Whatta Man: Local rocker who played with ‘Salt-N-Pepa’ finally gets his gold album

In the late 1990s, local rocker Eddie Anzueto broke out of his signature rock-n-roll mold and approached early hip-hop band “Salt-N-Pepa” with an idea.

He suggested to the group, known for their smash hits like “Push It” and “Whatta Man,” that they perform together on a song called “The Clock is Ticking.” The single appeared on Salt-N-Pepa’s “Brand New,” the group’s album released in 1997. It would be the group’s final studio album before the group broke up five years later.

“The Clock is Ticking” turned out to be a hit. The album was declared gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. Critics hailed the album for its piano and guitar sounds, a departure from the group’s previous albums.

As the clock ticked on Anzueto’s musical career, over time, it evolved, and he focused on other projects.

Now a drummer with the Fringe Benefits Band, his time with Salt-N-Pepa a distant memory, Anzeto played a gig this past New Year’s Eve at the Electric Palm restaurant near Occoquan. While there, he was recognized on stage with a golden record plaque. It was a gift from the Recording Industry Association of America, orchestrated by band manager Bruce Moore.

Months earlier, Moore found out about the Salt-N-Pepa song, and that put the wheels in motion to get him recognized.

“I was able to make it happen,” Moore said.

Anzueto was surprised that night. Doing his best Rocky Balboa imitation, he hoisted the gold record over his head. It was a scene reminiscent of “Rocky” atop the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s stairway.

The crowd at the electric Palm went wild, and when it came to the plaque presentation, they made him crawl out from behind the drums set.

“It was a huge surprise to me,” Anzueto said. The whole place erupted in a chant, “Eddie, Eddie, Eddie.” It was all spur of the moment.

“The award was not really something I was thinking about over the past few decades,” he said,

It all started back when Salt-N-Pepa was hammering out their first big hit, “Push It,” in 1987. Over the years, the group sold 15 million records.

There were only three members of the band, Cheryl “Salt” James, Sandra “Pepa” Denton, and Deidra “DJ Spinderella” Roper.

Salt-N-Pepa’s music fell into mixed rap and hip-hop genre, a music-style born after Aerosmith got on stage with Run DMC a few years earlier and collaborated on Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.”

Although the Aerosmith-Run DMC collaboration wasn’t on Anzueto’s mind when he came up with the idea to join Salt-N-Pepa in a song. “That was a similar thing,” said Moore, although the two events were nearly 10 years apart.

He talked over his plan with Salt, aka Cheryl James. She was okay with any shenanigans that Anzueto brought to the song.

“She gave me some musical freedom,” he said. In the music industry, it sometimes takes stepping outside the box, and in this case, it worked. The album went on to sell big and win an award.

Salt-N-Pepa broke up in 2002, went their separate ways for five years before getting back together. They are still performing together from time to time, without DJ Spinderella.

Anzueto now has a place in music history and a plaque to prove it. It sits on the shelf right now, but not for long.

“I’ll find a spot for it,” he said.