A Forty-Year Wait Ends
After more than four decades as a member of pioneering hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa, Cheryl "Salt" James has stepped out on her own. Her debut solo album, Salty N Lit, arrived Friday, September 25, on her own imprint, Salt Songs Inc. The 15-track project is the first solo record of the GRAMMY-winning MC's career, and it arrives ten months after she and Sandra "Pepa" Denton accepted the Musical Influence Award at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
What the Album Holds
The album takes its name from Matthew 5:13 — "Ye are the salt of the earth" — and James has been upfront about the record's spiritual spine while drawing a clear line: this is not a gospel album. "This ain't a gospel album but the gospel is all through it. There's no question about what I believe," she said in her album announcement, per Hip Hop Wired. "I don't have anything to prove, I'm just doing what I do. I ain't finished. I ain't done."
The guest list spans gospel, hip-hop, and R&B: Erica Campbell of Mary Mary, Chuck D, Shanice, Dee-1, Finn Matthews, and Elijah Blake appear across the 15 tracks, per 105.1 The Bounce. Four singles led the rollout — "Chosen," "Kings & Queens," "Diamonds in The Light," and "Overcomers" featuring Campbell (HitsCulture).
The release lands while James is on the road with Salt-N-Pepa, co-headlining the IT'S ICONIC Tour alongside TLC and En Vogue — the 34-date run wraps October 11 in Concord, California. A pioneer who helped prove women could run hip-hop, not just decorate it, gets the next chapter in her own voice.
Filed under The Wire, MixShow Prime's music industry news desk.
