CHELSEA NICOLE • Hot, Cool & Vicious

The album that inspired me to do music and actually put the thought of “Hey! Maybe I could do this one day” was Hot, Cool & Vicious from Salt-N-Pepa. I had to be all of nine years old rapping every word of “I’ll Take Your Man.” By the time I was 12-13 years old, I knew almost every song from the album word for word. [Salt-N-Pepa] was an all-girl group dominating what [people] thought was a man’s sport. Their lyrics, the tone, & their attitude...the confidence just rubbed off on anyone that listened. Hot, Cool & Vicious is what birthed the idea that I could be someone. It made me want to be that girl on the mic making people listen to me because I had/have something to say and I won’t be silenced or hushed.

My favorite songs from that album are of course “Push It,” “I’ll Take Your Man,” “I Desire,” “The Showstopper,” and “My Mic Sounds Nice.” The combination of these songs is kind of my mental in the way I create music ‘til this day. I can be sexy, informative, I can be raw, I can be honest, and I can shred a male on their own track and stop the show. That album inspired me in ways I didn’t know back then, when my mom would be blasting them during the day or on our way to school. As a kid, I didn’t really focus on the title but now being an adult I understand it and relate to it now more than ever; it’s actually the words to describe me.

• HOT - I’m beautiful & sexy

• COOL - Chills, vibe out

• VICIOUS - Ima beast on that mic and my attitude is cold

Music back then was free; it made you wanna move, it made you feel something, it got you through something, and it brought people together. I know Hot, Cool & Vicious and Salt-N-Pepa had a big influence on Chelsea Nicole. Them inspiring me as a child is why I want to make music. I could inspire someone in ways they’ve inspired me and don’t even know it.