Salt-N-Pepa just keep pushing it!
Ahead of the 2023 Grammy Awards, the hip-hop group looked back at their careers and revealed the hardships they faced when they were starting out in the ‘80s.
The group was founded in 1985 and had extreme success with hit songs like “Push It!,” “Shoop” and “Let’s Talk About Sex.”
In 1995 they won a Grammy and although Salt admits she always knew being a rapper is “what I was meant to do,” the road to the top wasn’t easy.
During the “She Runs This” panel on Feb. 3, Salt-N-Pepa opened up about how hard it was to be a female in hip-hop in a male-dominated industry.
“It was very hard knowing that we were charting so hard or more than male rappers, but we weren’t getting the respect,” Pepa said. “It was frustrating but it’s those things that push you harder… they try to stop me but I’m going to keep going.”
The panel featured Black businesswomen and music artists who face similar challenges on their road to success. Emerging rapper Baby Tate was also featured and touched on some difficulties she’s experienced being a woman in hip-hop today.
“As a woman we have to be under such a microscope,” she said. “It’s like we can’t exist as we are… Its unfair men don’t have to deal with that.”
But despite some challenges, Baby Tate touched on how she defines success, admitting it’s “personal.”
“Success could look like just being able to pay rent or being able to fly your friends out,” she said. “That’s the beauty of success, it’s personal. You can feel like you’re doing amazing, and someone could say ‘girl you aren’t doing nothing.’”
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View GalleryAnother emerging rapper and panelist, Rhapsody echoed this sentiment, adding, “Success is always evolving.”
The “She Runs This” panel was hosted by Mastercard at the Blackbird Collective. The three-day part panel series celebrated the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop.
-Emely Navarro