One thing that separated Salt-N-Pepa from their contemporaries is that they didn’t tone down their femininity in order to compete with their male counterparts. They were able to be themselves. But it did take some struggle. As they explained to Nas and Minya, Salt and Pepa had to break from the artistic control of their mentor Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor in order to be able to feel completely free. They also talked about “Let’s Talk About Sex,” and why they felt the need to turn the hit song into a PSA about AIDS, and how they dealt with being called “sell-outs” when their music crossed over in a major way.

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