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DJ Spinderella will embody a new role, trading in playlists for set pieces, as the curator of the National Public Housing Museum’s Music Room. The Chicago-based historical center is adding an exhibit to detail how music is impacted by the artists and communities founded within public housing establishments.
The “Music Room” will be on display in the Jane Addams Homes Building as soon as early 2024, and showcase a varied history of sound that was channelled through these living arrangements by those who were raised by them. Music from cities across the nation’s coasts, from legends of the craft such as Prince, Jay-Z, and Barbara Streisand will be commemorated for visitors, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Source: Courtesy of NPHM
Born Deidre Muriel Roper, DJ Spinderella will use her personal background and professional history in hip-hop music to aid in her expertise while formulating the exhibit. Before emerging as a leading lady emcee, the former Salt-N-Pepa member grew up in public housing in Brooklyn with her parents and siblings, a grounding experience that shaped the artist as she embarked on her career. On the announcement of her appointment to the role, the New York native stated that “curating the music room at NPHM is important to me, not only because I believe in the museum’s purpose, but because my home is my foundation and music is in my DNA.”
Source: Courtesy of Spinderella / Spinderella
Ahead of the exhibit’s opening, musical historian Dr. Josh Kun shared in its press release how the DJ’s task of leading the curation “is a unique opportunity for that story to be told in a way that honors the experiences of so many artists putting people so often marginalized and overlooked into the spotlight.”
The impact of public housing on music transcends any one genre, ranging from Latin to Soul and Rock. Choosing a legendary Black female figure such as DJ Spinderella, who was directly shaped by this upbringing, adds a diverse perspective needed to justly tell this narrative.
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