Salt-N-Pepa’s low-key manner belies what a major moment this is for the Grammy-winning rap group. ““Brand New’’ is the first album that the women have written and produced on their own, without Hurby Azor, the producer who formed the group and the man whom James has called a ““Svengali.’’ More than another bumpin’ collection of female-centric rap songs, ““Brand New’’ is Salt-N-Pepa’s declaration of independence.
The group also faced a creative crisis on ““Brand New,’’ as James’s newfound faith in Christianity deepened. Could she perpetuate the sexy girl-rapper persona she’d helped to pioneer? After she performed on last summer’s gospel rap hit ““Stomp’’ with Kirk Franklin and God’s Property, rumors began to spread that ““Brand New’’ would be Salt-N-Pepa’s last album together and that James was interested only in recording inspirational music.
James believes that there’s a way to be sexual without losing the focus on her faith. ““I can look sexy, have a good time and still be praising God,’’ she says. ““Holier-than-thou church folk won’t encourage it, but my spirituality is personal.’’ After all, Salt-N-Pepa have always been about playful sexual allegory rather than the explicit lyrics of a Foxy Brown or Lil’ Kim. And she plans to do more gospel, but won’t abandon the group: ““Salt-N-Pepa is my purpose in life.''
It’s been more than 10 years since Salt-N-Pepa broke the gender barrier in rap music. Each of their four previous albums has gone platinum or multiplatinum, a rare feat for any rap artist, doubly so because the artists are female. Although the group members are only in their late 20s (they never give their ages), Salt-N-Pepa are the godmothers of rap, young women who opened the door for such acts as Queen Latifah, Lil’ Kim and Da Brat.
Few groups survive without infighting and jealousy, so the close friendship among the women of Salt-N-Pepa is legendary. All three are single mothers, and it was Salt who paired up with Pepa in Lamaze classes and helped deliver her best friend’s baby. ““This business will throw a lot of bricks your way. Our foundation is that we are a sisterhood, not just a group,’’ says Roper. ““We take business very seriously, but we’re friends first.''
Part of the enduring popularity of Salt-N-Pepa is that they can always be counted on for two things: a good time and an uplifting message. ““Brand New’’ will not disappoint their core fans, though it attempts to broaden their fan base. The first single, ““R U Ready?,’’ a fun party song, is already in heavy rotation on MTV. Sheryl Crow collaborates with the group on an anti-racism song called ““Imagine.’’ James continues her path of music ministry with another Kirk Franklin duet called ““Hold On.’’ ““We listen to all kinds of music,’’ says James. ““This is Salt-N-Pepa being really honest. We are rock and roll. We are alternative. We are gospel. We enjoy all these things, and this album is letting you into our world.''
The biggest surprise on ““Brand New’’ is the emergence of Roper as a full-fledged member of the group. In the ’80s, no self-respecting rap group traveled without a deejay who could spin vinyl while the rappers freestyled lyrics. It was James and Denton’s idea to hire a female deejay, a Spinderella, to back the group. In 1987 they chose 17-year-old Dee Dee Roper, a high-school senior, from an open audition.
In the early ’90s, as digital audiotapes replaced deejays, Roper’s role began to shrink. She appeared in all the videos, rapped a few lines here and there, but over time Spinderella became the Tito Jackson of the group. Now that the women have full creative control over their music, Roper’s role has been beefed up. ““Brand New’’ features the deejay taking center stage on almost half the songs. The occasional gospel track may not be enough to keep James wedded to Salt-N-Pepa forever, but for now she’s sticking around. She and Denton have already begun working on their next project, a solo album for Roper. The title? ““Spinderella’s Ball.''
