Approaching 30 years together, Salt-N-Pepa still going strong

HANOVER, Md. - There are very few hip-hop junkies who don't recognize Salt-N-Pepa's "Shoop" or "Push It." In fact, you don't even have to be a hip-hop fan to know about Salt-N-Pepa and their many hits.

The duo is performing Thursday night in front of a sold-out crowd at the Maryland Live! Casino in Arundel Mills.

FOX 5's Tisha Lewis sat down with the ladies before their big show and talked about everything from their career, their new cooking show on the Cooking Channel, women in hip-hop and how much music has changed since their hit song "Shoop."

The pair also talked politics. We asked them what they thought about Donald Trump.

"Oh, next question," said Cheryl "Salt" James. "Let's just keep playing the game."

"I don't think, I haven't thought," said Sandra "Pepa" Denton.

Salt-N-Pepa is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2016.

"I can't believe it," said James. "I used to be afraid to say it, but now we're embracing it. You know that's amazing to be around this long and still have people just love us."

Even so, the pair said women in the hip-hop and music industries still face challenges.

"It's always baffling to us why there are not more," said Denton. "It's still a male-dominated field."

Denton added, "[It] is awesome that Nicki [Minaj] has done so well and doing well. That shows there is still a lane for us and there's an avenue."

"Taylor Swift is doing a good job of being herself, of being authentic and outspoken, cashing her chips, making sure she gets money," said James.

The pair admits embracing social media is a challenge.

"It's a lot. We try," said James.

But the pair has found a rejuvenation in their popularity recently.

"Funny story -- I was on the elevator, one of our last shows we were at and a young woman got on the elevator with her three kids, they might have gone from [ages] six to eleven," said James.

"She's like, 'Oh my God, oh my God' and her kids are looking at her like, 'What the heck?' And she's like Salt-N-Pepa and they're still looking like, 'What the heck?' And she goes, 'That Geico commercial -- push it real good.' Then the kids are going, they're all pumping and singing and that's how they know us -- the commercial. I'm like, 'We'll take it.'"

Nearly 30 years later and people are still talking about their hit song, "Push It," and now fans will get to see their cooking skills too.

Salt-N-Pepa's show, "Cookin' with Salt-N-Pepa," debuts on the Cooking Channel on December 17th.

MORE: saltnpepa.com