Released: December 8, 1986

Songwriter: Herby “Luvbug” Azor

Producer: Herby “Luvbug” Azor

[Intro]
Are you ready? (Are you ready?)
Yo, Hurb, take it from the top
One, two

[Chorus]
My mic sound nice, check one
My mic sound nice, check two
My mic sound nice, check three
Are you ready to rock-rock, y'all?
A-to the beat, y'all?
A-keep on and you don't stop
Rockin' on
Keep rockin' on

[Verse 1]
I'm a queen on the mic, and it's true when I say
That the Pepa MC is here to stay
And you know if I was a book, I would sell
'Cause every curve on my body got a story to tell
Yeah, word 'em up (Word 'em up)
W-word 'em up (Word 'em up)
'Cause I'm so fly, nobody can deny
The girl hasn't been born that can deal with I
Me, Sandy D., undoubtedly def
Don't need to be dressed, I'm fresh to the flesh, yes
So tough, you know it is a must
Now Salt, get on the mic, and tell 'em why you go crush

[Verse 2]
'Cause I'm oh-ah, I'm on, I'm on
Yes, I'm oh-ah, I'm so damn on
Like a grasshopper hoppin' on the morning lawn
Like a needle on a record when it plays a song
Like Little Boy Blue blowin' on his horn
And you know I got to be on
MC's rockin' and shockin', but it won't last
Salt's on the mic, and I'm kickin', ask
Me no questions, I'll tell no lies
It's just a little warning, a word to the wise
You been hopin' and scopin', layin' and prayin'
But on the bottom is where you're staying
You're wack (Hahaha), I thought you understood
You're not related to me so you could never be good
I know you come from Babylon (And you know why?)
'Cause you're a babble-on MC (That's right)
You babble on the microphone about what you wish
But could never be, so please
Don't tell me how you're gonna rock
Don't brag about the things that you ain't got
Don't feed me lines 'cause now I'm full
My cow just died, I don't need your bull (Your bull)

[Interlude]
Yo, yo, turn my mic up a little bit
One, two, one, two, alright, thanks

[Refrain]
My mic sound nice, check one
My mic sound nice, check two
My mic sound nice, check three

[Interlude]
Right about now as you can see in the place to be
We're not talking 'bout geometry
History or biology
So Sandy D., explain this to me
Why do they call you the Pepa MC?
You mean you don't know? (Uh-uh) That's a shame
Okay, Salt, let me explain

[Verse 3]
I'm hot like a fire, burned down, diminished
Oh, now I see! Chill, let me finish
I wanna make one and all understand
I don't play, I slay when the mic's in my hand
The room temperature reaches a hundred and four
You can scramble eggs on the floor
Blood pressure soars, the crowd, they roar
Sweat will drip down to your drawers
The Pepa MC is like hot ice
And I paid the price to make the mic sound nice

[Verse 4]
Forget about the rest, yes, I don't jest
You're blessed with one of America's best
So I think ya all better count your blessings
When Salt's in the house, hell's in session
It's a fact that I will wax
MCs out there are gonna get taxed
Rockin' to my funky beat
I'm a trip so I know you're gonna fall for me
'Cause this is the year all men fear
Female MCs is movin' up here
Salt and Pepa is strictly biz
You know the color of this, you know what time it is
"Super" is the strength of the boomin' bass
"Nature" describes our pretty face
Turning out without a doubt
Make no mistake, Queens is in the house

[Outro]
Yeah, check it out
Check-check it out

Salt-N-Pepa

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.