At a time when the revolution of hip-hop was dominated by males, Salt ‘n’ Pepa rocked on the scene with a cool, sexy and direct approach to hip-hop. 
Not only were these women carefree black girls (way before it became a term or hashtag), but they sought to be unapologetically them from their lyrics, to their cultural expression.
In a 1995 interview with Interview Magazine, Salt said “we’re so daring and we don’t follow anybody’s agenda. We have our own agenda. That’s part of the reason we’ve been so successful.” The ostentatious, bold, and downright fresh style of these three ladies is just as prominent now with the resurgence of the 90s trend as it was back in the days of their music videos and media coverage.
Back in April, the ladies kicked off the 29-city I Love the ’90s tour, which included fellow rappers from the era like Coolio, Vanilla Ice, Biz Markie, and Kid ’n Play. Their influential outerwear of the 80s and 90s became not only precursors to today’s fashion, but also influential trademarks of the culture and essence of hip-hop as it was just forming.
We saw the coveted 80s trend manifested through distressed, ripped denim jeans and patched jackets for the video “Shake Your Thang,” the leather looks with the metal Venus emblem adornments in “Expression,” and plenty of the group’s T-shirt designs paired with their dance moves in hits like “Push It”. 
As we continue to see movements such as female empowerment, #MyBlackisBeautiful notions and a return to the 90s aesthetic in fashion brands and houses, we are forever reminded that these ladies set the bar way ahead of their time!
What influence did Salt n’ Pepa’s style have on you and your fashion sense? What’s your favorite song of theirs?
My favorite song, which still gets blasted quite often, is “Push It”, so check out their funky dance moves (and their true fashion sense) below:
