Salt-N-Pepa – which once included the lineup of Cheryl “Salt” James, Sandra “Pepa” Denton, and Deidra “DJ Spinderella” Roper – is currently being talked about a lot in the press and online. That is partly because Lifetime’s biopic about the Hip Hop group premiered on Saturday, January 23.
The Salt-N-Pepa television movie also garnered headlines when DJ Spinderella publicly addressed not being involved in the production. On January 22, Spin started a Twitter thread by tweeting, “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.”
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.
— Spinderella (@Spindeezy) January 22, 2021
Despite the personal, professional, and legal friction that is now present between the original members of Salt-N-Pepa and their longtime deejay, the iconic trio gave the world memorable classics like the 1987 single “Push It.” On an episode of Apple Music Hits’ I Miss… Golden Age Hip Hop Radio, Spinderella spoke about recording and releasing the Platinum-certified, Top 20 hit.
“‘Push It’ was already recorded, and it was a B-side [of the ‘Tramp’ single]. We were working that first [Hot, Cool & Vicious] album, and it wasn’t even on the album,” recalled DJ Spinderella. “‘Push It’ was just a side piece… I think we shot the video because they had already shot ‘Tramp.’ If I’m not mistaken, ‘Tramp’ was the hit for us at the time we were rocking with.”
Spin added, “And then suddenly, we shot the video… The video was on MTV, and it was shot by Ted Demme, who’s a director. Once that video hit the scene, that is when I feel the difference happened, the climb. The climb was uphill, if you just go up. We started performing that song and it was like a fire.”
Salt-N-Pepa’s historic role in elevating women in Hip Hop to new heights can not be denied. According to the RIAA, 1993’s Very Necessary album has moved more than 5 million units in the United States, making it one of the best-selling female rap albums of all time.
The 1995 Grammy winners (Best Rap Solo Performance – “None of Your Business”) are also set to be honored by The Recording Academy as 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award honorees, along with fellow Hip Hop pioneers Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five. Salt-N-Pepa were also on the list of celebrities to receive a Walk Of Fame star in 2021 from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
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