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DJ Spinderella continues to publicly express disappointment in the way her former bandmates omitted her from the Salt-N-Pepa biopic that aired last month. While the film was well-received in the Hip-Hop community, the frustrated DJ is adamant her legacy was erased from the story, causing even deeper damage to the already fragile relationship within the group.
“The relationship is over,” Sandra “Spinderella” Roper tells Billboard about the falling out with Salt-N-Pepa’s Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton. Launching a reunion project following the film’s premiere would have been the perfect opportunity to reconnect with fans, but that won’t happen unless there’s a grand gesture of reconciliation. “The only way something like that would happen is if we get this business handled and that they offer an apology to me.”
That’s not happening anytime soon.
Salt-N-Pepa has had a long history of friction starting with their first unofficial split in 2002. The group reunited in 2007 and remained a trio until Denton and James terminated the legendary DJ from the group in 2019. In response, Roper filed a lawsuit to collect royalties she claimed she was excluded from that was generated from gigs and appearances before her untimely departure. The duo fired back and called her an “independent contractor” that wasn’t entitled to any of the group’s earnings outside of what was agreed upon in her contract– read more here.
Clearly, things didn’t get better over time. The way she was swiftly written out of the group’s legacy may be an indication that the feud will last longer than Gorilla Glue Girl’s slicked-back ponytail.
“Sorry but I gotta speak on this Lifetime special. Too often, Black women who have made meaningful contributions in their industry are left out of historical narratives.,” Spinderella wrote on Twitter. ‘Back when Salt n’ Pepa was building our legacy, which is rooted in empowering women, I could not have dreamed that this same group would one day disempower me. 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 all the while using my image throughout, given that I played an integral role in the group’s story and success. There’s nothing more unacceptable than a woman being silenced by another woman. It is for this reason, I will not be supporting it.”
Last week MadameNoire reported that both Denton and James responded to the criticisms and remained steadfast about the premise of the film– which is about their friendship, not the trio’s legacy– while commenting on the ongoing issue with Spinderella.
“Salt and I did reach out for her to consult with the movie,” Denton said. “This movie was about the friendship of Sandy and Cheryl back in college. But yes, Spinderella did join us. We will always acknowledge her contribution, all that she’s done with us. She will always be our sister. We love her. But we have always made sure that she had the opportunity and the platform. We always encourage her to be Spinderella and be supportive of her.”
