🎤💃🏽 Salt-N-Pepa an’ Issa Rae: Two Hip-Hop Stars Talking Story
⬇️ Pidgin | ⬇️ ⬇️ English
Eh, rememba wen Salt-N-Pepa an’ Issa Rae wuz jus’ busting out on da scene? Back den, all kine tings happen dat show how solid dey stay. Cheryl, or “Salt” James, wen rememba how Issa had da smarts fo’ start one Kickstarter account back in 2011. She needed da kala fo’ pau da first season of her YouTube show “Da Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” (2011-13). Dat move was so akamai an’ brave. Salt wen watch Issa from da side, building up her audience, den bringing dem over to HBO fo’ da show “Insecure.” 🎬📺
When you one artist, get plenny people who always like question your vision. Da ideas can get stretched an’ pulled in all kine directions, an’ dey can get all watered down. But from Salt’s point of view, Issa always wen follow her na’au. 💡💭
Den, Sandra “Pepa” Denton talk story about her own book, “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” from 2015. In da book, Issa talk about how she struggle with not feeling Black enough. Pepa can relate to dat one. Back wen Salt-N-Pepa wuz selling millions of records, dey called dem “crossover,” like dey wasn’t Black or hip enough. Now days, everybody likes be pop. It means you wen go global. Just like dem, Issa stay strong and was smart about her struggle, turning it into comedy. She kept it real, too. 🌍🎶
Issa Rae talk about how she wen grow up on Salt-N-Pepa. She always wen look up to dem as partners and how dey balance each other. It’s so hard fo’ one group fo’ last in this business, but dey continue to be unapologetic about who dey are and what dey’re about. Plenny of her inspiration as a writer comes from female rappers. She write to rap music. Back wen she was in middle school, she even wen try fo’ start her own rap groups because of Salt-N-Pepa. She had no business doing that, but dey made her think she could. 🎵💪🏽
She found her voice as an artist wen, as one teenager, she realized she could tell stories dat either make people laugh or feel something. With her web series “Da Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl,” get choke of her on top da camera — her sensibilities an’ sense of humor are on full display — an’ having da validation of dat being what launched her career was both so scary an’ fulfilling. It took her one while fo’ realize dat it was her voice she was introducing to da world. 🌎🔊
Eh, so dat’s da scoop on Salt-N-Pepa an’ Issa Rae, brah. Dey been tru da grind, staying solid and staying true to demselves. Dey all had to hustle hard, but dey made it big, staying true to their roots and making waves in da music an’ TV industry. 📣💥
NOW IN ENGLISH
🎤💃🏽 Salt-N-Pepa and Issa Rae: A Shared Journey of Hip-Hop Stars
Do you recall the rise of Salt-N-Pepa and Issa Rae? They faced numerous challenges early on, setting the stage for their success. Cheryl, or “Salt” James, remembers Issa showing her resourcefulness by starting a Kickstarter account back in 2011. She needed the funds to complete the first season of her YouTube show, “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” (2011-13). That move was seen as clever and courageous. Salt watched as Issa grew her audience and later took them with her to HBO for her new show, “Insecure.” 🎬📺
Being an artist involves constantly having your vision scrutinized. The ideas can be stretched and pulled in many directions, often resulting in their original essence being diluted. However, from what Salt could observe, Issa always stayed true to her intuition. 💡💭
Sandra “Pepa” Denton reflects on her own experiences shared in the 2015 book, “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl”. In this book, Issa discusses her struggle with not feeling “Black enough”. Pepa can relate to this feeling. During Salt-N-Pepa’s peak, when they were selling millions of records, they were labeled as a “crossover” act, suggesting they weren’t sufficiently Black or hip. Nowadays, everyone aspires to reach that status as it means going global. Like them, Issa remained resilient and strategically turned her struggle into a comedic narrative. She always kept it genuine. 🌍🎶
Issa Rae fondly reminisces about growing up with Salt-N-Pepa’s music. She admired their collaboration and the harmony between them. It’s challenging for a group to sustain in this industry, but they continually expressed themselves without any reservations about their identity and what they stand for. Much of Issa’s inspiration as a writer comes from female rappers. She writes to the rhythm of rap music. During her middle school days, she even attempted to form her own rap groups, inspired by Salt-N-Pepa. She may not have been fully prepared for that, but their influence led her to believe she could do it. 🎵💪🏽
She found her voice as an artist as a teenager when she realized she could narrate stories that either made people laugh or stirred their emotions. With her web series “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl,” she projected a lot of her personality on screen— her unique worldview and sense of humor are vividly evident. The affirmation she received from this, which became the launchpad of her career, was both exhilarating and intimidating. It took her some time to realize that she was introducing her unique voice to the world. 🌎🔊
And there you have it, the story of Salt-N-Pepa and Issa Rae. They’ve been through the trenches, remaining authentic and committed to their vision. They each had to work incredibly hard, but their success in music and television industry speaks volumes about staying true to one’s roots and making a significant impact. 📣💥
