Salt and Pepa

The New York group's debut, Hot, Cool & Vicious, appeared in 1986. Push It became the breakthrough recording associated with that first album, its electronic figure and insistent rhythm establishing a setting that remained instantly recognisable. DJ Spinderella became an important part of the group's public and musical identity, alongside the contrasting voices of Salt and Pepa.

A Salt with a Deadly Pepa followed in 1988, before Blacks' Magic in 1990 brought Expression and Let's Talk About Sex. The latter used the direct language of a pop hook to open a subject that was often either sensationalised or avoided. The delivery mattered: the record sounded like people taking charge of a conversation rather than waiting for someone else to define it.

Very Necessary arrived in 1993, including Shoop, None of Your Business and Whatta Man with En Vogue. Each single found a different balance between a rap performance and a melodic hook. Whatta Man made especially effective use of the guest group's harmonies, giving the record another set of voices without reducing Salt-N-Pepa to visitors on their own track.

The music's confidence was not a single fixed attitude. It could be flirtatious, amused, confrontational or matter-of-fact, sometimes within one song. That range is a substantial part of the achievement: the group made successful pop records while giving women space to speak about desire, boundaries and pleasure in their own accents. The humour helped those subjects travel, but never made the performers seem less in command.