S andra “Pepa” Denton had just removed her shoes and settled into the massage chair at the She Thing salon in Queens for what she hoped would be a relaxing pedicure when her cellphone started to buzz. Glancing down at the screen, she saw that it was a call from her musical partner, the person with whom she reclaimed hip-hop for women, scored international hits with songs like “Push It,” “Shoop,” and “Whatta Man,” and toured the world: Cheryl “Salt” James. She answered with a friendly greeting,