(New York, NY — August 27, 2026) — Cheryl “Salt” James has an announcement, and it has been a long time coming. The Grammy Award winner, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and hip-hop pioneer is releasing her debut solo album, Salty N Lit, on September 25 via her label Salt Songs, Inc. After more than four decades helping shape the sound and soul of hip-hop as one half of Salt-N-Pepa, she is stepping into her own spotlight, and she brought everything with her.
Salty N Lit is a project rooted in faith, personal truth, and the kind of creative freedom that only comes when you finally decide to make something entirely for yourself. The album title says it all. Drawn from Matthew 5:13, “salt of the earth” and “light of the world,” Salt has taken scripture and made it hip-hop. Sharp, warm, purposeful, and built for this moment.
The music has been speaking for itself. Four singles are out and connecting with audiences in a real way: “Chosen,” an emphatic introduction to Salt as a solo voice; “Kings & Queens,” a celebration of Black culture filmed at the Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx; “Diamond in the Light,” a reflective and radiant mid-campaign statement; and “Overcomers” featuring Erica Campbell, a sun-drenched summer anthem about self-worth, sisterhood, and walking into your season fully unbothered. The official video for “Overcomers,” directed by Lee Vuitton of Quick Strike Studio, has only added to the momentum.
This is a pivotal moment in hip-hop. Legacy artists are returning to the studio and reminding the culture why they built the foundation in the first place. Salt‘s entry into this conversation is unlike any other. She is not revisiting the past. She is writing a new chapter, one that reflects where she is spiritually, creatively, and personally right now.
“This album is personal; the lyrics are written from my perspective, based on my life experience, and who I am now. This is a labor of love; I have something I want to say, and this is me expressing myself,” states James. “This ain’t a gospel album, but the gospel is all through it. There’s no question about what I believe. I’m making music for the people who appreciate me and my contribution to hip hop. I don’t have anything to prove; I’m just doing what I do. I ain’t finished. I ain’t done.”
The summer has only confirmed what the music already knew. Salt is currently on the road with Salt-N-Pepa on the IT’S ICONIC Tour alongside TLC and En Vogue, and the response has been overwhelming. The tour has been selling out in its first two weeks alone, a testament to the enduring power of a lineup that needs no introduction. The tour continues through October in major cities nationwide, and by September 25, the stage will be fully set for Salty N Lit to land exactly where it should.
Salt is just getting started!!
Pre-order “SALTY N LIT” right here: Cheryl “Salt” James
SALTY N LIT TRACKLISTING
- Long Game (Intro)
- Chosen
- Real One
- Diamonds in The Light
- No Crumbs
- Chuck D Interlude
- 4 The Love ft. Shanice & Dee-1
- Kings & Queens
- Overcomers ft. Erica Campbell
- Insecure (Interlude)
- Ride or Die ft. Finn Matthews
- My Team
- Poison Water ft. Elijah Blake
- Like Christ (Interlude)
- All My Life (Outro)
IT’S ICONIC TOUR DATES:
August 27 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Albany Med Health System at SPAC
August 28 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
August 30 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
August 31 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater
September 2 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre
September 3 – Grand Rapids, MI – Acrisure Amphitheater
September 5 – St. Paul, MN – Minnesota State Fairgrounds*
September 8 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
September 10 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
September 12 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
September 13 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
September 15 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
September 16 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
September 18 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
September 19 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
September 20 – Charlotte, NC – Truliant Amphitheater
September 23 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
September 24 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live
September 27 – Brandon, MS – Brandon Amphitheater
September 29 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
September 30 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
October 2 – Atlanta, GA – Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
October 4 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Sponsored by Huntsman
October 5 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
October 7 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
October 9 – Las Vegas, NV – Fontainebleau Las Vegas
October 10 – Inglewood, CA – Intuit Dome
October 11 – Concord, CA – Toyota Pavilion at Concord
