“Salt-N-Pepa’s here!” and the iconic hip-hop group’s journey from New York City college girls to superstar rappers is documented in the upcoming Lifetime biopic. 

Group members Cheryl “Salt” James and Laila Odom as Sandra “Pepa” Denton serve as executive producers and G.G. Townson and Laila Odom take center stage as Salt-N-Pepa respectfully, transforming into the First Ladies of Hip-Hop for the film.

For Townson and Odom, the audition and rehearsal process proved to be rigorous but worth it and helped them channel their real-life characters’ work ethic to become the megastars they are today. The two auditioned for over a month for the roles. Dance and rap rehearsals were arduous, but luckily, they had Salt-N-Pepa on set to guide them every step of the way throughout the filming process. 

“It was a weight lifted off my shoulders because I didn’t have to guess anything during filming,” Townson told Shadow and Act. “If I had a question, I could ask. If it were days where it was just Pep on set, I could go to Pep and say, ‘Is this Salt?’ Or she would even be like, ‘Yep, that’s Salt.’ And when Salt was on set, she would go to Laila and say things to Laila like, ‘That’s Pep.’ So it was nice to have them on set, build those relationships and have them co-sign on the portrayals.”

Having the women on set proved to be even more valuable when filming the more emotional scenes. While the film details the group’s rise in the rap game, it also has a good balance of including the ups and downs of their friendship, as well as their personal tragedies and triumphs.

Many fans are aware of Salt’s seemingly abrupt decision to quit the group, but as the film reveals she had reservations about continuing early on, as early as the peak of their success. Salt desperately yearned for fulfillment outside of the music industry, often leaning on her Christian faith for guidance. But the pressures of fame couldn’t always be combated with prayer. The film documents Salt having to overcome an eating disorder, as well as how her romantic relationships affected her at times.

Pepa also struggled with her romantic relationships and the film dives into her former marriage to fellow rapper Treach. Substance abuse and controlling tendencies were ever-present in their nearly 10-year relationship. But through it all, Salt-N-Pepa remained each other’s biggest soldiers. Odom was especially impressed with Salt’s maturity in the business and her willingness to include Pepa along the way, versus going solo.

“I was impressed with Salt learning from her boyfriend, who managed and wrote the majority of the songs for the group. She took the knowledge she learned from him, applied it for herself and then shared e knowledge with her bandmate,” she explained. 

Both women channel the group effortlessly and admit there are crazy similarities. “I relate to Salt’s poise and maturity but taking into account everything she’s been through personally and professionally, I can honestly say I’ve just reached a similar level of adulting,” Townson joked. “I was amazed by how she stood in her integrity and did what was best for her, regardless of anybody else. That’s who I am now and am continuing to become.”

For Odom, her embodiment of Pepa’s outlandish, stylish, and party girl personality was a natural fit. “We recently had a panel with the real Salt-N-Pepa and me and G.G. and it was amazing to see the way that Pep answers questions is the same way that I do,” she laughed. “We’re very similar. I’m loud like her and it was so fun to play her as we have similar backgrounds and come from similar areas. It was a blessing in the sense because I didn’t have to change much of myself in order to transform into Pep.” 

The music and the success is admirable but for Odom, she feels the takeaway from the film is much more. “It’s a story about two girls that are friends and that’s what I think is the bus point that I want to drive home. They weren’t on a journey to get a record deal, that wasn’t even it,” Odom added. “They were nursing students, they were working at Sears and it was like ‘Yo, we got an opportunity, you want to do it?’ And they were like, ‘Yeah, why not.’ And look at where they are. They’re Grammy-award winning artists that grew up in a business that initially they didn’t know anything about. This was ordained for them to come and be.”

Salt-N-Pepa airs Saturday, Jan. 23 at 8 pm.