DJ Spinderella

Deidra Muriel Roper (born August 3, 1970[3][1] or 1971[4][2]) (sources differ), known professionally as DJ Spinderella or simply Spinderella, is an American DJ, rapper, producer and actress. Roper is best known as a member of the hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa. Roper's stage name is a reference to the character Cinderella. Roper occasionally appeared in The Salt-n-Pepa Show, a reality TV series focusing on reforming the group, which aired on the VH1 network in 2008.

DJ Spinderella
Born
Deidra Muriel Roper

(1970-08-03) August 3, 1970[1] or
(1971-08-03) August 3, 1971[2]
(sources differ)
Other names
  • Dee Dee Roper
  • DJ Spin
  • Spin
  • Spiny
Occupation
  • DJ
  • producer
  • rapper
  • actress
Children1
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
Years active1986–present
Labels
Associated acts

Biography

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Roper was one of five children. Roper's early influence in music began as a child, fascinated by her father's record collection growing up. Roper began her career as a DJ at age 14. During her sophomore year in high school, Roper began dating a local DJ who she learned DJ techniques from. Shortly thereafter, Roper began marketing herself as a DJ in the area around Brooklyn. At age 16, Roper was approached in school by a classmate who asked her would she be interested in joining an all-female rap group. The classmate knew Hurby "LuvBug" Azor, the producer of the group, and arranged for Roper to audition for him.

Career

Roper was introduced to Salt-N-Pepa producer Hurby Azor just before the group were due to appear at the Westchester Music Festival in late 1986. The group's original DJ, Latoya Hanson, had missed several rehearsals and group appearances, and the group was looking for a replacement.[5] Before auditioning Roper, Salt-n-Pepa had offered the spot to then-unknown radio and TV personality Wendy Williams.[6] Roper was selected as the group's DJ, taking the name Spinderella, around the time the group's first album was being released. Since she was 16 at the time of joining, Ropers' parents had to give permission for her to travel around the country. The trio became one of the more successful female hip-hop acts of all time. They released five studio albums and saw several platinum and gold singles. Spinderella has produced several songs on the group's albums. The group disbanded in 2002, then reformed in 2007.

From 2003 to 2006, Spinderella worked as a radio personality on the now-defunct KKBT 100.3 in Los Angeles, co-hosting The BackSpin, a nationally syndicated weekly radio show featuring old school hip-hop. She appeared in several episodes of the VH1 series The Salt N Pepa Show. From September 2010 to March 2011, Roper did mid-days at KSOC-94.5 "K-Soul" in Dallas, Texas. Spinderella is part of the American Diabetes Association Celebrity Cabinet, a TV ONE UnSung Ambassador, supporter of Saving Our Daughters Mentoring Program, and founder of the Spinderella DJ Academy. She appeared briefly on VH1's first annual Hip Hop Honors in November 2004, with her group members, but they did not perform. All three members performed on the second Hip Hop Honors on September 22, 2005. This was their first performance as Salt-N-Pepa since 1999. In 2007, she acted as DJ for The Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav. On October 23, 2008, the group performed their hit singles "Shoop", "Push It", and "Whatta Man" at the 2008 BET Hip Hop Awards. DJ Spinderella replaced temporary DJ Wendy Williams during Salt-N-Pepa's performance of "Push It", first aired on December 18, 2015.

Personal life

In 1992, Spinderella appeared in the film Stay Tuned. The same year, she had her first and only child, a daughter named Christy, with NBA basketball player Kenny Anderson.[7] In 1996, she appeared in the film Kazaam, which starred Shaquille O'Neal. She opened her own beauty salon on October 21, 1997, the same year that the group released their final album Brand New. After this album, she was to have released a solo album, but this never materialized as Red Ant, Salt-N-Pepa's record label, ceased operations. Her daughter Christy later appeared in an episode of My Super Sweet 16.[8]

References

  1. National Museum of African American History and Culture - Photographic print of Salt-N-Pepa outside Bayside Studios
  2. Hip Hop Culture - Salt N' Pepa - By Emmett George Price
  3. Black History Daily - DJ Spinderella - August 3, 1970
  4. Biography - Deidra "Dee-Dee" Roper - (1971-)
  5. Source Magazine. The Tables Turn, written by Khary Kimani Turner. December 2007, Page 28
  6. "Wendy Spinderella?". The Wendy Williams Show. 2012-01-06. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
  7. Staff. "SHAKER HEIGHTS: THEY'RE RAP'S TOP WOMEN, BUT ARE SALT 'N' PEPA TOO SEXY FOR THEIR OWN GOOD?", Entertainment Weekly, March 18, 1994. Accessed June 6, 2009. "The group's self-described little sister, Roper lives in Teaneck, N.J., with Christenese, 1, the child she had with ex-boyfriend Kenny Anderson of the New Jersey Nets."
  8. Quilantan, Vanessa (2014-06-26). "Salt-N-Pepa Are Coming Back, but Dallas' DJ Spinderella Isn't Going Anywhere". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
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