Salt N Pepa

Salt-N-Pepa's brief but arresting cameo appearance on the debut installment of the new "Vibe" TV show last week should have been a well-timed bit of promotion. The hip-hop trio was scheduled to release its "Brand New" album--the follow-up to the group's 1993 multi-platinum collection "Very Necessary"--on Tuesday. But instead of sending its fans record shopping, the group is unexpectedly shopping itself--for a new label.

Rap Genius is getting its paper on. The popular online community that sprang up around rap lyrics just raised $15 million from Silicon Valley venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, who are betting the trio behind the website can move beyond the coded language of rap to decoding everything from the Beatles to the Bible. One would presume that the catalyst behind this rare convergence between the worlds of rappers and coders was Horowitz, known for expressing business principles with rap lyrics.

Get up on this! With their numerous hit singles, awards and television appearances, Salt-N-Pepa 's place in the hip-hop pantheon is secure. Cheryl "Salt" James and Sandra "Pepa" Denton take a break from recording their new album to return to the stage at Club Nokia. These megawatt female throwback rap icons are meant to be seen in small venues, where sweaty grinding is optimal. Club Nokia, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., L.A. 7 p.m. Sat. $38-$50. clubnokia.com.

Regardless of Die Antwoord's mythology, one fact not up for debate is the rap-rave trio's skills behind a microphone. Like another recently rehabilitated white rapper (that'd be Eminem), frontman Ninja found his own rhythmically exacting flow that functions as a serving tray for his Afrikaans slang and droll boasting. Yo-Landi Vi$$er plays the role of sneering, unattainable sex kitten, a beloved trope in rap from Salt-N-Pepa to Nicki Minaj. She sees no schism between thrusting a hand up her crop-top and dropping low at Ninja's behest while wearing oversized sweat pants with a vulgar and definitive rejection notice printed across the rear.

"This is girls' night out!" proclaimed premier female rappers Salt-N-Pepa early in their Greek Theatre show on Wednesday, leaving no doubt about who they consider their core constituency, and adding as a word to the wise: "You might want to send your fella out to get a drink, 'cause I'm telling you, the guys ain't gonna like this part of the show." They weren't bluffing, either, these platinum-selling single mothers. The following minutes brought a fusillade of warnings and encouragements.

Few other women in rap have a firmer grip on the in-your-face concept of machisma than this spicy three-female unit. They seldom deal in heavyweight social matters but when it comes to voicing a swaggering sense of selfhood, Salt-N-Pepa delivers. "Negro Wit' An Ego" has strong comedic energy. "Expression," written/produced by Cheryl (Salt) James with a power-to-the-individual emphasis, is one of the wittiest rap tracks to emerge this year.

Regardless of Die Antwoord's mythology, one fact not up for debate is the rap-rave trio's skills behind a microphone. Like another recently rehabilitated white rapper (that'd be Eminem), frontman Ninja found his own rhythmically exacting flow that functions as a serving tray for his Afrikaans slang and droll boasting. Yo-Landi Vi$$er plays the role of sneering, unattainable sex kitten, a beloved trope in rap from Salt-N-Pepa to Nicki Minaj. She sees no schism between thrusting a hand up her crop-top and dropping low at Ninja's behest while wearing oversized sweat pants with a vulgar and definitive rejection notice printed across the rear.

Rap Genius is getting its paper on. The popular online community that sprang up around rap lyrics just raised $15 million from Silicon Valley venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, who are betting the trio behind the website can move beyond the coded language of rap to decoding everything from the Beatles to the Bible. One would presume that the catalyst behind this rare convergence between the worlds of rappers and coders was Horowitz, known for expressing business principles with rap lyrics.

Salt-N-Pepa's "Very Necessary" moved up two notches to No. 10, boosted by the album's second hit single, "Whatta Man." No other female rap act--and few male rappers for that matter--can touch the group's commercial success. Mariah Carey continues to lead a chart that contains a few surprises, among them the alternative-rock group Counting Crows, whose hit "August and Everything After" wings its way from No. 32 to No. 13. Ace of Base's album "The Sign" rose two rungs to No.

Salt-N-Pepa delivered the sassy charisma and party-time energy Thursday at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana that are two of the veteran New York-based hip-hop trio's most appealing trademarks. Most remarkable was Cheryl (Salt) James, who performed while six months pregnant.

Get up on this! With their numerous hit singles, awards and television appearances, Salt-N-Pepa 's place in the hip-hop pantheon is secure. Cheryl "Salt" James and Sandra "Pepa" Denton take a break from recording their new album to return to the stage at Club Nokia. These megawatt female throwback rap icons are meant to be seen in small venues, where sweaty grinding is optimal. Club Nokia, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., L.A. 7 p.m. Sat. $38-$50. clubnokia.com.

The Spice Girls may claim to represent Girl Power, but those synthetic British bandmates are mere poseurs when compared with the three empowered and empowering females in Salt-N-Pepa. At the Galaxy Concert Theatre in Santa Ana on Thursday night, the New York-based Salt-N-Pepa delivered the sassy charisma and party-time energy that are two of its most appealing trademarks.

Salt-N-Pepa delivered the sassy charisma and party-time energy Thursday at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana that are two of the veteran New York-based hip-hop trio's most appealing trademarks. Most remarkable was Cheryl (Salt) James, who performed while six months pregnant.

There probably isn't any area of music that promises a shorter career than rap. That Salt-N-Pepa is still making records after more than 10 years in the business rates a mention by Ripley. While it would be crass to call them the elder stateswomen of rap, this sassy trio did set the stage for younger, sexually expressive upstarts such as Foxy Brown and Lil' Kim. What's "new" about Salt-N-Pepa is the religious messages in some of this album's tracks.

Being a member of Salt-N-Pepa, the most successful female rap group of all time, has its stressful moments. After a long morning of interviews and radio appearances, the pressure isenough to drive one member of the trio up a wall. "Stop that!"

Salt-N-Pepa's brief but arresting cameo appearance on the debut installment of the new "Vibe" TV show last week should have been a well-timed bit of promotion. The hip-hop trio was scheduled to release its "Brand New" album--the follow-up to the group's 1993 multi-platinum collection "Very Necessary"--on Tuesday. But instead of sending its fans record shopping, the group is unexpectedly shopping itself--for a new label.

Salt-N-Pepa isn't the only rap group gunning for Run-D.M.C.'s crown--but it's just about the only one with the distinction of being female. "I don't like the fact that there are so few women in rap," says Cheryl James (Salt). "Rap is hardcore street music but there are women out there who can hang with the best male rappers. What holds us back is that girls tend to rap in these high, squeaky voices. It's irritating. You've gotta rap from the diaphragm.

There probably isn't any area of music that promises a shorter career than rap. That Salt-N-Pepa is still making records after more than 10 years in the business rates a mention by Ripley. While it would be crass to call them the elder stateswomen of rap, this sassy trio did set the stage for younger, sexually expressive upstarts such as Foxy Brown and Lil' Kim. What's "new" about Salt-N-Pepa is the religious messages in some of this album's tracks.

"This is girls' night out!" proclaimed premier female rappers Salt-N-Pepa early in their Greek Theatre show on Wednesday, leaving no doubt about who they consider their core constituency, and adding as a word to the wise: "You might want to send your fella out to get a drink, 'cause I'm telling you, the guys ain't gonna like this part of the show." They weren't bluffing, either, these platinum-selling single mothers. The following minutes brought a fusillade of warnings and encouragements.

Salt-N-Pepa's "Very Necessary" moved up two notches to No. 10, boosted by the album's second hit single, "Whatta Man." No other female rap act--and few male rappers for that matter--can touch the group's commercial success. Mariah Carey continues to lead a chart that contains a few surprises, among them the alternative-rock group Counting Crows, whose hit "August and Everything After" wings its way from No. 32 to No. 13. Ace of Base's album "The Sign" rose two rungs to No.