Salt-N-Pepa say they weren't always respected in hip-hop
Hip-hop pioneers Salt-N-Pepa discuss their early struggles for respect in the male-dominated music industry of the 1980s. The group reflects on how they used 'diss tracks' to gain attention and eventually paved the way for future generations of female rappers.
Why it matters
It highlights the historical challenges faced by women in hip-hop and the group's role in shifting the genre's gender dynamics.
Salt-N-Pepa helped kick down the door for women in hip-hop. Four decades later, fans are still lining up. ( Supplied: MG Live )
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Decades before Kendrick Lamar took on Drake , even well before Biggie and Tupac's storied rivalry , the first hip-hop diss track came from a teenage girl from Queens, New York.
In 1985, Roxanne Shante released Roxanne's Revenge, a searing response to rap group UTFO's 1984 hit Roxanne, Roxanne, the 14-year-old clapping back with a devastating mix of confidence and sass.
Noticing the attention it received, two fellow young New York women, Cheryl James and Sandra Denton, tried a similar tack.
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