Salt-N-Pepa

Released: July 26, 1988

Songwriter: Herby “Luvbug” Azor

Producer: Herby “Luvbug” Azor

Salt and Pepa's on the mic makin' sure you like
The type of hype that's unbelievable to write
Spinderella's gonna spin from beginning to end
Once again we're gonna let the party begin
So tell me Pepa are you ready to work it out?
You know it Salt I'm ready to work it out
Spinderella are you ready to work it out?
'Cause Salt and Pepa is ready to work it out
So let the rhythm run (what?), the rhythm run
Now let the drums run (good), the drums run
So let the rhythm run (huh?), the rhythm run
Yo, Salt... Whassup? Can we get some?
They call me Salt, I'm like a billion bulbs
The rhymes I toss, they're more electric than a lightning bug
On the strength I swore there's no either/or
MCs, we're gonna have a mouth-to-mouth war
Some rappers got soul on the mic, right? (Right)
But others be playin' it like they're all that
And you know what'll happen if I don't like your style of rappin'
Step on stage as soon as I'm on it
Spin drops a beat to warn my opponent
Hurb pumps the bass upon the sound system
We kick a rhyme and claim another victim
People 'round the world, I like to play to 'em
In every club, arena, and stadium
Inside the jam we're known as the party stars
Gimme a mic, and the house is like Mardi Gras
I couldn't do it though without the help from
The melody that we call the rhythm
Yo, Pepa, are you ready to work it out, huh?
Yeah, I been ready to work it out
So let the rhythm run (what?), the rhythm run (who?)
Aw, c'mon Pep, go ahead and bust one
If the Pep you want, that's just what you'll get
As the rhythm runs, sweat's in full effect
I see a crowd, I can't help but get hyped
You gotta be, throw it on and recite
A dope rhyme 'cause I'm a lyrical queen
The Pepa MC's makin' microphones sing
Notes to provoke, they called her a joke
The speaker smoked when I spoke
Boy, you better kill the noise
Let the rhythm run (word), just let it run
Let the drums run (yeah), now let 'em run
Mess around and I'll bet you don't get none
Is it over yet? Never, it gets better
We'll let the rhythm run harder than ever
A bassline is added for some soul
Now the guitar will make ya rock 'n' roll
My mic is like a gun, I go nowhere without it
You gotta better one, I'm sorry but I doubt it
My partner's name is Pep, she's not a half-stepper
You think you're kinda def, but I think that she's deffer
Since rappin' is art and I'm a dope artist
If lyrics mean you're smart, then I must be the smartest
My DJ likes to spin, we call her Spinderella
If cuttin' 'em was a book, she'd be a million seller
Salt's kinda short, but she don't ever take none
A sucker try to dis, and she just have to break one
Assume the position, commence the dance session
Loosen up, listen, it's not a dance lesson
Seatbelts fastened, let's have some fun
Brace yourself, hold on, 'cause the rhythm's gonna run
Let the rhythm run, nah, the rhythm's done
Let the drums run, no, the drums are done

Salt-N-Pepa is arguably the most successful female rap group of all time. The group began with Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton meeting while studying to be nurses. James got Denton a job at a Sears department store, where her boyfriend Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor also worked. Azor was studying music production and he asked them to help on a school project, an answer record to Doug E. Fresh’s “The Show” they named “The Showstopper” – recorded in 1985 under the name Supernature.

After the legendary Queens DJ Marley Marl played “The Showstopper” on his radio show, the group began getting booked for shows. One lyric in “The Showstopper” was ‘We the salt and pepper’, and people kept requesting ‘that salt and pepper song’, so they changed their name to Salt-N-Pepa. Deejay Deidra “Spinderella” Ropa was added soon after.

SNP’s debut album Hot, Cool, & Vicious originally spawned a minor hit in the UK with “My Mike Sounds Nice” in early 1987. But it was the re-release of a remix of “Push It”, originally a quickly-thrown together b-side for their fall ‘87 single “Tramp”, that shot the group into international stardom. The song reached the top 10 in eleven countries around the world in 1988.

more tracks from the album

A Salt With a Deadly Pepa

From the album

A Salt With a Deadly Pepa (1988)

Salt-N-Pepa popular songs

Let The Rhythm Run (Remix)Salt-N-Pepa

Salt-N-Pepa

A Salt With a Deadly Pepa