards. In 2009, James was featured in the Generation Gospel Exclusive on 106 & Gospel. [11]

Personal life

James dated Salt-N-Pepa group manager Hurby Azor during the early start of the group from 1984 until 1989. James married her husband Gavin Wray on Christmas Eve 2000, although they dated for ten years before the marriage. James and Wray have two children. [12]

James and her daughter are referenced in Tupac's song "Keep Ya Head Up". In an interview James stated she considers herself a feminist "in a way", emphasizing the need for women to avoid complete emotional and financial dependence on men. Songs like "Tramp" and "Shake Your Thang" by Salt-N-Pepa express such feminist themes as female autonomy. [13] She was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church on a mission trip in Ethiopia with Oakwood College. [14] [15]

Discography

Studio albums

Related Research Articles

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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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Spinderella</span> American DJ and rapper (born 1970)

Deidra Muriel Roper, known professionally as DJ Spinderella or simply Spinderella, is an American DJ, rapper and producer. She is best known as a member of the hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa. Roper occasionally appeared in The Salt-n-Pepa Show, a reality TV series focusing on reforming the group and which aired on the VH1 network in 2008.

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<i>Very Necessary</i> 1993 studio album by Salt-N-Pepa

Very Necessary is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa, released on October 12, 1993, by Next Plateau Records and London Records. As the group's last album to feature writing and production from their manager and primary producer Hurby Azor, it spawned four singles, including "Shoop", "Whatta Man", and "None of Your Business", which would earn the group their first Grammy Award, in the category Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Push It (Salt-n-Pepa song)</span> 1987 song by Salt-n-Pepa

"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".

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<i>Brand New</i> (Salt-n-Pepa album) 1997 studio album by Salt-N-Pepa

Brand New is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa, released on October 21, 1997, by London Records. The group's international label at the time, Red Ant Entertainment, filed for bankruptcy before the album was officially released. Salt-N-Pepa toured in support of the album, but the album had little other promotion. Brand New spawned two singles: "R U Ready" and "Gitty Up". The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 25, 1997.

<i>Hot, Cool & Vicious</i> 1986 studio album by Salt-N-Pepa

Hot, Cool, & Vicious is the debut studio album by American hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa. Released by Next Plateau Records on December 8, 1986, it was the first rap album by a female rap act to attain gold and platinum status in the US.

<i>Blacks Magic</i> 1990 studio album by Salt-N-Pepa

Blacks' Magic is the third studio album by American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa, released on March 19, 1990, by Next Plateau Records and London Records. A critical and commercial success, the album peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard 200 and number 15 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments in excess of one million copies in the United States. The album spawned four commercially successful singles, three of which reached the top 10 of the Hot Rap Singles chart; "Let's Talk About Sex", "Expression", "Do You Want Me", and "You Showed Me".

<i>Funhouse</i> (Kid n Play album) 1990 studio album by Kid n Play

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"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. It features an uncredited verse by rapper Otwane "Big Twan Lov-Her" Roberts. Released in September 1993 by Next Plateau, the song became one of the group's more successful singles, reaching number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Hot Rap Singles chart at number one. Two months after its release, "Shoop" was certified gold by the 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 5 million copies in the US, becoming the group's best-selling album.

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Sandra Jacqueline Denton, better known by her stage name Pepa or Pep, is a Jamaican-American rapper, best known for her work as a member of the female rap trio Salt-N-Pepa. Denton starred in The Salt-N-Pepa Show, a reality TV series focusing on reforming the group which aired on the VH1 network in 2008. Since January 2016, Denton has appeared as a supporting cast member on the music reality television show Growing Up Hip Hop which airs on We TV.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">None of Your Business</span> 1994 single by Salt-n-Pepa

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The Best of Salt 'n Pepa is a greatest hits album by American hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa. It was 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 "Gitty Up" was released as a single titled "The Brick Track Versus Gitty Up", which charted in the top 20 in Australia and New Zealand in 2000.

References

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  5. "Celebrity birthdays for the week of March 26-April 1". The Associated Press . March 20, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2024. Rapper Salt of Salt-N-Pepa is 57
  6. Rolling Stone – Salt N' Pepa Do It Their Way – October 16, 1997
  7. Encyclopedia – Salt N' Pepa
  8. Biography Today. Omnigraphics. 1996. ISBN   978-0-7808-0063-2 . Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  9. "Straight Outta Queens". Google Books. New York Magazine. 1994. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  10. Rhythm and Blues, Rap, and Hip-hop – Frank W. Hoffmann
  11. "Salt in a different Season" . Retrieved August 16, 2009.
  12. "Straight Outta Queens". Google Books. New York Magazine. 1994. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  13. Rose, Tricia (May 1990). "Never Trust A Big Butt and a Smile" (PDF). Camera Obscura. 8 (2): 108–131. doi:10.1215/02705346-8-2_23-108 . Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  14. Cusey, Rebecca (March 4, 2008). "Let's Talk About God, Baby". Christianitytoday.com. Christianity Today . Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  15. "Ethiopia Mission 2001". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2019.