1991 single by Salt-n-Pepa
"Let's Talk About Sex" is a song by American hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa, released in August 1991 by Next Plateau as the fourth single from their third studio album, "Blacks' Magic" (1990). It was written and co-produced by Hurby Azor, and achieved great success in many countries, including Australia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and Zimbabwe where it was a number-one hit. Its music video was directed by Millicent Shelton. In 1992, "Let's Talk About Sex" earned a nomination in the category for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the Grammy Award.
Content.
The song talks about safe sex, the positive and negative sides of sex and the censorship that sex had around that time in American mainstream media. The song was later included in the trio's "Greatest Hits" (2000) album. It samples "I'll Take You There" by the Staple Singers. An alternate version of the song entitled "Let's Talk About AIDS" was released to radio on a promotional single and included as a B-side on various singles for the song. The lyrics were changed to more directly address the spread of AIDS and HIV.
Chart performances and awards.
The song was certified gold by the RIAA and peaked at No. 13 at the US "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. In the purely sales-based UK Singles Chart, the song hit No. 2, and in the German singles chart, the song hit No. 1, the first original song by an American hip-hop act to achieve that feat. It also hit No. 1 in the Australian "ARIA Singles Chart".
In 1992, the song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
Critical reception.
The song received favorable reviews from many music critics. Steve Huey from AllMusic called it a "playful safe-sex anthem". Larry Flick from "Billboard" stated that the "hot rap divas show no sign of cooling off with this spicy hip-hopper that pokes fun at people with inhibitions about sex." He remarked that "cheeky rhymes and charming demeanors make this yet another multiformat winner." DeVaney and Clark from "Cashbox" commented, "Although they have changed their style from their original hip-hop image to commercial/R&amp;B/Rap, the sound of this single is quite catchy and will probably take R&amp;B by storm." They also concluded, "This single, by far, is one of the most commercial rap cuts of the year." 
David Thigpen from "Entertainment Weekly" described it as "an articulate, funny, and danceable primer on sex and the single flygirl that hit male-dominated hip-hop where it hurt." A reviewer from "Melody Maker" wrote, "It's one of the most uncompromising safe sex raps ever written. The song also recoginises the biological differences between males and females, and the serious messages are balanced by a cheeky, never ribald, sense of humour. Their concern is genuine. It is, as they say, largely about understanding." Kim France from "Spin" felt that "Let's Talk About Sex" "packs a wallop with the kind of sassy, seducto-humor the two previous Salt-N-Pepa records were chock full of."
Music video.
The accompanying music video for "Let's Talk About Sex" directed by Millicent Shelton and designed by visual artist and designer Ron Norsworthy, starts in a black-and-white scene with a girl turning on a radio and listening to the song. Then she starts kissing her boyfriend and scenes of Salt-n-Pepa and other couples kissing and hugging are shown. Next the video colorizes when Salt-n-Pepa are shown dancing. Another version of the video has a scene in which a skeleton is shown after the word 'AIDS' with a stamp saying 'censored' in its mouth.
Charts and certifications.
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References.
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