Salt-N-Pepa's Cheryl James thinks female rappers should dress more conservatively

Cheryl - who is known as Salt - said: "There was a long time when there were no women.

"There was a big gap and then Nicki Minaj came out and she led the charge. Then all these women started going behind her.

"But there's only a certain type and it's overtly sexual."

Salt-N-Pepa shot to fame in the 80s, but the hip-hop group have always favoured a more conservative approach to fashion, especially in comparison to the likes of Nicki, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion.

But now, Cheryl suggested there's a link between sex appeal and chart success.

She told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre column: "It feels like there is a championing of the more sexual you are, the better."

Cardi and Megan previously came under fire for their hit single 'WAP'.

But Cardi subsequently hit back at the critics, insisting the explicit song is actually "really normal".

She said: "The people that the song bothers are usually, like, conservatives or really religious, big religious people.

"But my thing is that ... I grew up listening to this type of music, so other people might [think it's] strange and vulgar but to me it's like, really normal."

Despite this, Cardi admitted she wouldn't allow her own children to listen to the record.

The 29-year-old rap star - who has Kulture, three, and Wave, eight months, with her husband Offset - said: "It's like no, of course I don't want my child to listen to this song and everything, but it's like ...

it's for adults!"