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On the May 9 episode of The Tamron Hall Show, Salt-N-Pepa’s Cheryl James got real about her struggles, such as being pressured to have an abortion as a mother pursuing a growing career in music.
As the pressures of being famous is especially hard on women–let alone Black women–in the entertainment industry, Hall asked for the female emcees’ take on having it all– the career, family and the naysayers who still say it’s a pipe dream.
James, who takes on the name of “Salt” in the iconic hip-hop duo, disclosed some personal insight to the talk show host when she got pregnant during a peak time in her career.
“They do get scared. I don’t think I’ve ever said this out loud, oooh Tamron,” begins the 57-year-old. “I was actually asked to have an abortion — I won’t say by who — but to your point, yeah, you just have to know that you’re capable of handling if you want a kid and you want to have a career.”
However, the now mother of two admits that raising a family while in the music industry is “definitely harder” than being single.
Before James’ shocking reveal, Sandra Denton, known as Pepa, was initially surprised that, after all this time, critics still doubted their ability to juggle motherhood and professional success.
“They still sayin’ that? And that was why we are true to who we are. They could recognize ’cause we wanted to be moms, and we was moms. We said, ‘We can do it,’ and whatever came my way, I handled it, which was taking the good with the bad…cause someone had to do it!” Denton said.
And while having a family, even performing while pregnant, has since been normalized by industry giants such as Beyoncé, Cardi B and, more recently, Rihanna at the Super Bowl Halftime show, Salt-N-Pepa were the pioneers of working moms on world tours.
James even says her children only made her life experience better beyond fame.
“Having my daughter, besides finding Jesus, is the best thing that I’ve ever experienced…like, I needed that lil’ baby in my life, you know? She kept me company on the road,” James said.
The rest of the interview, which goes deeper into Salt-N-Pepa’s journey in hip-hop and their personal lives, can be found on The Tamron Hall Show’s website.
