Salt-N-Pepa
Very Necessary (Next Plateau/London)
Brooklyn Klezmer artist Daniella Rabbani told us about her love for a Salt-N-Pepa classic...
Daniella Rabbani: I mean, is there anything better than knowing every single word to “Shoop” and then belting it at the top of your lungs the second it comes on? This is, of course, a hypothetical question. There is not. I first got the “Whatta Man” CD single, which I swear had three different versions of the song on it. I was obsessed. Then I got Very Necessary and absolutely devoured it - until my mom heard the lyrics and promptly confiscated it. Fair enough. But every single word is still up here (I’m pointing to my head, mmkay).
There’s just something about the soundtrack of your childhood. And yes, I realize this is subjective, but the millennial soundtrack wins. It was loud, confident girlhood, and Salt-N-Pepa weren’t interested in playing by anyone else’s rules. They rapped about men the way male rappers had been rapping about women for years. They gave us “Let’s Talk About Sex,” for Godsake! And the beat. Nothing comes close IMHO.
Daniella Rabbani's album Klezmerette is out October 16.
Photo courtesy of the National Yiddish Theater Yiddish Sing along at Summerstage 2025.
