Best known for sexually charged party jams like “Push It”, “Whatta Man” and “Shoop”, cocky Queens trio Salt-N-Pepa defined the look and sound of late 80’s-early 90’s street divas everywhere. Now in their mid-forties, it’s been over a decade since the Grammy Award winners released an album but the chest-pumping swagger that made them famous hasn’t lessened an iota. Some things never change. Pedestrian recently caught up with Sandra Denton aka Pepa to discuss hairdressers, famous baby Daddies and the development of a new reality TV show.
Hey Pepa. What have you been up to today?
Actually, I was at the salon, getting my hair done all pretty.
What’s it looking like?
Well I actually went back to like dark hair. It’s kind of black. It’s really nice and long. You know I do a curl and I do it straight. I kind of change up but it seems to work. It looks very young on me.
Have you had the same hair dresser for a long time or do you mix it up?
I mix it up a little bit but typically I have the same for a while. She knows what I like.
Where you get your hair done?
Well in the States, a friend of mine, her name is Cassandra Parks. She does my hair which is great. I’ve been coming to her for years.
Did you get your hair done for any particular reason? Like have you guys got any performance coming up?
Yes, this is actually for the television show that I’m working on in the States right now. It’s called, Let’s Talk About Pep. So, yeah, I’m working them all. You know, I got to stay looking fresh.
Can you tell us a little bit about the show because I know you guys have done this type of show a couple of years ago…
Well, the Salt-N-Pepa show was great. It was interesting because that’s the time when Salt and I got back together as everybody can see. She left me, and then we got back together, we worked it out. We’re like now it’s the best thing for us and then now the Let’s Talk About Pep show, it’s about me and some other friends of mine and we’re setting goals and the issues that we go through as women, single women and looking for Mr. Right and it’s really good. It’s almost, I would call it a Black Sex and the City. It’s fun though and it’s been fun filming it. It’s really good.
So who are the friends on the show?
Joumana Kidd is one of the girls on the show and she is the ex-wife of Jason Kidd. He’s the basketball player. And then we have Jackie Reed who is a radio personality. She’s done some television but she works for a radio station actually in the States. Then we have Kitty. We call her Kitty but she’s more like a tiger. She’s the wild one. More like a bobcat. All of them, we’re all going through our issues and the different aspects of our lives and it’s being shown and followed by the cameras – so it’s good. It’s amazing. I love it. But I am the star.
Well you know, you’ve got your name in the title so…
Oh that’s right honey! I’m happy to have that. It’s good.
So is this your group of friends or did you recruit the people for the show specifically?
No actually, these are my friends especially Joumana, we go out a lot. Kitty and I used to go out a lot but she lived in California for quite some time so we just kind of keep in touch by the phone. Jackie and I, we go out. Jackie is like the more sophisticated one. So we go out and Joumana and I, we like the superbowl, we check out the bars and the clubs (laughs). So we, yes, we all hang out together.
So what’s a night out with Pepa like?
A night out. Okay. A night out for me is that you have to fill up on a lot of caffeine because I have a saying, I always say “I roll with the credits”. That means that I’m holding it down. I mean I go out to have fun like I dance all night. I’m up. Salt tells me, can we go home? Do you have to close it?
Say you’re out in a bar and a guy comes over who doesn’t recognize and then he finds out that you are Pepa from Salt and Pepa, do men find that daunting?
Yeah, you know, I quite like that though sometimes. I mean at first when he comes up to me, and he actually came up to me because he found me to be attractive or whatever, which is nice to know that it’s not just because I’m Pepa, and then, once he finds out, then he starts putting me out. He’s like, is she for real? But I like that though. I mean I like it both ways but I do like that when they just come up and that’s bold and then they find out and it’s even more funny because they can’t believe they just walked up to me. Then they get a little embarrassed. And then I’m like hmm.
So are you bringing the cameras out when you’re touring Australia?
Unfortunately no because we’re going to be out there like a whole week and so, you know, we’re just going to be doing the shows and I think we have days off as well so I’m just going to try to get into trouble.
Yeah cool. Another act on the bill for the Good Vibrations Festival is Naughty by Nature, do you still stay in touch with Treach?
Well, that is funny. I just found that out, I mean not too long ago and yes, we do keep in touch because I do have a daughter with him so, in that regard, we keep in touch and we happen to have a show. We did a show not too long ago together and it was great because my daughter was there. When I was singing my daughter came on during my set and then when Treach started singing, he brought her up. So it was kind of neat and the audience was getting a kick out of it. Yeah, it was a surprise you know. But when I knew he was doing this, I was like, on my goodness. I was like, I mean, that’s going to be different.
So what’s coming up for Salt and Pepa? I’ve heard a few rumors that there’s a new album to be released in 2010? Is that correct?
Well hopefully, if everything goes accordingly. We are working very hard in the studio. We just got a couple more songs we’ll probably add on and everything. So we’re like almost there. We’re just hoping to get our music out. We really want to because we do have some good material. I can’t remember some of the artists that I heard in the UK but that is something that I’m very interested in, in doing some music with someone from the UK or possibly getting some producers from there as well to remix some of our new material.
Yeah, just one last question Pepa. You said you were in your car at the moment. Can you tell us what you drive?
Well right now I’m in my S550 Mercedes Benz.
Very nice. And is that one of many?
Yes, I have a few.
Salt-N-Pepa tour nationally in February as part of the 2010 Good Vibrations Festival.
