Pepa (rapper) Biography: Husband, Children, Age, Parents, Height, Net Worth, Songs, Albums, Plastic Surgery
Sandra Jacqueline Denton, known professionally as Pepa, is a Jamaican-American rapper, singer, and actress, best known as a founding member of the hip-hop trio Salt-N-Pepa.
Pepa was born on November 9, 1969, in Kingston, Jamaica, and is 57 years old. She is the youngest of eight children of Charles Denton and Enid Denton.
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She grew up in Queens, New York, and studied nursing at Queensborough Community College, where she met Cheryl James, known as Salt.
The pair formed Salt-N-Pepa in 1985 and signed with Next Plateau, later joined by DJ Deidra Roper, known as Spinderella. A remix of “Push It” became a national hit in 1988, and the 1993 album Very Necessary, which carried “Shoop”, took Salt-N-Pepa to the top of the pop charts alongside “Let’s Talk About Sex”.
The group received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2025. Pepa also starred in The Salt-N-Pepa Show and Growing Up Hip Hop, and published the memoir Let’s Talk About Pep in 2008.
In her personal life, Pepa married Anthony Criss, known as “Treach” of Naughty by Nature, in 1999, and they divorced in 2001. She has two children, a son named Tyran and a daughter named Egypt.
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| Wiki Facts & About Data | |
| Real Name: | Sandra Jacqueline Denton |
| Stage Name: | Pepa |
| Born: | November 9, 1966 (age 60 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Kingston, Jamaica |
| Nationality: | Jamaican-American |
| Ethnicity: | Afro-Jamaican |
| Education: | High School in Queens, New York; Queensborough Community College (Nursing) |
| Height: | 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) |
| Religion: | Christianity |
| Parents: | Charles Denton, Enid Denton |
| Siblings: | Seven |
| Spouse: | Treach (m. 1999-2001) |
| Relationship: | Prince Markie Dee (1980s), Tyran Moore, Will Smith, Treach (1992-2001) |
| Children: | Tyran Moore Jr., Egypt Jahnari Criss |
| Occupation: | Rapper, Singer, Songwriter, Actress, Television Personality |
| Net Worth: | $10 million-$15 million |
Early Life & Education
Pepa was born Sandra Jacqueline Denton on November 9, 1966, in Kingston, Jamaica, which makes her a Scorpio.
She is Afro-Jamaican by ethnicity and was raised Christian, the predominant religion in Jamaica.
Born to her father, Charles Denton, and her mother, Enid Denton (née Hyacinth), she is the youngest of eight children and grew up with seven older siblings.
Pepa spent her first six years on a farm in Jamaica, living with her grandmother, before the family settled in Queens, New York.
In Queens, Pepa graduated from high school and enrolled in nursing courses at Queensborough Community College. She met Cheryl James at the college, and the friendship led to the formation of Salt-N-Pepa.
Career
Pepa began her music career in 1985, when she and Cheryl James recorded “The Show Stoppa (Is Stupid Fresh)”, an answer record aimed at Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick.
The duo first performed as Super Nature before taking the name Salt-N-Pepa, inspired by a line in their own lyrics, with Hurby Azor as their manager and producer. They signed with Next Plateau, and their 1986 debut album, Hot, Cool & Vicious, made them the first female rap act to earn a platinum album.
A remix of “Push It”, originally the B-side of a single, was released nationally in 1988 and turned Salt-N-Pepa into a mainstream act.
DJ Deidra Roper, known as DJ Spinderella, joined the group around this time, completing the trio that recorded A Salt with a Deadly Pepa in 1988. Their 1990 album, Blacks’ Magic, produced “Let’s Talk About Sex”, a frank song about sexuality that became one of their signature records.
The 1993 album Very Necessary carried Salt-N-Pepa to the top of the pop charts and became their biggest commercial success, led by the singles “Shoop” and “Whatta Man”, the latter recorded with En Vogue.
The song “None of Your Business” earned the group a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1995. They released Brand New on Red Ant Records in 2000, and the group disbanded in 2002, with Cheryl James stepping away from the music industry.
Pepa and Cheryl James reunited for The Salt-N-Pepa Show on VH1 in 2007, and Pepa published the memoir Let’s Talk About Pep in 2008.
She expanded into television, appearing in Sharknado 2: The Second One as Polly in 2014, in Lip Sync Battle and the cooking series Cookin’ with Salt-N-Pepa in 2015, and as a supporting cast member on the We TV series Growing Up Hip Hop in 2016.
Salt-N-Pepa received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2025.
Social Media
- Wikipedia: Pepa (rapper)
- Instagram: Sandra Pepa D (@darealpepa)
- IMDb: Pepa
Personal Life
Pepa is 60 years old and stands 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) tall.
Her romantic life began in the mid-1980s, when she dated and was engaged to rapper Prince Markie Dee. She later went on a single date with actor Will Smith.
In the late 1980s, she was involved with New York rapper Tyran “Tah-Tah” Moore, and their son, Tyran Moore Jr., was born on July 6, 1990.
Her longest relationship was with Anthony Criss, known as “Treach” of Naughty by Nature. After dating on and off for seven years, the two married on April 2, 1999, at a tattoo parlor in Kansas, and held a wedding ceremony at their home in Morristown, New Jersey, on July 24, 1999. Reverend Run of Run-D.M.C. officiated. The marriage lasted from 1999 to 2001, and the two divorced in 2001.
Pepa has two children. Her son, Tyran Moore Jr., was born in 1990 with Tyran Moore, and her daughter, Egypt Jahnari Criss, was born on September 2, 1998, with Treach.
Egypt joined Growing Up Hip Hop as a main cast member in January 2016, the same year Pepa joined as a supporting cast member.
Net Worth
Pepa has a net worth of between $10 million and $15 million. Most of this wealth comes from her music career, with additional earnings from acting, television shows, and brand appearances.
Royalties from the catalog of Salt-N-Pepa and income from reality series such as The Salt-N-Pepa Show and Growing Up Hip Hop add to her earnings.
She also owned HollyHood, a retail clothing store in the Buckhead section of Atlanta, Georgia, which opened in November 1995.
Discography
Albums
- Hot, Cool & Vicious (1986)
- A Salt with a Deadly Pepa (1988)
- Blacks’ Magic (1990)
- Very Necessary (1993)
- Brand New (2000)
Singles
- “The Show Stoppa (Is Stupid Fresh)” (1985)
- “Tramp” (1986)
- “Push It” (1987)
- “Shake Your Thang (It’s Your Thing)” with E.U. (1988)
- “Expression” (1990)
- “Let’s Talk About Sex” (1991)
- “Shoop” (1993)
- “Whatta Man” with En Vogue (1993)
- “None of Your Business” (1993)
- “Ain’t Nuthin’ but a She Thing” (1995)
- “R U Ready” (1997)
Filmography
Movies
- Stay Tuned (1992): appeared as herself with Salt-N-Pepa
- Who’s the Man? (1993): Sherise
- Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014): Polly
- Sandy Wexler (2017): testimonial appearance
TV Shows
- The Salt-N-Pepa Show (2007): starred in the reality series
- Are We There Yet? (2011): guest appearance in a January 2011 episode
- Family Time (2015): herself, in the episode “Salt N’ Spice N’ Pepa”
- Cookin’ with Salt-N-Pepa (2015): herself, in 7 episodes
- Lip Sync Battle (2015): herself, in the episode “Sandra Denton vs. Cheryl James”
- Growing Up Hip Hop (2016 to present): supporting cast member
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