Without naming any names, I think it’s safe to say that many of us have grown a bit weary with the current state of mainstream hip hop, particularly when it comes to female emcees. That’s why we “true hip hop” fans lose our collective minds whenever we get a taste of that old school flava from our living legends. Don’t believe me? Just watch the crowd during the “I Wanna Be Down (Remix)” at the BET Hip Hop Awards 2014 or the "Femcee Comeback" performance of “Not Tonight (Ladies Night Remix)” at the Soul Train Awards 2014. Plus MC Lyte’s dropping new music? Yes, yes, y’all! We love these women!
That’s why when I first saw the GEICO commercial featuring Sandra Denton, Cheryl James, and Deidra Roper — affectionately known to their fans as Salt-N-Pepa and DJ Spinderella — I had to pause. Granted, it’s not the first time that their 1987 megahit “Push It” has been used in an ad campaign. But what made me stop and take notice was their actual presence in the commercial.
Sure, it was a tad bit cheesy, but in a good way. I was loving how they recreated some of the choreography from the video and their comedic timing had me totally laughing by the end. Ironically, if this was back in the day, we might have labeled them as “sell-outs” for partnering with a corporation like GEICO and watering down the tone of the song. But times have changed. So I say make that money, y’all!
Enjoy the 30-second ad below, then get your old school groove on with the song’s original video.
