Salt-N-Pepa is an American hip-hop trio from Queens in New York City. The group, consisting of Cheryl James ("Salt"), Sandra Denton ("Pepa"), and Deidre "Dee Dee" Roper ("Spinderella") was formed in 1985. They released their debut album "Hot, Cool & Vicious" in 1986. The album was a commercial success, earning the group a gold record. The group released their second studio album, "A Salt with a Deadly Pepa" in 1988. "A Salt with a Deadly Pepa" was a hit that got certified gold in the United States and the United Kingdom by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The album produced two singles, "Shake Your Thang" and "Get Up Everybody (Get Up)" that respectively made the top-10 R&B entry and the top-20 R&B entry. The album also made a song, "Twist and Shout" that went on to peak at no 4 on the UK Singles Chart. The trio's next album, Blacks' Magic was released on March 19 in 1990, by Next Plateau Records and London Records. This album by Salt-N-Pepa featured the Top 10 single "Do You Want Me". In 1993, the trio Salt-N-Pepa won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album with "Very Necessary." The album is arguably their greatest hits album that features the hits "Let's Talk About Aids" and "Shoop". "Very Necessary" was certified 5× platinum by the RIAA in the United States, 4× platinum in Canada, and a platinum by ARIA in Australia. They also dropped a single in 1993 that was called "Whatta Man." "Whatta Man" is a sampled song from the original version of "What a Man" written by Dave Crawford and recorded for Stax Records' Volt imprint by Linda Lyndell. The re-mastered song by Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue became a commercial success reaching the top ten in several countries like Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The group's final studio album, "Brand New" was released in 1997 and it featured the single, "Push It", which was a re-recording of their 1986 hit. The album was not as successful as their previous albums but still went gold. In 1999, the group announced they were breaking up. They have since reunited for various tours and one-off performances. Salt-N-Pepa is one of the most successful female rap groups of all time, having sold over 20 million records worldwide. They are also credited with helping to break down barriers for women in hip hop and pave the way for future female rappers.