Salt-N-Pepa Respond to Spinderella and Claim That They Reached out to her For Lifetime Biopic
Viewers are still discovering the new Lifetime biographical movie, Salt-N-Pepa, which is based on the true story of the iconic hip-hop group. The group’s DJ, Deidra Roper (aka DJ Spinderella) has come out against the film. But Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton are refuting some of her claims.
Spinderella says she was excluded from the Salt-N-Pepa biopic
Per Lifetime’s official press description of the movie, it chronicles “the group’s rise in the hip hop industry as part of a revolution that challenged how women rappers were seen in the industry.” It also looks at “their friendship and how the relationship was put to the test by their careers.”
In a series of tweets, ahead of the film’s premiere Roper explained why she was taking issue with the movie. It was always clear that Roper would likely not be involved, as she has had a public feud with Denton and James for a few years and sued them.
“Too often, Black women who have made meaningful contributions in their industry are left out of historical narratives,” she wrote in part. “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.”
She also claimed that she was “excluded from the project,” though her image was still used. “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,” she continued.
Although she was against the project, she gave kudos to Monique Paul (who plays her in the film) and the other stars.
What Salt-N-Pepa have said about Spinderella’s statements
In an interview this week on talk show The Real, both James and Denton appeared to talk about the film. They were asked about what Roper said on social media and claim what she is saying is not entirely accurate.
“I reached out to Spinderella,” said James. “I feel like this is very unfortunate. We’ve come to a crossroads where we have decided to agree to disagree. I definitely am open and Pepa’s open. We’ve talked about it and our hearts are open, have always been open to Spinderella.”
On fans who may have opinions on the matter, James said that there are certain people who know everything about the situation. She is also still hopeful that they will be able to come together at some point down the road. “As far as the public is concerned, I’m really happy about the people who know that they don’t know everything,” she added. “There’s six sides to every story. just hope that we can come to some sort of resolution in the future. You never know. You never know what God is doing.”
Denton also corroborated what James said and explained that they wanted Roper to be a consultant on the film. “I just wanted to add to that, but I do want to clear up, there is a part that when Spinderella did say we excluded her,” she continued. “That part, Salt and I did reach out to consult with the movie.”
All in all, they say that she is always a member of their group and a part of their legacy.
“We will always acknowledge her contribution that she’s done with us,” she continued. “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, so that is important.”
The Salt-N-Pepa movie can be viewed via Lifetime on-demand.
