Earlier this afternoon, Lifetime released its new film Salt-N-Pepa, which, as the name suggests, is a biopic covering the ups and downs of the careers of rap’s first Grammy-winning, platinum-selling all-female group. Unlike some Lifetime projects that have crawled out of the woodwork over the years, Salt-N-Pepa is mostly authorized—which is to say, it was produced and co-written by both Salt and Pepa (and co-produced by their old pal Queen Latifah), but not, tellingly by the trio’s former third member, DJ Spinderella. That probably has a lot to do with the fact that Spinderella (a.k.a. Diedre Roper, who joined the group shortly after its first album dropped in 1985, and who spent more than 30 years as its DJ) was fired from the group in 2019, after which she sued Salt and Pepa on allegations of unpaid royalties. (The lawsuit ultimately went to mediation.)
Given her integral role to the group’s success, it’s unsurprising that Roper appears in the film, played by Monique Jasmine Paul. It’s also unsurprising that the real Roper isn’t especially happy about her inclusion, sans participation, in the film, taking to Twitter today to write, among other things, that “Words cannot fully express my disappointment when I learned a decision was made to move forward with a Lifetime biopic that wrongfully excluded me from every aspect of development and production…” (She did have kind words for Paul, though.)
As it happens, Salt and Pepa did speak this week (somewhat obliquely) about Spinderella’s removal from the group. Talking to The Breakfast Club yesterday, Cheryl “Salt” James held to the line that she and Sandra “Pepa” Denton were already an established act when Spinderella was added to the group by producer Hurby Azor, and that Roper was always an “addition” to an established dynamic that dated back to the duo’s high school years. Reading not especially hard between the lines, the clear implication is that Spin was never, and was never going to be, an equal member of the partnership, and that that certainty eventually led to her dismissal. (You can view this part at 14:35 in the below video.)
44 Comments
“She?” I always thought Spinderella was a fella!
The name would have been Spinderollo, if that was the case.
one of the spinderelli
Im puzzled by someone thinking that in so many ways.
Well I’m puzzled someone is aware who Spinderella is but doesn’t know the song?
ugh. the joke really went that far over your head, huh?
CinderFella is Dana Dane…a dude.https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/g/1s05vqkwm&hl=en-US&q=dana+dane+cinderfella+dana+dane&kgs=26e61603eaa88940&shndl=0&source=sh/x/kp/osrp&entrypoint=sh/x/kp/osrp
Dressed in yella?
well played
They told us, “Spinderella’s not a fella, but a girl DJ, Whoa!”
This had to be Sandy “Pepa’s” doing cuz surely born-again Christian Cheryl “Salt” James wouldn’t conspire to screw Spin out of her rightful place in the history of the group and compensation for the last tour and those biopic. I bet Treach would agree.
Because self-proclaimed Christians are so great about doing the right thing when it comes to money? Wish I lived in that world.
I think you missed the sarcasm.
Could be.
It’s the internet. So after the first comment, you can never tell who misses the sarcasm and who pretends to be stupid.
Or when the sarcasm misses the mark.
Because self-proclaimed Christians are so great about doing the right thing when it comes to money?
*source: the last four years of full-fledged support for Trump
The Lost Condiment.
I feel this is sort of relevant
Yeah, but that’s just her spin on the story.
Slightly unrelated, but I still only listen to the music of Young MC, as I was essentially put upon this planet to Bust A Move, homeboy.
Do you know how?
Wish I could star this more. Easily my favorite hip hop track of that era.
Who could have possibly seen this coming?< Checks group name. Notices that it's Salt-N-Pepa, not Salt-N-Pepa-N-Spinderella. >Oh, right.
Run-DMC has never once tried to diminish or marginalize the input of Jam Master Jay into their music. They were a trio, it just happens that (like Salt-n-Pepa) the name sounds better with just two.(and don’t try to tell me that Run & DMC only credit Jay because of his murder, that is absolutely not true).
1. Spinderella’s not in the group name because she joined a couple years after the group formed to replace their first DJ.2. It was a joke.
Look they’re saying Spin was a contract employee. Contract employee are treat differently that members. Hence the phrase membership has its privileges. Here we are 30 years later and she’s trying to get credit as a member. She should have gotten it back in 1988 after the album A Salt with a Deadly Pepa went gold and definitely after the follow up Black’s Magic on 1990 went platinum. 1993’s Very Necessary went 5x platinum and she never once thought to become a member? They also had 5 greatest hit album released. It’s clear that Spins management screwed her. She’s unfortunately and unfairly now a cautionary tale. Friendship is friendship and business is business. She should have DTR’ed (Defined the Relationship) years ago. It was not Salt or Pepa’s job to do that. It was hers. Should Salt and Pepa have said something perhaps but in the end it was her job to get an attorney to make sure her interests were protected. She was 16 when she started by the time Very Necessary went 5x platinum she was an adult and knew better. Like Dawn Richard’s walked away from Envogue due to money, she should have demanded membership status and walked away if they refused to grant it.
Is that you, Morrissey?
Should’ve called herself DJ MSG.
Salt-N-Pepa in the Attic
30+ years and NOW you decide she really isn’t part of your group?!? Get out of my face with that ridiculousness!
This is a bummer. I’ve loved Spindarella since she was the DJ on the MTV game show Remote Control (how’s that for a blast from the past?!), & thought she did an amazing job of helping to shape their sound. Major credit to Spin for being so generous to the young Black actress who played her in the movies, she definitely didn’t have to do that and made herself look a lot better by doing so.
This is a sincere question, asked in good faith and not meant to diminish Spindarella. What was her contribution to the group’s albums and live shows?I get what solo DJs (like Deadmau5 or Paul Oakenfold or Avicii) do, but what are Spindarella or Jam Master Jay doing to shape the band’s sound?Do they write the beats? Are they involved in production? Are they just dropping in samples from other artists on top of the songs? Somehow, despite being a big music fan and reasonably knowledgable about music history and the creative process, this is a giant gap in my knowledge.Thanks.
The DJ in a band like that built the beats and the the MC rapped over them. Dj’s layer beats, create independent sound using drum machines and ad lib and add value just like any other musician. Jazzy Jeff was just as much of a part of the success of Will Smith as his rapping was. She didn’t just show up and stand in the background on tours. She is no different than the drummer in Van Halen or the bass player in Pink Floyd. The front men or women get all the attention but it takes a team. She was a part of of the creative process and sonic direction of the group she was in, they can downplay her role to try and keep her from money all they want. Her style is unique and recognizable and the idea that after all the years they would try this stuff shows you how money corrupts.
Thanks for the education. Hopefully Spin got some writing credits, but if this fight is over royalties, it sounds like she didn’t.That sucks. For a lot of people, the music business is still a business.
Music has always been my hobby but has been helping me stay afloat during covid. It has it’s up and downs no different than my sales job that dryed up. Here’s to the grinders like Spin hopefully they can all get back to the place they were mentally when they just loved making music sometime in the future.
You really confused me there – because Spinderella wasn’t on Remote Control. (whew. I know way too much about that show, which is something very few people care about.) She was on a show called Lip Service, which up until now, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of before! http://saturdaymorningarchives.blogspot.com/2012/02/game-time-lip-service-1992.html
Whoops! Mixed that up.
I don’t recall any albums “dropping” in 1985.
Back in ‘85, the albums dropped literally:
Money, man, the root of all evil.If she was truly imposed upon them they could have ditched her long before 2019. I’m guessing they’re claiming they did all the music themselves as well since High School? Silly. I’d love to know how that mediation worked out.
For real. 2019 is a super long time to wait to dismiss someone. Long after their popularity has faded.
I’m assuming the biopic didn’t have the intro to Let’s Talk About Sex?
I wonder what Deadpool has to say about this…