Throwback Thursday: "Expression" by Salt-N-Pepa


As anyone who knows me knows, I am a self-proclaimed country (music) girl. Despite being born and raised in Philadelphia, my heartstrings most likely belong to a steel guitar. I worship at the altar of King George Strait and still consider The Judds' breakup one of the saddest things to ever happen in music.

Having said that, there is a part of my soul which belongs to hip-hop alone, a part craving its unmistakable, irreplaceable swagger and energy. For everything country music gives me, it cannot give me that.

Nothing else can.

And after the BET Awards took us back to 1994  with Brandy, MC Lyte, YoYo, and Queen Latifah's epic performance of "I Wanna Be Down (Remix)"the other night, I thought it fitting to dedicate today's Throwback Thursday category to the pioneering women of hip-hop, the ladies who paved the way for Kim, Foxy, and 'em.

And if I'm having this conversation, then I'm talking about Salt-N-Pepa.

Though "Whatta Man" is my favorite Salt-N-Pepa track--the En Vogueness of it all should make that obvious--the first SnP track I ever loved was from their third album, Blacks' Magic. As a young Christian girl not allowed to listen to secular music, I nevertheless saw this video on The Jukebox Network at my grandmother's house one afternoon, and my life was changed.

Though the camera work gives me vertigo and some of the outfits confuse and vex me, the song's simple, powerful message resonated with me then and still moves me nearly 25 years later.

"Go 'head, girls! Express yourselves!"




What say you? Hit me with a track from your favorite pioneering woman/women of hip-hop.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Guest Post: Marcena Hooks, Writing Process Blog Tour

Image
We're still touring, y'all! Having conquered the mysterious, belligerent assault on my stomach earlier this week--let's hope there's no encore performance--I hereby share Marcena Hooks' contribution to the Writing Process Blog Tour. She is excited to participate, and I gladly yield her the floor. Take it away, Marcena!
Read more

Book Review: "Me and Mom Fall for Spencer" by Diane Munier

Image
When recently asked what she thinks of the [ Twilight fanfiction] world, author Diane Munier said, “What [ Twilight author] SM achieved in my opinion was the ability to make women feel first love….That woman took us into the ache.” I hope Ms. Munier will pardon me for appropriating her words, but that statement perfectly encapsulates the magic of her own writing: this woman takes us into ourselves, moving us with a deeply satisfying story in the process. Through the eyes of her beautifully flawed characters, Munier takes us to the bottom of our souls, revealing everything we are and everything we wish we weren’t. We confront our pasts, unearthing treasures we never knew were there, and baby-step our way toward a future we didn’t know we could have. Munier has been doing it for years under the apt pseudonym “Counselor” in the Twilight fanfiction world, and she does it this time for the masses with her first fanfic-turned-novel, Me and Mom Fall for Spencer. In this p...
Read more

The After-Turkey Toil

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I hope the day brought you warmth, laughter, and tangible reminders of the beauty in your life. (And if not, here's a hug from my heart to yours.) Our day was full of exquisite cuisine--special shout out to my Dude for making a grilled BBQ turkey breast that made my mother slap me!--and new memories with old friends and family. It was a miracle, a literal answer to prayer, and I was so blessed to see it happen under our roof. But after everyone left, I was alone with the kitchen (point of fact: my Dude was taking people home; otherwise he would have been there with me.) You can imagine how it looked: slightly crumpled foil pans, half-full cups of juice, huge pots that wouldn't fit in the refrigerator, and a white kitchen floor tattooed with food and footprints. As I formed a plan of attack, I remembered those FB posts and Instagram pics of proud chefs with their culinary creations and wondered how many people are just as excited to fa...
Read more