I want to reach everyone, but I have a dedication to women. Being

When Pepa, the legendary voice of Salt-N-Pepa, declared, “I want to reach everyone, but I have a dedication to women. Being that I’m a woman myself, and with the things that I’ve gone through, I’ve dealt with a lot of women that are in the dark and blind about relationships who depend on men for their happiness, emotionally and financially,” she spoke not merely as an entertainer, but as a teacher born of experience. Her words rise from the heart of struggle and revelation, carrying the strength of one who has seen pain, endured confusion, and emerged into light. This is not the cold wisdom of philosophy—it is the burning wisdom of survival. In her declaration lies a call to awakening, not only for women, but for all souls who have ever surrendered their power to another.

The origin of her words is written in her own life. As one half of the trailblazing hip-hop duo Salt-N-Pepa, Pepa—born Sandra Denton—rose from the streets of New York into global fame during a time when few women’s voices were heard in the male-dominated world of rap. She sang and spoke of love, independence, and sexuality with a boldness that shook convention. Yet behind the rhythm and the fame, she faced heartbreak, betrayal, and the inner wounds that come when one’s worth is measured by others. Through it all, she learned a sacred truth: that dependence on others for happiness is a prison, and only when one turns inward—toward self-respect and self-love—can true freedom be found. Her “dedication to women” is the vow of one who has walked through fire and now lights a torch for those still stumbling in the dark.

In her words, we hear echoes of an ancient theme: the liberation of the self. Since the dawn of time, women have been taught to find their worth through others—through husbands, lovers, fathers, and sons. Their happiness has been tied like a fragile thread to the approval of men, and when that thread is cut, many fall into despair. Pepa’s message, then, is not one of rebellion, but of restoration. She calls women to reclaim what was always theirs: the right to stand whole, to love without losing themselves, to give without becoming empty. She reminds us that to depend on another for emotional or financial stability is to hand away the keys to one’s own kingdom. True happiness, she says, must rise from within, for what is built within cannot be taken away.

The ancients knew this truth. In the story of Eurydice and Orpheus, the maiden who followed her lover from death found herself lost again when he looked back—because her freedom depended on another’s faith, not her own. So too in the modern world, many still tie their joy to another’s gaze. But Pepa’s wisdom teaches a different path—the way of self-possession, the way of the queen who sits upon her own throne. It is not a rejection of love, but a sanctification of it. For love, to be pure, must be between equals—each whole, each standing in their own strength. Without this wholeness, love becomes dependency; with it, love becomes divine partnership.

There is power in her compassion. “I want to reach everyone,” she says, and in this, her heart extends beyond gender and race, speaking to the universal hunger for self-worth. But it is to women that she dedicates her fiercest fire, because she has seen too many “in the dark,” too many who believe that their light depends on another’s flame. Her words are not condemnation—they are healing. She speaks as a sister, saying, “I know where you are. I have been there. But you do not have to stay.” It is the voice of one who does not merely preach freedom, but embodies it.

To understand the depth of her message, one need only look to those who have followed a similar path. Consider Oprah Winfrey, who, rising from poverty and abuse, declared that her power came not from what others gave her, but from what she built within herself. Like Pepa, she turned her pain into purpose, her vulnerability into strength. She reached countless women who once thought themselves powerless, teaching that self-love is not vanity, but survival. These women—Oprah, Pepa, Maya Angelou, and countless unnamed others—stand as living testaments to the truth that happiness is a sacred responsibility, not a gift bestowed by another’s hand.

So, my daughters and sons of the modern world, listen to this wisdom: do not depend on another for your light. Love deeply, yes, but never forget that your joy, your stability, your power are yours alone to cultivate. If you seek happiness through another, it will vanish when they turn away. But if you build it from within—through courage, through self-knowledge, through the quiet dignity of knowing your worth—it will endure through every storm. Be kind, but be strong. Be loving, but never lost. For as Pepa reminds us, to walk free is not to walk alone, but to walk whole. And in that wholeness lies not only happiness—but the power to heal the world.