Salt-n-Pepa Drop ‘Hot, Cool & Vicious’ Album – Today in Hip-Hop

On this day, Dec. 8, in hip-hop history...

1986: 32 years ago today, female hip-hop collective Salt-n-Pepa stepped on the scene with their debut album Hot, Cool & Vicious, which was released on Next Plateau Records.

With the release of this album, Salt, Pepa and DJ Spinderella became one of the first all-female rap group to release a full length project, which later earned them the title of being the very first American female rap group to have an album reach gold and platinum status. The 1987 re-release of Hot, Cool, & Vicious featured the smash hit "Push It," one of Salt-n-Pepa's most iconic singles to this day. The single also climbed its way to the top of the charts and became certified platinum on its own.

In order to give the nine-track debut project its distinct sound, the New York natives collaborated with a plethora of artists including Bootsy Collins, George Clinton, Jimmy McCracklin, Hurby Azor, Anita Pointer, Lowell Fulson and more.

Aside from the success of "Push It," the album was filled with other hit singles like, "Tramp," "The Showstopper," "I'll Take Your Man," and "My Mic Sound Nice," which took over the club and radio scene at the time. Salt-N-Pepa not only made their mark in hip-hop history with this album, but they also propelled the careers of future female MCs.

To date, Salt-n-Pepa are still doing their thing in a big way including headlining as part of the "I Love the 90s" tour over the past couple of years, performing on the Ship-Hop cruise alongside Naughty by Nature and Coolio and even closing out the 2018 Billboard Music Awards with a memorable performance of some of their greatest hits.

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