Hot, Cool, & Vicious is the debut studio album by American hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa. Released by Next Plateau Records on December 8, 1986, it became the first release by a female rap act to be certified gold, then platinum, in the US.
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. The album has sold approximately four million copies worldwide, becoming the first release by a female rap act to attain gold and platinum certification 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. "Push It" was also certified platinum.
Reception
NME placed Hot, Cool & Vicious at number 18 on its list of the best releases of 1987. The album was certified platinum in the US, making the trio the first female hip-hop act to have a gold- or platinum-certified album.
Track listing
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. The original pressing of the album was never released on compact disc. “The Showstopper”, an answer record of Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick’s “The Show,” was originally released in 1985 by Pop Art Records under the artist name Super Nature—Salt-n-Pepa’s original name—as a community-college project.
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for Hot, Cool & Vicious Chart (1988) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) Note: The "High Point" number in the "NAT" column indicates the release's peak position on the national chart. 83
Year-end charts + 1987 weekly chart performance for Hot, Cool & Vicious Chart (1987) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) 30
+ 1988 weekly chart performance for Hot, Cool & Vicious Chart (1988) Position US Billboard 200 57 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) 18
Certifications
References