Hot, Cool & Vicious

Hot, Cool, & Vicious is the debut studio album by American hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa. Released by Next Plateau Records on December 1 1986, it was the first rap album by a female rap act to attain gold and platinum status in the US.

Hot, Cool & Vicious
Studio album by Salt-N-Pepa
Released	December 1, 1986 (1986-12-01)
Recorded	October 1985 – August 1986
Studio	Greene St. Recording (New York City)
Genre	Hip hop
Length	41:36
Label	Next Plateau
Producer	Hurby Luv Bug Stephen Keitt
Salt-N-Pepa chronology
Hot, Cool & Vicious (1986) A Salt with a Deadly Pepa (1988)
Singles from Hot, Cool & Vicious
"Push It" Released: March 8, 1987

Hot, Cool, & Vicious reached the top 40 on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album included the single "Push It", which reached the top 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number two on the UK Singles Chart after being propelled by a remix, and was nominated for Best Rap Performance at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards.^[1] The album has sold approximately four million copies worldwide. It became the first album by a female rap act to attain gold and platinum status by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Release

The album features the songs "The Showstopper" and "I'll Take Your Man", recorded and released prior to the full album's release. It also includes R&B radio favorites "Tramp" and "My Mic Sound Nice". In 1987, the addition of the single "Push It" (US #19, UK #2), along with the replacement of two other tracks with remixed versions, propelled the album to gold, then platinum status in the United States, and made it the first album by a female rap act (or group) to attain gold and platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America.^[2][3] "Push It" was also certified platinum.^[4]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Robert Christgau	A−[6]

NME placed Hot, Cool & Vicious at number 18 on their list of the best releases of 1987.^[7] The album was certified platinum in the US, making the trio the first female rap act to have a gold or platinum album.^[7]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Push It" (remix)	Hurby Azor	4:31
2.	"Beauty and the Beat"	Azor	4:39
3.	"Tramp"	Azor Lowell Fulson Jimmy McCracklin	3:30
4.	"I'll Take Your Man"	Azor George Clinton Bootsy Collins Bernie Worrell	6:22
5.	"It's Alright"	Azor	3:15
6.	"Chick on the Side" (remix)	Azor Anita Pointer Bonnie Pointer June Pointer Ruth Pointer David Rubinson	4:54
7.	"I Desire"	Azor Nathaniel Wilson	3:16
8.	"The Showstopper"	Azor	6:22
9.	"My Mic Sounds Nice"	Azor	4:52

Notes

• "Push It (Remix)" was not part of the original track listing of the 1986 release of Hot, Cool & Vicious, which also included the original unedited and unremixed versions of "Tramp" and "Chick on the Side". The original version of "Push It" was recorded in 1987 and added to later pressings of the album.

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Hot, Cool & Vicious Chart (1988) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[8] 83 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[9] 27 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] 63 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[11] 41 US Billboard 200[12] 26 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[13] 7

Year-end charts 1987 weekly chart performance for Hot, Cool & Vicious Chart (1987) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[14] 30 1988 weekly chart performance for Hot, Cool & Vicious Chart (1988) Position US Billboard 200[15] 57 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16] 18

Certifications

Certifications for Hot, Cool & Vicious

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[17]	Gold	50,000^
United States (RIAA)[18]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Salt-N-Pepa". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
2. "Ladies First: Women's Hip Hop Milestones". BET. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
3. Orcutt, K. C. (2016-03-10). "The Source |First Ladies Of Rap: Salt-N-Pepa". The Source. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
4. "American certifications – Salt N Pepa – Push It". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
5. Huey, Steve. "Salt-N-Pepa: Hot, Cool & Vicious" at AllMusic. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
6. Christgau, Robert (June 2, 1987). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
7. "Albums and Track of the year for 1987". NME. Archived from the original on November 14, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
8. "Salt-N-Pepa ARIA chart history, received from ARIA on June 15, 2021". Retrieved June 19, 2021 – via Imgur. Note: The "High Point" number in the "NAT" column indicates the release's peak position on the national chart.
9. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 8942". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
10. "Offiziellecharts.de – Salt 'N' Pepa – Hot Cool Vicious" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
11. "Charts.nz – Salt 'N' Pepa – Hot Cool Vicious". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
12. "Salt-N-Pepa Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
13. "Salt-N-Pepa Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
14. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1987". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
15. "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1988". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 14, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
16. "1988 The Year in Music & Video – Top Black Albums" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 100, no. 52. December 24, 1988. p. Y-24. ISSN 0006-2510 – via World Radio History.
17. "Canadian album certifications – Salt N Pepa – Hot Cool and Vicious". Music Canada. July 15, 1988. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
18. "American album certifications – Salt N Pepa – Hot, Cool". Recording Industry Association of America. March 23, 1988. Retrieved December 22, 2019.