Hip-Hop Wedding Of The Decade

Ebony, Oct, 1999 by Kevin Chappell

Pepa & Treach wed in star-studded ceremony

EVEN with a hair stylist, a makeup artist, a clothing stylist, family, friends and one magazine writer all vying for her time, Sandra Denton is surprisingly calm. Draped in a white terry cloth robe, the 29-year-old rapper, better known as Pepa of the red-hot hip-hop group Salt 'n' Pepa, is upbeat--even laughing at times--as she maneuvers through the flurry of activity that threatens to engulf her.

"It's finally happening," she says, as she takes a peek out an upstairs window at the 300 or so guests gathering on the lawn of her New Jersey home to witness her much-talked about marriage to 28-year-old fellow rapper Anthony (Treach) Criss, the voice behind hip-hop's Naughty By Nature. "I can't believe the day came so fast. One minute it was May, and the next minute it was July 24, our wedding day."

From their first meeting at a Daytona Beach spring break concert show in 1991 to their first date a few days later (each made good on a dare by the other to bungee jump) to the long nights Pepa crammed into a tiny bunk with Treach as Naughty's tour bus rumbled from city to city, the two seemed destined for marriage. After all, they both were so similar. Neither took life, their stardom nor each other too seriously.

Over the eight years that followed, the couple came to realize that they were not only rappers, but also soul mates and best friends. Fans know them as two of rap's brightest stars, and dubbed their union "the hip-hop wedding of the decade." Their friends simply know them as "old boy" and "old girl," two people who eventually would show the world that rap was more than street life and parties, girls and guns. It was also about romance, religion and respect for what's right.

On this day, the couple--who together have a 10-month-old daughter, Egypt Jahnari, and a 9-year-old son, Tyran Moore, from a previous relationship of Denton's--would not only make things right, but would also make history. Never have two high-profile rap artists been married. And while the event had all the fuss of any traditional wedding, there was no hiding the hip-hop roots of the participants.

The groom, for example, chose to add hip-hop headgear to his brown-tuxedo-and-white-derby ensemble, believing his white do-rag and designer sunglasses were as much a statement of his orientation as it was an attention getter.

It's that spontaneity and unpredictableness that Pepa says attracted her to Treach. "The first time I met him, we just clicked," she says. "We're both crazy, adventurous, outgoing. We like to travel. We play dice together. We party together. We go out together. We like the same things. We are both night owls. I always say that we shut the party down, roll with the credits."

Meanwhile, Treach, who admits that he was a fan of Pepa's even before the two met (even to the point of having a poster of her hanging in his room), says Pepa has "great energy, just her aura."

That aura came through on their wedding day when Denton emerged from her home in a stunning crystal-studded ivory silk and satin wedding gown. Escorted down the aisle by family friend Oswald Simmons, Denton glowed wearing the $15,000 dress, complete with fishtail and 15-foot train. The top and hooded cape were beaded with more than 1,500 teardrop crystals.

Denton carried a classic bridal bouquet of amaranths imported from Holland, complete with hand-tied satin ribbon that matched her dress and hung down from her body to work perfectly with the thigh-high slit in her dress. Many wedding attendees agreed that the gown, designed by African-American Gerald Loud for Andasimo, was the perfect mix of hot and sexy, while, at the same time, traditional and reserved.

The 25-minute ceremony was officiated by rapper-turned-preacher the Rev. Run of Run D.M.C. and more traditional pastor, the Rev. Donald E. Brown. The couple recited vows to each other and exchanged rings--his 6 carats, hers an eye-popping 12 carats. During the ceremony, Denton was moved to tears. The couple had already performed a mock wedding earlier in the year at a Kansas City tattoo parlor, where they wore bandannas and tattooed each other's name on their ring fingers.

Singer Joe, who performed "One Hundred Ways" and "I Believe in You & Me" during the wedding, said even he was moved. "To me, this is really history," he says. "This is really something I'm glad to be a part of. They have a lot in common. They are celebs. They both have dough. They understand each other. They can deal with situations as they come. That's what it takes to take a relationship to the next level."

The two married under an arch made of gold-etched pedestals with vases filled with flowers and protruding curly willow branches tied at the top with flower clusters arranged throughout.

The reception was held under an open-air tent on Denton's estate. The atmosphere was very natural, with viburnum berries and Casablanca lilies set on each table. The table centerpieces also included roses imported from Holland, garnished with grapes, cut lemons and limes set on large mirrors and finished off with ivory drapings cascading over tall candelabra vaes covered with green moss.