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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2025 inductees this week, featuring a smorgasbord of variety between era and genre, including Chubby Checker, The White Stripes, Cyndi Lauper, Bad Company and Outkast.
In addition, Salt-N-Pepa and their Dallas-based DJ, Spinderella, were named the recipients of the Musical Influence Award. The seminal female hip-hop group and Warren Zevon will be honored at this year’s ceremony.
Born in Brooklyn, Deidra Roper adopted the Spinderella moniker at 16 when she auditioned for and joined Salt-N-Pepa in 1986. Now a trio, the group became one of the most culturally and musically influential forces of the early hip-hop era, especially in helping pave the way for female rappers.
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With Spinderella, the group had 11 songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100, including two top-10 hits. In late 1993, “Shoop” peaked at No. 4. Only a few months later, the group followed up with “Whatta Man” featuring En Vogue, which peaked at No. 3. The group was nominated for five Grammys, with one win for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for “None of Your Business” in 1995. They were honored with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 2021.
We spoke with Spinderella earlier this year and explored her extensive vinyl collection. Her daughter, Christy Ray, is also a well-known DJ here. Spinderella told us that she was taught certain techniques when she was just 11 years old, modeling her mother’s young start. The two mentioned spending hours digging through crates at Josey Records and Half Price Books, two of North Texas’ signature music outlets.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony will be held on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles and streamed live on Disney+.
