What Is DJ Spinderella's Net Worth?
DJ Spinderella is an American DJ, rapper, and producer who has a net worth of $10 million. DJ Spinderella is best known as a member of the hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa. DJ Spinderella beat out dozens of other musicians to replace original DJ Latoya Hanson. She was 16 years old when she landed the gig. Salt-N-Pepa went on to become the biggest female rap group of all time, selling over 15 million albums and singles worldwide, and at least six singles were certified gold or platinum. DJ Spinderella also produced several award-winning songs for the group's albums.
Early Life
DJ Spinderella was born Deidra Muriel Roper on August 3, 1970, in Brooklyn, New York City. She grew up with four siblings. As a child, she was heavily influenced by music, as her father often played records from his large collection at home. By the age of 14, Roper had already begun her DJ career. During her sophomore year in high school, she began dating a local DJ and learned various DJ techniques from him. She then began marketing herself as a DJ in the areas around Brooklyn and started booking gigs. At the age of 16, she was approached in school by a classmate who asked her if she was interested in joining an all-female rap group. The group worked with the producer Hurby "LuvBug" Azor, and Roper was able to audition for him.
Career
When Roper auditioned for Azor, she was auditioning to fill the DJ role in the all-girls group that had been originally held by Latoya Hanson. However, Hanson had missed several rehearsals and group appearances, which caused the group and Azor to look for a replacement. Roper performed well in the audition and impressed Azor, as well as the two other women in the group, Cheryl James and Sandra Denton. The duo had already been going by the name Salt-N-Pepa, and Roper became the newest addition, adopting the name DJ Spinderella. While Salt-N-Pepa had experienced some success prior to Roper joining, the trio did even better afterward. They became one of the most successful female hip-hop acts of all time. The group released five studio albums, and several of their singles went platinum or gold. DJ Spinderella has produced several songs on the group's albums as well. The group disbanded in 2002.
While in Salt-N-Pepa, Roper continued working on other projects as well. In 1992, she appeared in the film "Stay Tuned." In 1993, she was featured as a rapper on Big Daddy Kane's album "Looks Like a Job For…" on the track "Very Special." The song went on to become Big Daddy Kane's only top 40 hit. In 1996, she appeared in the film "Kazaam," which starred Shaquille O'Neal. She was supposed to release a solo album in 1997, but the album never materialized as Red Ant, Salt-N-Pepa's record label, ceased operations.
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While Salt-N-Pepa was on hiatus between 2003 and 2006, DJ Spinderella began working as a radio personality on the now-defunct KKBT 110.3 in Los Angeles. She co-hosted "The BackSpin," a nationally syndicated weekly radio show featuring old-school hip-hop. From September 2010 to March 2011, she was again on radio during the midday timeslot on KSOC-94.5 "K-Soul" in Dallas, Texas.
Though Salt-N-Pepa was not officially together, the trio did appear together at VH1's first annual Hip Hop Honors in November 2004. They did not perform, however. The following year, the three members did perform at Hip Hop Honors. It was the trio's first performance as Salt-N-Pepa since 1999. They decided to get back together in 2007, the same year "The Salt-N-Pepa Show" premiered on VH1. The show primarily followed the lives of the other two members of the group, but DJ Spinderella appeared occasionally on it as well. It remained on the air for two seasons. The group performed their hit singles "Shoop," "Push It," and "Whatta Man" at the 2008 BET Hip Hop Awards.
Over the next years, the group frequently performed live. In 2010, Salt-N-Pepa received the I Am Hip Hop Award at the BET Hip Hop Awards. In February 2011, the group headlined a national tour titled "Salt-N-Pepa's Legends of Hip Hop Tour." The tour featured other acts like Whodini, Biz Markie, Chubb Rock, Big Daddy Kane, and Naughty by Nature, among others. From 2017 to 2018, the group was part of the "I Love the 90's" tour.
In May 2019, DJ Spinderella took to social media to announce that she had been terminated from Salt-N-Pepa as of January of that year. She broke the silence after the other members of the band had not made a public announcement. DJ Cocoa Chanelle replaced her.
In November 2022, Roper was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, along with Denton and James.
Personal Life
In 1992, Roper gave birth to a daughter named Christy with NBA basketball player Kenny Anderson. Her daughter later appeared in an episode of "My Super Sweet 16." Roper is part of the American Diabetes Association Celebrity Cabinet. She is also a TV ONE UnSung Ambassador and a supporter of the Saving Our Daughters Mentoring Program. She additionally founded the Spinderella DJ Academy.
