Let's Talk About Sex: A Retro Music Video for World AIDS Day

Salt N Pepa's here. Photo: Getty Images.

Today is World AIDS Day, a day designed to promote international awareness of a disease that doesn’t grab headlines the way it used to–despite the fact that there are still many problems left to solve and many ways to give.

Musicians have always been a part of those who give back. From Bono’s contribution to the (RED) campaign to Alicia Keys’ free, live-streaming concert tonight at 8 PM on YouTube of an event whose ticket sales she donated to charity.

But in 1991, at the height of the epidemic in the States, such charity work was more revolutionary. Speaking openly about safe sex has always been taboo in cultures that don’t openly discuss sex at all. And in the 1990s, misunderstandings about AIDS — how it is conceived, tested, and controlled through medication — were more prevalent. So when Salt-N-Pepa released their single “Let’s Talk About Sex,” a frank discussion of premarital sex and the dangers of unprotected intercourse and the importance of seeking testing early, it was controversial.

The video might seem kind of corny to the untrained eye, but it was once shocking. And now, it’s historical. Enjoy. It’s your Daily YouTube!