On Monday, August 2, the 28th annuAl Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series at Wingate Field, hosted by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, will feature a tribute to old school hip-hop, including Salt-N-Pepa, Naughty By Nature and Slick Rick. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Concert Series in Crown Heights/Central Brooklyn and Seaside Summer Concert Series at Coney Island and have entertained hundreds of thousands of residents over the past three decades and remain the largest free concert series in the New York metropolitan area.
"Brooklyn is proud home to everyone from everywhere, so there is no better place in the world to enjoy music-the universal language," said BP Markowitz. "That's why I have been so proud to host free concerts at Coney Island for more than three decades, and in Central Brooklyn for 28 years. From Seaside's stellar lineup of Neil Sedaka, The Beach Boys and the B-52s, to MLK's George Clinton, Toni Braxton, and Sean Paul-not to mention a chance to catch the first lady of soul, Aretha Franklin, at both concert series-Brooklyn is once again the place to be for hot fun in the summertime."
Salt-N-Pepa were the first all-female rap group. Cheryl James (Salt) and Sandy Denton (Pepa) met as students at Queensborough Community College. With Cheryl's boyfriend, budding rap producer Hurby "Luvbug" Azor, the two cut Show Stopper, an "answer" song to Doug E. Fresh's The Show. The song became an underground hit, and the duo's first album, Hot, Cool, & Vicious, yielded three hits, including Push It, the first rap song to be nominated for a Grammy.
After adding a new DJ, Spinderella (Deidre "Dee Dee" Roper), the group recorded their second album, A Salt With a Deadly Pepa, featuring Shake Your Thang, a collaboration with the go-go legends EU. The next album, Black's Magic, featured their biggest hit to-date, Let's Talk About Sex (Salt-N-Pepa later re-recorded the song as Let's Talk About AIDS, with all proceeds going to AIDS research). The group's fourth album, 1993's Very Necessary, yielded the memorable hits Shoop and Whatta Man, a collaboration with En Vogue.
Riding high with all of their successes and at the height of their career, Salt-N-Pepa came to an abrupt end when James called it quits following the release of their last studio album, Brand New. After much soul-searching, her newfound devotion to her faith in Christ led her away from Salt and away from the secular sounds of Salt-N-Pepa.
It's been ten years, and through much angst, heartache, soul-searching, resentment, anger and pain, Salt-N-Pepa have reemerged, capturing some of their old magic in the hit reality show, The Salt-N-Pepa Show on VH1. Will there be a comeback album to follow? Stay tuned!
Who isn't down with Naughty By Nature? Even if you weren't born yet when the group stormed out of East Orange, NJ, in the early '90s, you know their songs. O.P.P., Hip-Hop Hooray, Uptown Anthem and Feel Me Flow helped solidify the Hip-Hop Nation. The group has sold four million albums, and received a Grammy, an American Music Award, and a Source Award. Their most recent single is Get To Know Me Better.
Ricky M.L. Walters, better known as Slick Rick, was born in London to Jamaican parents. In 1975, he moved with his family to the Bronx, and soon began entering (and winning) MC battles. His 1988 debut, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, topped the hip-hop/R&B charts, and became one of the first platinum rap albums. His most recent album, 1999's The Art of Storytelling, also went platinum.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Concert Series is celebrating its spectacular 28th season with a star-studded lineup of gospel, classic soul, contemporary, Caribbean and R&B artists. The free concerts begin 7:30 p.m. Monday nights at Wingate Field, entrances on Brooklyn Avenue between Rutland Road and Winthrop Street. Seating is limited so attendees should bring chairs.
The Seaside Summer Concert Series, now in its 32nd year, is the largest free outdoor music series in New York. Throughout the years, the Thursday night series has attracted top name classic rock, pop, oldies, contemporary and Latin performers to Asser Levy/Seaside Park, at West 5th Avenue and Surf Avenue in Coney Island. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Chair rentals will be available for $5, or concertgoers can bring their own chairs.
Performers are subject to change without notice. Call the concert hotline for updates at 718-222-0600, or visit www.brooklynconcerts.com.
