Deidra “DJ Spinderella” Roper is one of the best in the world (and the best ever, honestly) at what she does. While she’s been known to rock crowds at festivals and arenas, her recent collaboration with Planet Fitness and Apple Music brought those skills into a different setting, with a campaign celebrating the sounds of the 1990s, a time that many consider as “The Golden Age of Hip-Hop.”

The initiative included a workout playlist curated for Apple Music listeners, special in-gym events and a live DJ set from Spinderella at Planet Fitness’ Crenshaw location in Los Angeles. As someone who’s quite familiar with the company, accepting the invitation felt natural.

“I’ve been a longtime member of Planet Fitness,” she said. “So of course, when they reached out and they mentioned that they were taking it back to the ’90s, I’m like, ’That’s my world. That is definitely my world.’ So it’s only right. I’ve spent my career creating the space moments for people to have fun and dance, and the ’90s is my thing. So it was an excellent partnership.”

For Spinderella, music has always been a driver for different emotions. “It changes people’s mood,” she said, noting that sound serves as a natural companion for exercise. “You can encourage people, you can make people happy, and you can make people sad—I’m navigating the ship, so I have the opportunity to turn the vibe around or turn it up or turn it down. Music is super important.”

The iconic DJ’s own playlists change depending on where she is mentally. Some days call for classic hip-hop or Motown. Other days she leans into newer records, including house music or songs from The Womack Sisters. Rather than sticking to one formula, she lets the music meet the day. Outside of the Planet Fitness campaign, Spinderella recently returned from Tampa, where she DJed the Sigma Gamma Rho Boule. An honorary member of the sorority, she described the event as one of the most meaningful performances of her career.

“It was really special,” Spinderella said of her sorority’s national convention. “It’s a sisterhood and our motto is ’greater service.’ So me being an honorary member of Sigma Gamma Rho and them asking me to do the Boule, it was magical. It was my first Boule—I’ve done a lot of their regional events here and there, but the Boule is something special. Bringing the sisters together, celebrating, and creating memories for the sisterhood; I look forward to doing that as much as I can.”

In being in the music industry for some four decades, Spinderella has established herself as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop. Last year, she became the first female DJ inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Salt-N-Pepa, adding another milestone to a career that helped introduce generations of women to DJ culture.

“I feel blessed, number one—God chose me,” she says. “It’s nothing that I’ve done. I feel like I’ve been chosen. When you’re in a position that I’m in, and also being the first DJ inducted to the NAACP Hall of Fame, I’m like, ’What?’ But I stay true to who I am. I’m a woman, and I love music.”

While fully aware of her list of accomplishments, the Brooklyn-born musician remains careful not to frame DJing as a competition between men and women. Her admiration for fellow DJs comes from their craft, not their gender. “One of my favorite DJs is Jazzy Jeff,” she says. “It’s not because he’s a man or a woman, it’s because of his art. It’s because of what his vibe is and how I connect with it.” Still, she appreciates how much the landscape has changed since she began performing.

“When I started, I really didn’t have any females that I could say I saw doing it,” she recalls. “Not that there weren’t women doing it, it’s just that we weren’t seen. So I’m grateful that I was a part of that wave that opened that door for people to visually see that a woman can do this.”

Looking back on hip-hop’s early years, Spinderella says there was never a blueprint for where the genre would eventually go. She knew she was part of something important, but not something that would grow into a worldwide force.

“I knew it would be something because I was in the center,” she says. “I had no idea the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was in the picture. And then when the day came, that opportunity presented itself. Also, when I realized just how much hip-hop had evolved, I was like, Oh my God, the sky is the limit.”

Author: Okla Jones

Read the original article on Essence.