Sandra Jacqueline Denton, known to the world as Pepa or Pep, is a Jamaican-American rapper. Born on November 9, either in 1964 or 1969, she is most famous for her role in the groundbreaking female rap trio Salt-N-Pepa.
Salt-N-Pepa in 2007. From left to right: Spinderella, Salt, Pepa.
Early Life and Childhood
Sandra Jacqueline Denton was born in Kingston, Jamaica, to Charles and Enid Denton. The youngest of eight children, she spent her early years on a farm with her grandmother until the age of six. When she was three, her family moved to Queens, New York, and she later joined them.
Denton has been a performer since childhood. She was sent to live with her elder sister Patsy in Logan, Utah, at the age of 15. According to Denton, she was the only Black student attending Logan High School during that time. During her time in Utah, Denton became inspired by rock music; citing AC/DC and Led Zeppelin as her inspirations.
The Rise of Salt-N-Pepa
Pepa's journey into music began when she met Cheryl James, also known as Salt. While working as customer service representatives at Sears, they met aspiring producer Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor. With the production by Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor whom she and James met while working as customer service representatives at Sears, James and Denton released a single called "The Showstopper" which became a moderate R&B hit in late 1985.
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They were joined with Latoya Hanson who was the original DJ of the group. Shortly after in 1986, Deidra "Spinderella" Roper joined as the group's DJ as a full-length debut album, Hot, Cool & Vicious, was being released. The group released a total of five studio albums: Hot, Cool, and Vicious (1986), A Salt with a Deadly Pepa (1988), Blacks' Magic (1990), Very Necessary (1993), and Brand New (1997), plus several greatest hits albums.
Salt-N-Pepa moved beyond local hip-hop success to wider fame when a remix of their B-side "Push It" was released nationally in 1988 and became a hit. Their third album, Blacks' Magic, included their biggest hit to date, the frankly worded "Let's Talk About Sex." Their fourth album, 1993's Very Necessary, completed Salt-N-Pepa's transition from New York rap to the top of the national pop charts. Its singles included "Shoop," "Whatta Man" (for which they teamed up with the R&B group En Vogue) and "None of Your Business," a Grammy winner for Best Rap Performance in 1994.
By the time Salt-N-Pepa officially parted ways in 2002, they were recognized as one of the first and most important female hip-hop groups and as musicians who successfully bridged the worlds of rap and pop. Other women in hip-hop, from Queen Latifah to Missy Elliott to Lil' Kim, say that Denton, James and Roper have inspired and influenced them.
Salt-N-Pepa Reflect on Difficulties Breaking into Hip Hop As Women
Life After Salt-N-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa disbanded in 2002, several months after their Brand New album was released on Red Ant Records. Denton's co-group member Cheryl James had stated she was ready to leave the music industry. The trio reunited for a performance on VH1's Hip Hop Honors program on 22 September 2005.
Acting Career
Denton's acting credits also include the motion picture Joe's Apartment, an appearance in the HBO movie First Time Felon, and a stint as Officer Andrea Phelan on the HBO drama, Oz. She starred on The Surreal Life: Fame Games. Denton teamed up with James for VH1's The Salt-N-Pepa Show.
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Reality TV
She starred in her own reality show on the network entitled Let's Talk About Pep, word-play on the group's hit song "Let's Talk About Sex".
Poster for Let's Talk About Pep reality show.
Autobiography and Social Network
In August 2008, Denton released her autobiography, which was also entitled Let's Talk About Pep. It was co-written by Karen Hunter, and it offered a look behind the fame, family, failures, and successes of her life in one of hip-hop's most successful groups. It features an introduction by Queen Latifah, and an epilogue by Missy Elliott. To accommodate the book, Pepa launched her own social network for her fans.
Personal Life
Denton once dated and was engaged to rapper Prince Markie Dee sometime during the mid-1980s. She also briefly dated actor Will Smith.
Children
On 6 July 1990, Denton gave birth to her first child, a son she had with New York rapper Tyran "Tah-Tah" Moore whom she named Tyran Denton Jr. She made a guest appearance on Ricki Lake in 1994, teaching teenage girls the responsibilities of being a mother. Denton and Treach had one daughter, Egypt Jahnari Criss (born 2 September 1998).
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Marriage to Treach
On 2 April 1999, Denton married Treach (whose real name is Anthony Criss) of the rap group Naughty by Nature at a Lawrence, Kansas tattoo parlor after dating on and off for seven years. Their wedding ceremony was held at their home in Morristown, New Jersey, on 24 July 1999.
Egypt Criss and "Growing Up Hip Hop"
The relationship between Egypt Criss and Sam Mattick has been a central focus of Growing Up Hip Hop. As the daughter of Naughty By Nature's Treach and Salt-n-Pepa's Sandra "Pepa" Denton, Egypt has plenty of people looking out for her. The relationship between Egypt Criss and Sam Mattick has been a central focus of Growing Up Hip Hop.
In late January 2022, Egypt and Sam married in Las Vegas, and of course, both Sandra and Treach were attendees at the intimate wedding ceremony. However, their big day didn’t come without trials along the way.
“I am a mom first, and I'm all about the love for my child before the likes,” the rapper told Distractify. “I can support her. I don't always have to agree with what she does.”
Legacy and Influence
Sandra "Pepa" Denton's journey from Kingston, Jamaica, to becoming a hip-hop icon is a testament to her talent, resilience, and impact on music and culture. As one half of a female rap duo who took over the globe in the late '80s, Sandra is no stranger to the spotlight.
Though the future of Egypt and Sam’s love story is still unwritten, Pepa has faith that her daughter can handle anything the world throws at her.
Pepa and Egypt Criss
| Project | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Hot, Cool & Vicious | Album | 1986 |
| A Salt with a Deadly Pepa | Album | 1988 |
| Blacks' Magic | Album | 1990 |
| Very Necessary | Album | 1993 |
| Brand New | Album | 1997 |
| Joe's Apartment | Movie | N/A |
| The Salt-N-Pepa Show | Reality TV Series | 2007 |
| Let's Talk About Pep | Autobiography | 2008 |
| Let's Talk About Pep | Reality TV Show | 2010 |
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