Hip-hop, R&B, and Rap all have their place in black culture. But, these genres started to explode from 1980 to the 1990s. They were breaking down barriers and getting popular with everyone. And this is no different for a hit song released in the 1990s that shocked everyone with its forwardness.
This song was almost banned on the radio in most red states (red meaning conservative/republican) because many believed it was inappropriate. Some even thought it threatened the religious belief of abstinence and modesty. The singers actually expected this and even ended their song with, "Yo, Pep, I don't think they're gonna play this on the radio." This song was "Let's Talk About Sex" by Salt N Peppa from their Black Magic Album.
Now, you may wonder what kind of song was this not to be played on the radio? And put simply, it was a song explaining the need for sex education. Yeah... Just a piece about the need to talk about sex so that when young people become sexually active, they'll do it safely.
"Let's tell it how it is, and how it could be How it was, and of course, how it should be” They discuss many more things, too, not just advocating for safe sex. They describe what can happen if safe sex isn't practiced through two different stories. In the first one, they tell a story of a woman who gets paid for sex and could get with any man she wanted to. She decides to have sex with the most powerful man she knows, the president. They have sex, and later she becomes mad at herself, thinking and knowing she has never had sex because of love. Sad that she was never truly loved by any of the men she slept with. She was only a commodity for men to exploit.
Despite this being a sad story, it talks about the business of sex work and how lonely it can be, how sometimes sex isn't something that can be taken lightly. It even leaves a subtler undertone of how being a sex worker can ruin your love life because of the stigma in that line of work.
"Thinkin' about the things that she never had," "No love, just sex, followed next with a check and a note."
It's excellent storytelling through a verse in which they explain that your mental health when having sex and aftercare (aftercare is a part after sex in which the participants check-in with each other mentally and physically, usually in reference to BDSM but not always) is essential.
The following story they tell is about HIV and other STDs. This time it follows a man who had a wet dream about a girl. He later has a hookup with a girl and informs her he doesn't have a condom. She states that it's okay. She's on the pill, but then she ends up getting an STD from him. Another sad story, but they are crucial to share because they do happen. This verse has the overall message that being pregnant isn't the only thing someone needs to watch for when you have unprotected sex. There are more underlying lessons here, like adult men getting with teenagers.
"He may fiend and have a wet dream,"
"Because he seen a teen in tight jeans," "What makes him react like that is is biological,"
"But scheme of gettin' in those jeans, is diabolical."
Salt N Peppa constantly call him a fiend, diabolical and scheming because they recognize that although him being horny is only natural. The fact that he wants to get with a teen is disgusting, and the way the man does it is even more sinister. Then Salt N Peppa say:
"Oh well," you say, "what the hell, it's chill,"
"I won't get got, I'm on the pill."
This could be interpreted as even if you are on the pill, there is still a chance you could get pregnant because no protective measure except abstinence is 100% effective.
"Let's Talk About Sex" was a song that told people's shyness to talk about sex would only lead to the bad stories previously mentioned. This song was also a call out to all the people who would actively have sex but not talk about the safety of it.
"To the people at home or in the crowd," "It keeps coming up anyhow," "Don't be coy, avoid, or make void the topic."
In short, this song was revolutionary for its time and even still today. It was a playful song about sexual education and lessons learned after not getting good sex education. If we'd listened to the song's message and stopped deeming sex as this forbidden topic of conversation, it would let us progress as a society. If we'd heard, we probably wouldn't be having this talk about banning abortions or the sexual myths that people try to push on others to pressure them into having unsafe sex.
Sex is not a dirty word. It's not a dirty act. It should be talked about. Most people have sex at least once in their lives. Get tested regularly. Sex must be consensual. Sex should be enjoyable. Go educate yourself on sex (https://www.plannedparenthood.org/ or http://sieccan.org/sexual-health-education).
(And you should 100% listen to "Let's Talk About Sex" by Salt N Peppa)
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