by Jameelah Mullen
May 15, 2025
The hip-hop queens ripped the stage for a worthy cause
Room to Read, a global education nonprofit that provides educational support to underserved communities, held its annual New York Gala on May 13 at Tribeca Rooftop.
The organization celebrated its silver jubilee with a performance by the legendary hip-hop duo, Salt-N-Pepa. The rappers, whose real names are Cheryl James (Salt) and Sandy Denton (Pepa), were excited about the gig, which they hyped on Instagram.
“Push it real good… for education! We’re excited to hit the stage at the @roomtoread New York Gala next month, supporting the organization’s mission to create a world where every child has the room to read, learn, and grow – because education changes everything.”
The Grammy-winning group performed a medley of their hits for 350 attendees. The event, hosted by Room to Read’s Regional Board of Directors, honored supporters who helped the organization raise more than $1 billion to support global education, including Goldman Sachs, which has invested more than $27 million in the organization.
The emcees are no strangers to lending their celebrity to a worthy cause. In 1992, at the height of the AIDS epidemic, the group remixed their song “Let’s Talk About Sex” to “Let’s Talk About AIDS” to raise awareness about safe sex and to debunk stigmas surrounding HIV and AIDS.
In 2020, Cheryl ‘Salt’ James recorded another remixed version of their hit song called “Let’s Talk About Salt.” The song, along with an animated music video, was a joint collaboration between Hip Hop Public Health and the American Heart Association aimed at teaching children the health risks of excessive sodium intake.
Salt-N-Pepa, along with DJ Spinderella, whose real name is Deidra Roper, will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 8 in Los Angeles.
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