The next inductee from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025 has been eligible for a little over a decade and made it in on its first nomination. The rap trio Salt-N-Pepa is the latest in a growing contingent of hip-hop artists in the Hall.
Made up of Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandra Denton), and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper), Salt-N-Pepa was a pioneer for women rap artists. It was the first female rap group to have a Gold and Platinum album and the first to win a Grammy, and for awhile held the record for top-selling album by a woman or women in rap.
Salt-N-Pepa released five albums between 1986 and 1997, every one of which went Gold or Platinum. Their biggest success was 1993’s Very Necessary, which went 5X Platinum and featured the hits ‘Whatta Man’ and ‘Shoop.’ The album landed them their first Grammy and remains the top-selling album by a female rap group (only soloists Lauryn Hill and Cardi B have released bigger albums).
Dubbed the “First Ladies of Rap,” Salt-N-Pepa are trailblazers who certainly have the stats and the songs to support their inclusion in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Hey, yeah
I wanna shoop, baby (Shoop)
Ooh, how you doing, baby? (Shoop)
No, not you, you (Shoop)
The bow-legged one, haha, yeah, what’s your name? (Shoop)
Damn, baby, that sounds sexy, uh (Shoop)
[Verse 1: Pepa]
Here I go, here I go, here I go again (Again)
Girls, what’s my weakness? (Men!) Okay then
Chilling, chilling, minding my business (Word)
Yo Salt, I looked around and I couldn’t believe this
I swear, I stared, my niece my witness
The brother had it going on with something kinda, uh (Shoop)
Wicked, wicked, had to kick it
I’m not shy, so I asked for the digits (Shoop)
A ho, no, that don’t make me
See what I want, slip-slide to it swiftly
Felt it in my hips so I dipped back to my bag of tricks
Then I flipped for a tip, make me wanna do tricks on him (Shoop)
Lick him like a lollipop should be licked
Came to my senses and I chilled for a bit
Don’t know how you do the voodoo that you do
So well it’s a spell, hell, makes me wanna shoop-shoop-shoop (Shoop)
[Chorus: Salt]
Shoop-a-doop, shoop-a-doop
Shoop-a-doop-a-doop-a-doop
Shoop-a-doop, shoop-a-doop
Shoop-a-doop-a-doop-a-doop (Um)
[Verse 2: Salt]
You’re packed and you’re stacked, ‘specially in the back
Brother, wanna thank your mother for a butt like that (Thanks, Mom)
Can I get some fries with that shake-shake boobie?
If looks could kill you would be an Uzi
Or a shotgun, bang! What’s up with that thang?
I wanna know, How does it hang? (Shoop)
Straight up, wait up, hold up, Mr. Lover
Like Prince said you’re a sexy motha— well, uh (Shoop)
I like ’em real wild, b-boy style by the mile
Smooth Black skin with a smile (Shoop)
Bright as the sun, I wanna have some fun
Come and give me some of that yum-yum chocolate chip (Come on, come on)
Honey dip, can I get a scoop? (Please)
Baby, take a ride in my coupe, you make me wanna (Shoop)
[Pre-Chorus]
Baby
Ayy-hey
Ayy-hey (Shoop)
Don’t you know I wanna shoop, baby? (Shoop)
[Chorus]
Shoop-a-doop, shoop-a-doop
Shoop-a-doop-a-doop-a-doop (Shoop)
Shoop-a-doop, shoop-a-doop
Shoop-a-doop-a-doop-a-doop (Shoop)
[Verse 3: Pepa]
Well, let me bring you back to the subject, Pep’s on the set
Make you get hot, make you work up a sweat
When you skip-to-my-lou, my darling
Not falling in love, but I’m falling for your
Super sperm (Hm), when I get ya
Bet your bottom dollar you are best under pressure
Yo, Sandy, I wanna, like, taste you
Getcha, getcha lips wet cause it’s time to have Pep (Shoop)
[Verse 4: Salt]
On your mark, get set, go, let me go, let me shoop
To the next man in the three-piece suit
I spend all my do-re-mi, cutie
Shoop, shoop a-doobie like Scooby-Dooby-Doo (Shoop)
I love you in your big jeans, you give me nice dreams
You make me wanna scream, ooh-ooh-ooh
I like what you do when you do
What you do, you make me wanna shoop (Shoop)
[Chorus]
Shoop-a-doop, shoop-a-doop
Shoop-a-doop-a-doop-a-doop (Shoop)
Shoop-a-doop, shoop-a-doop
Shoop-a-doop-a-doop-a-doop (Shoop)
[Interlude: Salt]
Oh my goodness
Mm, girl, look at him (Shoop)
He is the cutest brother in here
And he’s comin’ this way, ooh (Shoop)
[Verse 5: Big Twan & Salt]
S and the P wanna get with me, cool (Uh-huh)
But I’m wicked, G, (Yeah) hit skins but never quickly (That’s right)
I hit the skins for the hell of it, just for the yell I get
Mm-mm-mm, for the smell of it (Smell of it)
They want my bod, here’s the hot rod (Hot rod)
Twelve inches to a yard (Damn) and have you sounding like a retard (Yeah)
Big ‘Twan Lover, six-two, wanna hit you
So what you wanna do? What you wanna do? (Mm, I wanna shoop)
[Chorus]
Shoop-a-doop, shoop-a-doop
Shoop-a-doop-a-doop-a-doop (Shoop)
Shoop-a-doop, shoop-a-doop
Shoop-a-doop-a-doop-a-doop (Shoop)
Meet Me In Montauk 