Pepa (rapper)

Sandra Denton
Denton performing with Salt-n-Pepa at the Canberra Theatre, Australia in 2013.
Born	(1969-11-09) November 9, 1969 Kingston, Jamaica
Other names	Pepa Sandy Denton Pep
Education	Springfield Gardens High School
Occupations	Rapper singer songwriter actress
Spouse	Treach ​ ​ (m. 1999; div. 2001)​
Children	2
Musical career
Origin	Queens, New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Hip-Hop rap dance pop
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	1985–present
Labels	Next Plateau London PolyGram Red Ant

Sandra Denton (born November 9, 1969) better known by her stage name Pepa or Pep, is a Jamaican–born American hip hop artist/rapper and actress, best known for her work as a member of the female rap trio Salt-n-Pepa. Denton starred in The Salt-n-Pepa Show, a reality TV series focusing on reforming the group which aired on the VH1 network in 2008.

Early life and education

Born in Kingston, Jamaica to Jamaican parents, Denton was the youngest of nine children. Denton lived on a farm in Jamaica with her grandmother until she was six years old. Denton's family moved to Queens, New York when she was three; and she later joined them in 1975. Denton has been a performer since childhood. Although her personality was full with joy growing up, Denton was molested as a child. Denton released a book about her life in 2008 entitled "Let's 'Talk About Pep'" in which she talked about being molested, her many abusive relationships, and how Salt-N-Pepa formed.

In 1981, Denton was sent to live with an older sister in Logan, Utah so she could have a better life. In Utah, Denton was the only African-American student attending Logan High School during that time. Denton became inspired by rock music during her time in Utah. After a year in Utah, Denton returned to New York, later graduating from Springfield Gardens High School in 1985. In the fall of the same year, Denton enrolled at Queensborough Community College to study nursing. While there, Denton met fellow student Cheryl "Salt" James.

Career

With production by Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor, James and Denton released a single called "The Showstopper" which became a moderate R&B hit in 1985. They were joined with Latoya Hanson who was the original DJ of the group. Shortly after in 1986, Deidra "Spinderella" Roper joined as the group's DJ as a full-length debut album, Hot, Cool & Vicious, was being released. The trio released a total of five studio albums: "Hot, Cool, and Vicious" (1986), A Salt with a Deadly Pepa (1988), Blacks' Magic (1990), Very Necessary (1993), and Brand New (1997), plus several greatest hits albums. Salt-n-Pepa disbanded in 2002, several months after their Brand New album was released on Red Ant Records. Denton's group member Cheryl James had stated she was ready to leave the music industry. The trio reunited for a performance on VH1's Hip Hop Honors program on September 22, 2005. In 2005, Denton was a cast member of VH1's The Surreal Life (season 5).

Denton's acting credits also include the motion picture Joe's Apartment, an appearance in the HBO movie First Time Felon, and a stint as Officer Andrea Phelan on the HBO drama, Oz. She also starred on The Surreal Life: Fame Games. Salt-n-Pepa reformed in 2008, and are still in the process of releasing an album since reforming as they work out past issues. Denton teamed up with James for VH1's The Salt-N-Pepa Show. Denton also starred in her own reality show on the network entitled Let's Talk About Pep, a name play-off the group's hit song "Let's Talk About Sex". She can also be heard speaking Jamaican Patois in the song "Need U Bad" by Jazmine Sullivan. In August 2008, Denton released her autobiography, which was also entitled Let's Talk About Pep. It was co-written by Karen Hunter, and it offered a look behind the fame, family, failures, and successes of her life in one of hip-hop's most successful groups. It features an introduction by Queen Latifah, and an epilogue by Missy Elliott. To accommodate the book, Pepa launched her own social network for her fans. On October 23, 2008 Salt-N-Pepa performed at the BET Hip Hop Awards. In January 2011, Denton appeared in an episode of the TBS sitcom "Are We There Yet?" as a woman who falls for the Terry Crews character of Nick.

Personal life

Denton once dated and was engaged to rapper Prince Markie Dee sometime during the mid–1980s. In 1990, Denton gave birth to her first child, a son she named Tyran Moore. Denton made a guest appearance on Ricki Lake in 1994, teaching teenage girls the responsibilities of being a mother. In April 1999, Denton married Treach of the rap group Naughty by Nature. Denton and Treach had one daughter, Egypt Jahnari Criss (born September 2, 1998). After allegations of physical abuse by Treach, they divorced in 2001.

Discography

Main article: Salt-n-Pepa discography

External links

• Official website
• Salt N Pepa Official website
• Sandra Denton at IMDb