Filed under: Music, News, Celeb Updates
BlackVoices.com has learned that Grammy Award-winning rap act Salt-N-Pepa are embarking on a 20-city Legends of Hip-Hop Tour to commemorate the 25th anniversary of their first album release, 1986's 'Hot, Cool, & Vicious.'The tour, which will feature such additional hip-hop heavyweights as MC Lyte, Doug E. Fresh, Kool Moe Dee, Slick Rick, Naughty by Nature, Biz Markie, Rob Base, Whodini, and Kurtis Blow, will kick-off Feb. 4 in Cleveland, Ohio at the Wolstein Center.
Salt-N-Pepa, which consists of Cheryl "Salt" James, Sandy "Pepa" Denton, and Deidre "Dee Dee" Roper (DJ Spinderella) broke barriers in rap as an all-women rap crew, who opened doors for other women in the male-dominated hip-hop industry. With such hit songs as 'Push It,' 'Shoop,' and 'Whatta Man,' Salt-N-Pepa intertwined such themes as safe sex and female empowerment in their songs. As a testament to their talent, the trio have held their own for a quarter century in an industry that has seen many acts come and go.
The group, which officially reunited in large part because of the VH1 reality show 'The Salt-N-Pepa Show,' realized that their fans have been itching for a reunion, and decided to put aside their differences and make the tour and other ventures materialize.
"We encounter so many people who said they long to hear and see us again in concert," Salt said. "People really miss seeing us out there. They come up to us and mention that our music touched them, brings back so many great memories for them and helped them just see life differently."
Speaking to the unprecedented success of a smaller version of the tour in 2010, Pepa added, "Last year, the response was incredible. From Atlanta to DC, we sold out each date. People really want to see us and we really wanted to make this happen for our fans. Also, the timing was just right and it just all came together perfectly."
LEGENDS OF HIP-HOP TOUR DATES
February 4 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center
February 4 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center
February 5 Buffalo, TX Shea's PAC
February 11 Miami, FL James L. Knight Center
February 12 New Orleans, LA Lakefront Arena
February 13 Kansas City, MO Municipal Auditorium
February 18 Philadelphia, PA Liacouras Center
February 19 Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena
February 20 Newark, NJ PAC
February 25 Jacksonville, FL Coliseum
February 26 Washington, DC Constitution Hall
March 4 Columbia, SC Township Auditorium
March 5 Baton Rouge, LA Riverside Centroplex
March 11 Norfolk, VA Constant Conv. Ctr
March 12 St. Louis, MO Chaifetz Arena
March 13 Memphis, TN DeSoto Civic Center
March 18 Nashville, TN Municipal Auditorium
March 19 Chicago, IL Arie Crown Theater
March 25 Richmond, VA Coliseum
March 26 Dallas, TX Dallas Convention Center
April 2 Atlanta, GA Civic Center