Earlier this afternoon, Lifetime released his new film Salt-n-pepa, which, as the name suggests, is a biographical film covering the ups and downs of careers of the first Grammy-winning rap group selling platinum. Unlike some Lifetime projects that have dragged out of the wood over the years, Salt-n-pepa is mainly authorized, meaning it was produced and co-written by Salt and Pepa (and co-produced by his former friend Queen Latifah)but not, revealingly by the trio old third member, DJ Spinderella. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that Spinderella (also known as Diedre Roper, who joined the group shortly after the release of her first album in 1985, and who spent more than 30 years as his DJ) was fired from the group in 2019, after which she sued Salt and Pepa on unpaid royalty claims. (The process ended up going to mediation.)
Given its integral role for success of the group, it is not surprising that Roper appears in the film, played by Monique Jasmine Paul. It is also not surprising that the real Roper is not especially happy with his inclusion, without participation, in the film, going to Twitter today to write, among other things, that “Words cannot fully express my disappointment when I heard that the decision was made to move on with a Lifetime biopic that mistakenly excluded me from all aspects of development and production … ”(She had kind words for Paul.)
G / O Media can receive a commission
It turns out that Salt and Pepa talked this week (somewhat indirectly) about removing Spinderella from the group. Talking to The Breakfast Club yesterday, Cheryl “Salt” James maintained 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 one “Addition” to an established dynamic that goes back to the college years of the duo. Reading is not especially difficult between the lines, tthe clear implication is that rotation he was never, and never would be, an equal member of society, and that certainty eventually led to his resignation. (You can see this part at 2:35 pm in the video below.)