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To help level up the momentous occasion, director Craig Brewer added in a few surprises for returning audiences.
The best of them all?
Craig was like, This gotta be a secret!
You cant tell anybody!
Pepa said of her appearance, which she kept hidden for a year.
Man, listen, I couldnt even tell any of my big-mouth family members.
Its always a good time when we link up with them.
I hope we get to hit the road soon once all of this clears up.
Recently, Pepa hopped on a call with Vulture to discussComing 2 Americas fun experience.
Do you remember the first time you watchedComing to America?
[Salt-N-Pepa] came out in 86 andComing to Americacame out in 88.
It just represented where we were from.
Rewatching it now brings back so many memories.
I thought the concept was brilliant with Eddie Murphy coming to the hood as a royal.
Now withComing 2 America, I loved watching Leslie Jones.
I think Leslie Jones and Wesley Snipes stole the show.
[They were] amazing.
I know Wesley can do what he do, but I didnt expectthat!
And Leslie [saying in the movie], Yall know I was a hoe, right?
It was so funny.
I loved that they brought back a lot of the old cast and had a lot of female empowerment.
They went with the times, you know?
I liked the lessons.
The vibe was very protected and secure because it was such a big secret.
And I get it.
Now we have all this technology and things leaking all the time.
So for this movie, they [told us]: No phones, no pictures, no anything.
So we got ready to film in Atlanta at Tyler Perrys studio.
[Laughs]When the [producers] saw the list, they said, No, Im sorry.
But the day on set when we actually shot our part, it was pouring rain.
Everybody was in their trailers.
So it was difficult to get to Eddie on that day.
I didnt get thatComing 2 Americapicture that I see on Instagram with other cast members.
But I got to meet him [later on] and it was an honor.
We were bumping into other cast members on set.
Just seeing the costumes and the set …
I was like, Im really in Zamunda, you cant tell me anything!
Did the director ask you to rework Whatta Man?
Them changing Whatta Man to Whatta King was fun.
They came up with the whole concept.
They rewrote our original lyrics and asked us to record.
And of course, being with our sisters En Vogue is always a pleasure.
Up until COVID, we did shows and tours together.
I remember we were all on set and they were like, Girl, its so hard to walk!
You know for us girls when you have those heels on, and we kept shooting different cuts.
Those dresses were tailoreddown, like a mermaid.
I was just in awe of everyones outfits.
There was a lot of work put into it.
Whatta Man is nearly 30 years old and still remains a timeless classic.
Why do you think its stood the test of time?
This is still such a male-dominated field and world, and we give men a rough time.
By all means, a lot of it is warranted.
But [the song] is also a reminder that there are good men in the world.
Those who weve lost, those on the frontlines, family heroes, those who march for their communities.
Whatta Man is saying they still exist.
I like to always celebrate the good men: your father, brother, teacher, mentor.
For your celebration of life, which artists would you choose to perform?
I love my RiRi!
But hip-hop wise, theres too many.
Id mix them all up: City Girls, Megan [Thee Stallion], Missy Elliott.
Missy is my girl, so shes definitely gotta be in it.
She will bring the party.
What did you get out of watching it after youd filmed?
Family is our home and we get to see that.
Its a big reminder and I enjoyed the message.
My daughter Egypt and I watched it together and we laughed the whole time.
Its a good family movie.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
