The hugely popular I Love the 90’s Tour returns to the St. Augustine Amphitheatre featuring hip hop legends Salt N Pepa with Spinderella, Kid ‘n Play, Coolio, Tone Loc, Thea Austin (formerly of SNAPP!), and C&C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams.
Salt N Pepa – legends, icons, trailblazers, pioneers, innovators, and trendsetters – are undoubtedly the group that changed the face of hip-hop as we know it. They also gave females across the globe a voice within their communities and the music industry as a whole. From GRAMMYs to MTV Video Awards, they’ve won them all. Whether it’s the top of the charts or on stages at sold out coliseums across the country, they’ve done it all. As the first ever female rap crew, Salt N Pepa – Cheryl James and Sandy Denton (“Salt” and “Pepa” respectively), and Deidre “Dee Dee” Roper (DJ Spinderella) – broke barriers and opened doors wide open that were once closed to women in hip-hop.
Among the first groups to tame rap’s hardcore mentality into a positive, message-oriented music suitable for teens and mass audiences, Kid ‘n Play debuted in 1988 with the platinum album “2 Hype”, which the duo later spun into a deal involving films and a Saturday morning cartoon show, the first involving a rap act. Kid (born Christopher Reid; Bronx, NY) and Play (born Christopher Martin; Queens, NY) first met while performing in rival high school groups (the Turnout Brothers and the Super Lovers, respectively) and initially teamed up as Fresh Force. Play’s former bandmate, Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor, became the duo’s manager and signed Kid ‘n Play to Select Records in 1987.
Coolio, born Artis Leon Ivey, Jr., was one of the first rappers to balance pop accessibility with gritty, street-level subject matter and language. Yet despite his nods to hardcore, his music was clearly more happy-go-lucky at heart; he shared the West Coast scene’s love of laid-back ’70s funk, and that attitude translated to his music far more often than Dr. Dre’s Death Row/G-funk axis.
In 1989, Tone Loc soared from obscurity into pop stardom when his when his hoarse voice and unmistakable delivery made the song “Wild Thing” (using a sample from Van Halen’s “Jamie’s Cryin'”) a massive hit winning Grammy’s and countless other awards. The song ” Wild Thing” was co-written by Marvin Young, better known as Young MC, as was the second single smash, “Funky Cold Medina”. The album “Loc-ed After Dark” became the second rap release ever to top the pop charts and one of the most popular of all time.
Thea Austin, an American female dance/housesinger/songwriter/composer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was the lead singer of five Top 40 hits around the world and she sang lead vocal on Snapp!’s cross-Atlantic hit “Rhythm Is a Dancer” among several other SNAPP! hits.
C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams is an American musical group formed in 1989 by David Cole and Robert Clivillés. The group is known for their hit singles; “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)”, “Here We Go (Let’s Rock & Roll)”, “Things That Make You Go Hmmmm…”, “Just a Touch of Love”, and “Keep It Comin'”. C+C Music Factory have earned a total of 35 music industry awards worldwide, including five Billboard Awards, five American Music Awards, and two MTV Video Music Awards.
Doors 5:30pm / Show 7:00pm
Visit the St. Augustine Amphitheatre website for additional information and to purchase tickets. Tickets can also be purchased at their box office and at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall box office.