More Salt-N-Pepa, please: '90s tour adds dates

Salt-N-Pepa is here to shake up your summer.

The Push It trio is hitting the road on the I Love the '90s Tour, which kicks off April 15 in Greenville, S.C., and stops in 29 cities through late October. The nostalgia-driven trek — which has already played a handful of sold-out shows this spring — boasts a stacked lineup including Vanilla Ice, Kid 'n Play, Coolio, Young MC, All-4-One and Color Me Badd.

The response to the throwback concerts has so far been "surprisingly amazing," says Cheryl "Salt" James, 50, one third of the hip-hop group with Sandra "Pepa" Denton and Deidra "DJ Spinderella" Roper. "It feels like you're taking people back to a time in their lives that they really enjoyed. It's just one big '90s party."

James talks to USA TODAY about old-school hip hop, tour essentials and what to expect from their shows:

Q: What do you miss most about the '90s? 

A: The music was more diverse, especially in relation to hip hop. You had so many choices of women who represented different voices. Latifah was the queen. Salt-N-Pepa brought fun fashion and femininity to hip hop. Lauryn Hill was the consciousness. Foxy Brown was (hardcore). Lil' Kim was sexy. MC Lyte was strong. Missy (Elliott) was innovative and super creative. It was more of an interesting time for hip hop: the fashions that were being created, the trends that were being set.

Q: Are there any women in rap who you like now? 

A: I need to do my homework. I went online and listened to a few people, and nobody has particularly grabbed me. A lot of what I heard was not for me, so I'm still looking for something new.

Q: What's on your set list for this tour? 

A: Obviously all the classics. The show is very interactive. When we do Whatta Man, we pull a bunch of guys onstage and have fun with them. During (Spinderella's) DJ set, we celebrate girl power and bring a bunch of girls onstage and party with them. We do some album cuts that everybody might not know, but we say in the beginning of our show, "This is not a show, this is a Salt-N-Pepa experience." We say that because, back in the day, performing felt more like, "We are here to entertain you." But now it feels like we are hanging out with friends and we don't feel pressure to put on a show. We just have fun with the crowd and the crowd has fun with us.

Q: Who are you most excited to hang out with on the road? 

A: Kid 'n Play. They're family. We grew up in the same camp, Hurby "Luv Bug" (Azor) was our producer. We hang out with them. (Christopher "Kid" Reid) is hilarious: keeps us cracking up and keeps us going, so it's fun being able to hang with all the boys.

Q: What can't you leave home without? 

A: I have a Pillow Pet that I've had with me forever. His name is Oreo, he's a panda. Literally, I'm walking through the airport like a big kid holding that panda. All the other kids with Pillow Pets are stopping and looking at me like I'm crazy. And I have to have my UGGs. Even if we're in Florida, my UGGs are going to be in my suitcase.

For more information and to buy tickets to the I Love the '90s Tour, represented by Universal Attractions Agency, visit ilovethe90stour.com.