<P> `` Push It '' is a song by the group Salt - n - Pepa . It was released as the B - side of the `` Tramp '' single in 1987 , and as its own single in 1988 . It peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1988 and , after initially peaking at number 41 in the UK , it re-entered the charts after the group performed the track at Nelson Mandela 's 70th Birthday concert , eventually peaking at number two that summer . The song is notable for being one of the first hip hop songs to have underlying sexual messages . The song has also been certified Platinum by the RIAA . The song is ranked number 446 on Rolling Stone 's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was ranked number nine on VH1 's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop . </P>
when did the song push it come out
1987