Spinderella: Letting Love In

Spinderella

LETTING LOVE IN

PHOTOGRAPHED BY Nana Annan PHOTOGRAPHY ASST: Charlene Asare CINEMATOGRAPHER: Tristan Barrocks - Felicity Moments SET/FLORAL DESIGN: Nicole Smedley LEAD WARDROBE STYLIST: Aundrea Love ASST. STYLIST: Chablis HAIR STYLIST: Meeko Taylor ASST. MALE STYLIST: Ldell Young MAKEUP ARTIST: Abby Folare-Ayodeji - JuicyLooks MUA COORDINATION: LaKisha Wells - Renee's Eventi LOCATION: The Olana Texas

DESTINATIONS

DRESS: Blushing Bride Boutique

DRESS DESIGNER: Eddy K Dreams

MUNALUCHI BRIDE | 23

COVER STORY

She is...

the most revered female DJ.

Responsible for some of our fondest 90s music memories − Deidra Roper, better known known as DJ Spinderella − is in love. In love with life, in love with her career, and in love with a man that keeps her enjoying the “lightness of life.” In this interview, we get personal with the music industry trailblazer as she discusses letting love in, career highlights, and upcoming wedding plans.

SUMMER.2019 | 24

GOWN: Galia Lahav from StanleyKorshak Dallas HEADPIECE:Bridal Styles Boutique

COVER STORY

interview by jacqueline nwobu

JACKIE: I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN HEAVY- DUTY PLANNING RIGHT?

SPIN: Yeah. And we love it.JACKIE: THAT'S AWESOME.

SPIN: The only part we don't like is when they start talking about the bills.

JACKIE: I KNOW!SPIN: I mean...it has inflated, it has inflated.

JACKIE: I KNOW IT'S EXPENSIVE! IT’S CRAZY WHAT PEOPLE ARE SPENDING OUT THERE.

SPIN: Yeah it is but...I mean we try to keep a cap on what we want to spend but of course our tastes don't match that... We want cigar bars and stuff like...

JACKIE: OH MY GOSH!

SPIN: This is crazy, but we're having a good time. We're enjoying it so far.

JACKIE: WELL, YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT THE WAY YOU WANT IT...AND IT HAS TO BE FUN. SO THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. HOW DID YOU AND Q MEET?

Q: So I was dancing at this strip club...[WE ALL BURST OUT IN LAUGHTER]

SPIN: No. I was new to Dallas. And when I got to Dallas I had gotten a call from a young lady named Tamra Goins. [She] and her partner Val were doing the Shaq comedy all-star tour. And they asked me to be a DJ on the tour [and] tour the country with them and I was just enamored by comedy. I was right there on stage with these comedians. It was so funny. I'm talking about Michael Blackson and Gary Owen, Tony Roberts, Capone, Lil Duval... it was just a great time. So one event came up here in Dallas and we were all there and Q was on the bill.

Q: As a mutual friend of Tamra as well. So I knew Tamra, but I didn’t know Dee Dee. She put me and a buddy on the show to open up.

SPIN: So I happened to be there and saw him perform and then we took a picture and I was ...you know... I was like okay...you know. And somehow he got in touch with me because he was having his annual birthday party.

Q: I found out that we were both Leos.

JACKIE: SO YOU WERE DOING SOME RESEARCH?

[LAUGHS]

Q: Right, a little Twitter research. And I think I inboxed [Dee Dee] on twitter or something and [she] was like...well, call me about it. So I have a whoop-de-do for my birthday every August in Dallas. And it’s an all-white party and I was like, Hey, I'm turning--- whatever I was turning---I can’t remember --- but I’m gonna do it big this year and I want to book a celebrity DJ. Would you DJ for it, I hear you’re a Leo. And she was like, ‘Alright, well call me and we’ll talk about budget.’ And so I gave her my budget. And I was like normally I spend...you know... $250 on a DJ but I’m stepping out! I'm doing it big. I got $500. Are you open? And she said ---CHIIIILE!

JACKIE: $500! OH MY GOSH!

[EVERYONE BUSTS OUT IN LAUGHTER.]

Q I don't know what her rate was. Apparently, I've never booked a celebrity DJ before. So she was like, ‘Chile, um...nah... that’s not what my fee is.’ And then she went on to say, ‘Well, I'll tell you what. I'll gift it to you.’ And I was like, well how much is that!? She was like, ‘no, I’m going to do it for you as a gift for your birthday. I love comedy and I'll come up.’ I said, you bullshitting me! And so she did my birthday party. And it was pretty cool.

JACKIE: SPIN, WHY DID YOU GIFT IT TO HIM?

SPIN: I did it because I love comedy and I was just DJing off the Shaq tour where we were fresh off of it, and I just wanted to stay in that element.

JACKIE: OKAY

SPIN: And you know….he's a comedian and he's...you know...pretty revered here. And he has a lot of comedy friends. So I wanted to just stay in that element. I had been going through some things. My parents had just passed. Both of them. And I like needed comedy in my life. So that to me was like.. you know what. I'm going to do it for you. You know...you could just tip me.

JACKIE: SO YOU DIDN’T DO IT

BECAUSE YOU THOUGHT THAT HE WAS KIND OF CUTE AND YOU WERE LIKE---

Q: I know right. I have a whole other story![LAUGHTER]

SPIN: No, not at al!l... But I was single. And he was like you know what, how about I take you out for some coffee or something like that?

Q: [Q BURSTS OUT LAUGHING.] Oh you’re not gonna tell this story like this!

SPIN: [WHILE LAUGHING] I'm not finished, hold on---these are the best stories. Look at how it ended. Anyway so of course our birthdays are around the same time. So there was another event that my girls were giving me a celebration at this club. And he just happened to be hosting it. So we wound up meeting again and he was like ‘you know can I buy you a drink bla bla bla?’ Okay sure. And he was like so ‘are we gonna actually go out for that coffee or something?’ You know. So I just had to let my guard down and let him take me out for some coffee or whatever. What's the harm in that? And I guess at that point it was like...we just enjoyed each other...and he’s fun.

JACKIE: BEAUTIFUL.

SPIN: That's what I was seeking in my life anyway. And really--- he kind of filled that for me.

Q: So we didn't go to have coffee, we went to the movies.

SPIN: Oh! He took me to the movies. I agreed to do the coffee thing and...he didn’t drink coffee.

JACKIE: HA!. COFFEE AT THE MOVIES.SPIN: He didn't drink coffee. It's so funny.

JACKIE: SO YOU ASKED HER TO GO FOR COFFEE BUT YOU DON'T DRINK COFFEE?

Q: Well, I didn't want to be like...let’s go out for drinks and...you know...come off as one of those guys. So I was like ...you know… coffee during the day...something safe. We got talking over the phone and I end up taking her to the movies. But check out how I did it though.

DESTINATIONS

CORSET: Stanley Korshak Dallas SKIRT: Justin Alexander HEADPIECE: Aundrea Love EARRINGS: Aundrea Love

SPIN: Jesus!

Q: So we go to the movies, and the movies are in the mall. I don’t know if she knew this or not but the mall was pretty much deserted. It was about to be closed down. But I took her there and said hey I've rented out the whole mall. So you can window shop all you want.

SPIN: He said, window shop! I'm takin’ you to window shop.

Q: We’re in the movie theatre...nobody in the movie theatre...I rented out the whole theatre...I don’t want your fans all in your...

[EVERYONE LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY]

Q: I think that’s what really got it. It was an abandoned mall.

JACKIE: WHOA! THAT WAS SMOOTH THOUGH. DID YOU KNOW IT WAS AN ABANDONED MALL, SPIN? DID YOU THINK THAT HE LIKE...BOUGHT OUT THE WHOLE MALL?

[Q STARTS LAUGHING.]

SPIN: Honey, I knew because I worked in that mall!

[EVERYONE BURSTS OUT IN LAUGHTER]

SPIN: I was in the Radio Station that was in the mall that wound up shutting down. I worked in that mall.

JACKIE: OH MY GOSH!

SPIN: So I was listening to his game and letting him feel like he had some game...like he was winning something over me. And I was like yeah...ok. [And] our first date was at Taco Bueno….

JACKIE: WHOA!!

SPIN: So I was like oh...this is a different experience for me.

JACKIE: WELL HE WAS TRYING TO KEEP IT CONSISTENT....HE WENT FROM $250 TO $500. SO...YOU KNOW...

SPIN: Yes, he put it all out there for me and I was like, this is what it is. But I laughed so much and enjoyed him so much that... that's where we are to this day. Every day laughing and enjoying each other, just like that.

JACKIE: RIGHT. AND IT SHOWS...IT SHOWS. WE CAN TELL JUST FROM THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU THAT YOU REALLY

LIKE EACH OTHER.

SPIN: You know, everyone has their ups and downs in a relationship but I must say I think that is the biggest quality of Q’s that just keeps me going. Because when you're laughing and not crying...you know.

JACKIE: ABSOLUTELY! ABSOLUTELY!

SPIN: And he brings that joy of laughter and fun to me and even when he's going through something, he just finds the good in a bad situation. It's very inspiring.

JACKIE: YES. THAT'S BEAUTIFUL. SO YOU GUYS MOVE PAST THE TACO BUENO DAYS AND ALL THAT. I'M SURE THERE WERE SOME FIVE-STAR RESTAURANTS SOMEWHERE IN THERE.

SPIN: Right. You already know! Now when Spin stepped in...it was a different story. Where’d I take you babe?

Q: Yeah. We started going to Three Forks and Pappas Brothers Steakhouses, Nobu...

JACKIE: OKAY, THERE YOU GO!

Q: I was like, so what are all these stars for? It’s a lot of stars..

[LAUGHTER]

JACKIE: THAT IS SO FUNNY! SO HERE'S ANOTHER QUESTION. Q. DURING THIS WHOLE PROCESS YOU GUYS JUST KIND OF HAPPENED TO BE IN THE SAME PLACE AND YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY AND WENT FOR IT. WERE YOU LOOKING TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP?

Q: No. I wouldn’t say I was looking. I think as a Comedian, I thought if I could make a room laugh…[I feel like] I've got a superpower. After I’ve killed the room I can talk to anybody and I feel like I'm on anyone's level. So I think I had a little comedy courage still in me from [being on] the stage. And just went for it.

SPIN: Comedy courage!

JACKIE: WELL YEAH! YOU'RE COURAGEOUS ALRIGHT! THAT WHOLE MALL SITUATION... THAT TAKES A LOT OF GUTS.

Q: Way out of my league. Way out of my league...But you know...I went through some stuff as well. Through a divorce and all that and depression and my motto is

“Fear is of the devil” so I'm not scared. I can take a ‘No’. They tell me No all the time in business. I'm cool with it, and it ended up working out.

JACKIE: THAT'S BEAUTIFUL. SO HOW LONG WERE YOU DATING BEFORE YOU KNEW YOU WANTED TO POP THE QUESTION?

Q: Oh, the next day! No I’m must kidding!SPIN: Well damn!JACKIE: OOOH!

Q: I think a couple of years... I think 2 years. I was like okay...I can grow old with her. Let's see if my credit score match. [laughs] But we had contracts. Well...she gave me contracts.

JACKIE: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY CONTRACTS? LIKE...YOU MEAN A CONTRACT ON PAPER?

Q: Not a real contract but she was like, you got 3 months to show me who you are. And when that three months was up she was like...you got an extension of another six months.

SPIN: There's another six months... so...Q: I got like...4 of those.

JACKIE: DID YOU REALLY DO THAT SPIN?

SPIN: I did. I did. It was just a... I don't know... It was just my protection mechanism to protect my heart and make sure that he was... you know... the one. [To make sure] he wasn't out for a Spinderella but he really was delighted with Dee Dee... you know. And that was a big test right there because he was dating Spinderella, and for me, I needed him to see Dee Dee...

JACKIE: THAT'S RIGHT. MAKES SENSE.

SPIN: So it was a learning curve right there. And he got it and he passed that test. So then there was another test. For me, I kind of set these boundaries. And the reason why is because I want to know that this is real.

JACKIE: SO WAS IT BECAUSE OF PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES?

SPIN: Oh yes! Previous experiences. And I just--- I feel like we all can't just free fall. Sometimes you have to really know if this person is real. And he came through a divorce...I came through a divorce. You

SUMMER.2019 | 28

CORSET: Stanley Korshak Dallas ROBE: Blushing Bride Boutique- Robed with Love SHOES: Aundrea Love Collection

COVER STORY

DRESS: Aundrea Love Collection EARRINGS: Aundrea Love Collection SHOES: River Island

COVER STORY

always think that that's it. That’s it! There's a lot of lines and standards that a person needs to meet to be with me and I create those standards because I want this to last forever. And I don't want to go anywhere else and I don't want to look at anybody else, and I don't want to be with anybody...I want to be with him. So I needed to make sure of that.

JACKIE: SO HOW WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES ABOUT Q THAT ALLOWED YOU TO PUT YOUR GUARD DOWN?

SPIN: He was vulnerable too. He [told] me it was important that I knew that his children were the biggest thing in his life. You know what I’m saying? And would I be able to understand that. I feel like I met my soul...my partner. Because we just both enjoy the lightness of life.

JACKIE: AND IT WAS EASY. THERE WAS NO ACTING...YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO TRY, YOU COULD JUST BE YOURSELF.

SPIN: No, not at all. And like I said, I came through some really tragic things not too far ago and he was kind of right there by my side. Especially when my sister passed.

JACKIE: OH. WOW.

SPIN: My sister was right here with us... and she passed. He was right by my side and he just was like a rock to me. He was my rock. Like my sunshine. Like every corny thing [you can think] of?

JACKIE: IT'S LIKE YOU’RE SAYING YOUR WEDDING VOWS RIGHT NOW!

SPIN: There it is! All those things ...all those things and...and that was him. And then I just got a confirmation of course from my Dad... from the other side. You know, I'm very spiritual. But I got this confirmation that he was the one.

JACKIE: HOW DID YOU GET CONFIRMATION?

SPIN: And I was saying...It has to be proven Daddy. Like still...okay? I believe you, but he needs to prove it. It needs to be proven.

JACKIE: SO WHAT WAS THE CONFIRMATION?

SPIN: So I'm a daddy's girl. My dad passed. And of course I was broken and lost but I still could hear my dad's voice just pushing

me through and keeping me going. And sometimes when you go through tragedy like that, it becomes clearer to you and you get more clarity. It's so weird how you [feel] so numb. But the answer is so concrete. So of course, just out of the blue, I hear my dad's voice like... he's the one. Out of the blue. And I wasn't even thinking about my dad. I wasn't thinking about Q. I was thinking about something totally different. And a voice came and it was, ‘He's the one.’ And it was so confirmed and this was years ago.

JACKIE: THAT’S BEAUTIFUL YOU WANTED TO BE SOLID. YOU WANTED TO REALLY, REALLY BE SURE BECAUSE YOU FELT GOOD AND YOU JUST DIDN'T WANT YOUR HEART TO BE BROKEN ESPECIALLY AFTER THE TRAGEDY AND ALL THE LOSS WITH YOUR PARENTS AND YOUR SISTER.

SPIN: Yes!

JACKIE: WELL, Q...YOU, I MEAN LOOK...I GOTTA GIVE YOU A HIGH FIVE. YOU PASSED ALL THOSE TESTS AND STILL CONTINUE TO LAUGH! SO TELL ME Q, HOW DID YOU PLAN THE PROPOSAL? WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?

Q: It was spontaneous to a certain point because I was thinking about doing it for probably-- after I got the ring -- probably about three to five months. Something like that.

JACKIE: SO YOU HAD THE RING FOR ABOUT 5 MONTHS?

Q: Oh yeah! I had the ring for about a year. Almost a year.

JACKIE: WOW!!!

Q: Yeah. Well, I wanted to pay it off. Look here, I'm a regular dude--- so we worked it out and got that out of the way.

[LAUGHTER]

Q: But how I was going to do it was a process of about 3-5 months. The thing with Dee Dee is she hates surprises so it's hard even for a proposal. I gotta be able to pop the question, but she wants to know so she can get the right dress or something...

JACKIE: OH MY GOSH

Q: So, I had to make sure she was going to be looking her best. Whether she had a gig or she was going on a date night or

something. I couldn't just get up in the morning, cook breakfast and bring no ring because...it wasn’t gonna happen. So the last day of her filming for…

SPIN: The BET Show

Q: The BET show -- Ladies Night -- They end up coming to Dallas to get some more b-footage. So they came over. I did one scene. I was supposed to do another scene, but it never happened. And she had a club scene that night. So that night I called all our friends, like be at the club tonight. I’m popping the question. Her daughter wasn’t even going to come that night because she filmed all day. I’m like... you gotta come...She’s like why? I’m like, because I’m popping the question! So I convinced her to come, pregnant and all. And right when she got off stage, I told the producers [as] they were wrapping up [to] hold on. I'm fixing to propose, ya’ll might want to get this. And I ended up proposing and part of the proposal ended getting shown on TV. So I got to propose on a television show and make it really sweet for her. It was really dope.

JACKIE: DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA SPIN?

SPIN: Not at all.JACKIE: CAUGHT YOU OFF GUARD.

SPIN: He did really good with the surprise cause I wasn’t [aware] ---he kept saying it’s coming...one day. He said when you least expect it, expect it. But you know Q has been having it on ice because he wanted it to be good and he wanted it to be the right moment.

JACKIE: SO WHAT WAS NEXT? WHAT WERE THE CONVERSATIONS LIKE AS FAR AS WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO FOR YOUR WEDDING OR WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO GET MARRIED? HOW WAS THAT?

SPIN: Well we wanted to go to a destination. And we actually had planned to take our friends and then it just got to a point that it was like it'd be better here because we got a lot of friends and family here. And it was easier for us to just do it here.

Q: That house did it!

SPIN: And then when we ended up at The Olana...When we got here, we kind of abandoned our plans. We had a deposit

SUMMER.2019 | 32

DESTINATIONS

TUX: Garçon Couture CUFFLINKS: Lombardi Customs Dallas

LAPEL: Garçon Couture

MUNALUCHI BRIDE | 33

DRESS: Blushing Bride Boutique

DRESS DESIGNER: Eddy K Dreams

TUX: Eaden Myles CUFF LINKS:

Lombardi Customs Dallas

COVER STORY

MUNALUCHI BRIDE | 35

down and everything at this resort that we love.

JACKIE: ARE YOU SERIOUS?!SPIN: And it was like, you know what?...

JACKIE: YEAH, THAT HOUSE...IT'S JUST SOMETHING CRAZY OUT OF THIS WORLD. WELL THAT'S GOOD. I MEAN NOW YOU CAN INVITE LIKE 500 MORE PEOPLE THAN YOU WERE PLANNING TO INVITE BEFORE.

SPIN: Not at all! Absolutely not! People have been asking Q [for] an invite to the wedding. And Q’s answer is always, ‘Oh it’s sold out.’

JACKIE: YUP! IT’S SOLD OUT! GET ON THE WAITLIST.

Q: We’ll be the first wedding with a bouncer at the door. These jacks gone try to pull up!

JACKIE: THEY MIGHT!

Q: If they ain't in the numbers...It’s like going to heaven. If you ain’t in the numbers...you going to need a ticket.

SPIN: Or one of those armbands you get in the club! Can you imagine how silly our wedding reception is going to be with the comedy?

[LAUGHTER]

JACKIE: WITH YOU BEING A DJ ARE YOU GOING TO DO A LITTLE BIT OF SPINNING OR….HOW DO YOU PICK A DJ FOR YOUR WEDDING?

SPIN: That was one of the biggest questions because, you know, I know a bunch of DJs and we have a lot of DJ friends just like he has a lot of comedians that are friends. Yeah...but I'm not DJing.

[LAUGHTER]

JACKIE: YOU WANT TO ENJOY THE DAY.

Q: Even in your wedding dress? You don’t wanna spin in your wedding dress?

SPIN: No darling. I don’t. I really don’t.

Q: So I can say I had DJ Spinderella DJ at my wedding?

SPIN: [Laughs] You wanna do a comedy scene? You wanna take the stage on your wedding?

Q: Nope!

SPIN: We’re going to allow our friends to entertain us. We have a couple of friends that will probably get on for us.

SPIN: DJ Phreeze who is a good friend of ours is going to be the main DJ. When we first started dating, we would be out on the town and we would see him DJing and he would always go, “I'm going to DJ your wedding.” And so when we first sat down and we started to plan who's doing what and entertaining, we came up with him because he kind of somehow had some insight. [LAUGHS]

JACKIE: WELL, HE BASICALLY TOLD YOU.

Q: [He was] speaking it into existence.

JACKIE: SO HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT PICKING YOUR PLANNER? I KNOW THAT HAVING A PLANNER HAS MADE THE PROCESS MUCH SMOOTHER FOR YOU, RIGHT?

Q: Last time I got married...I think her grandma did it so…

JACKIE: WHEW!

Q: I have a friend that does a lot of wedding things. She does lots of wedding stuff in Dallas...a lot of wedding magazines and conventions. And she recommended her [LaKisha].

SPIN: Our wedding planner Lakisha has been excellent. Like, she’s made it very easy and fun and she’s pretty much on it.

JACKIE: YEAH, SHE'S GREAT! BEING SOMEONE WHO LIKES TO HAVE CONTROL, ARE YOU LETTING HER PLAN? HOW’S THAT GOING?

SPIN: I'm still in charge of it. I know what I like but I don't know the professional side of it. We make calls to her regularly about what we like and what we want. She's very easy to work with like [helping] us with the contracts for the vendors [and with] how things are typically done but we're pretty hands-on about what we love. We know what we want and she executes.

JACKIE: THAT'S WONDERFUL AND THAT'S WHAT A PLANNER SHOULD DO SO THAT YOU GET TO ENJOY YOUR DAY. I'M EXCITED FOR THE TWO OF YOU. I COULD TELL JUST FROM THE PHOTO SHOOT AND THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU THAT THIS IS REAL LOVE

RIGHT HERE.Q: Yeah, she likes me.[LAUGHTER]

JACKIE: YES, I THINK SHE LIKES YOU. I THINK SHE LIKES YOU A LITTLE BIT.

SPIN: Yeah, it’s good to have that because I'm at this point in my life that I don't want to play games and I just want what it is supposed to be. But what's so funny is [that] I wasn't expecting this. Actually, you know, being in the industry [there are] a lot of celebrity women that don't have a significant other. I think people think that because you're this person, you're a celebrity, you're beautiful, you've got this going on, you've got money -- that you have this area locked down and a lot of women in that position do not.

JACKIE: THEY DON’T.

SPIN: They don't. Think about it. Cause they're very guarded or [you] just want to make sure that you choose someone that really loves you.

JACKIE: ABSOLUTELY!

SPIN: And I went through that. And I didn't know that I would find love again. I actually was like...if it happens God, then it happens. If it doesn't, I'm okay with that. I was at that point in my life. I said I'm not going to be in a desperate place. If this is what is meant to be... that I do not find my significant other...then that's what it’ll be.

JACKIE: HOW HAS EVERYTHING BEEN WITH BLENDING YOUR FAMILIES?

SPIN: It's been good. We're learning. It's a process because we've already gotten through this. We kind of came together a few years ago and we started to blend the family a few years ago. But yes. He's great with my daughter and he's great with our grand baby. My daughter just had a baby.

JACKIE: CONGRATULATIONS .HE’S SO CUTE!

SPIN: And my bonus son and my bonus daughter... They're beautiful and they're growing and they're doing well. So it’s been great.

DESTINATIONS

DRESS: Brides by Nona HEADPIECE: Bridal Styles Boutique EARRINGS: Aundrea Love

MUNALUCHI BRIDE | 37

JACKIE: THIS REALLY WONDERFUL. IT'S A BLESSING. I KNOW THERE HAS BEEN A LOT GOING ON AND, OF COURSE, EVERYBODY CAN READ ONLINE AND WATCH THE BET SHOW TO LEARN OF EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING IN YOUR CAREER. IT'S ALMOST LIKE YOU'RE ON A HIGH BECAUSE YOU'RE MARRYING THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE BUT THEN THERE COULD BE LOWS BECAUSE OF THE WHOLE SITUATION. HOW HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?

SPIN: I've been good. Fortunately, we just talked about this last night...I’m on a cloud. I’m feeling blessed. I am in the middle of a court case with them. But. I'm feeling blessed and favored. I feel that despite all of that, I know what I am, I know where I've been and what I've done for our genre of music. And I'm content with that. I wouldn't have even thought about it until you brought it up. Like, it has gotten to a point where it's not even an issue in my life. I've moved past it. It's been going on for some time, but I've moved past it and I'm just enjoying the blessings that God is giving me right now. So that's what I'm focused on and that's being handled and dealt with or whatever. But I think I've gotten past the dark part.

JACKIE: DEFINITELY! AND YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL AND GRATEFUL FOR. IT’S SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS AND IT MAKES YOU STRONGER, AND IT TEACHES YOU SOME LESSONS. BUT ULTIMATELY THE BIGGEST LESSON FROM IT IS THAT YOU HAVE FAVOR, YOU HAVE FAMILY, YOU HAVE LOVE, AND YOU HAVE HAPPINESS.

SPIN: That’s what holds me.Q: There are a bunch of positive

distractions that keep her mind off that. She has to deal with it but as soon as she hangs up the phone or gets out [of] that email... All of this other good stuff is going on so it all works out.

JACKIE: SO ANYTHING NEW HAPPENING WITH BOTH OF YOUR CAREERS? ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT TO MENTION OR TALK ABOUT THAT'S COMING UP?

Q: Well for me, something just came out last night but the last 5 months a buddy of mine created a comedy tour called the ‘Ratt Packs.’ His name is D Ellis. So we’re doing this thing called the Ratt Packs of Comedy tour and we’ve got like 4 dates in Texas. And last night we just got word that we're going to open up for Cedric the Entertainer in DC in October. So that's going to be super big. Yeah. We had an investor come out to our show in Dallas. He got us on that and says he wants to see and...it might be something. And I also celebrated my 50th show. So we have a comedy series we do here called ‘We Got Next Comedy Series.’ We just did our 50th show on my 45th birthday.

JACKIE: OH MY GOSH. CONGRATULATIONS!

Q: Thank you very much. So we've got the longest-running comedy series here in the south. So I got to 50 shows, and that’s a pretty big and Dee Dee’s a producer on that as well now.

SPIN: We’re going to keep the funny going. We're exuding it and we want everybody else to feel that fun. I know it's hard...it's really hard sometimes you know. Everyone has something going on in their lives that’s sometimes unbearable. But like I said, if you're not crying why not laugh? Instead of crying, laugh. And that's what

we want to bring. And then for me, I have two residencies going on. Two! Thank God. Yeah. I'm starting a new one here, one at Vinetti's...the place where he popped the question to me and another starting at Lava Cantina in Frisco which is a really beautiful spot, great food. It's a performance venue. A lot of artists play there. I'm excited about that. And then, I'm still traveling and DJing but I'm enjoying this part. Putting a wedding together...that's going to be a really fun day. I'm looking forward to the honeymoon!

But we also have something on the horizon... I don't want to jinx it but ...we've been talked to to be one of the couples on a new show on OWN TV. OWN has a new show and they're going to be doing our premarital counseling on TV.

It’s work. It’s emotional work. But I think we have a great foundation. We agreed to do this as long as we can still be together afterward.

[EVERYONE LAUGHS.]

SPIN: We're just going to laugh our way through it. We’ll do our best to laugh our way through it.

JACKIE: CONGRATULATIONS! WE’LL DEFINITELY LOOK OUT FOR THAT AND THANKS SO MUCH Q AND SPIN FOR SHARING YOUR STORY WITH US!

FOLLOW QUENTIN AND DEIDRE ON INSTAGRAM at @QGOTJOKES AND @DJSPINDERELLA.

SUMMER.2019 | 38

DESTINATIONS

DRESS: Brides by Nona HEADPIECE: Bridal Styles Boutique EARRINGS: Stanley Korshak Dallas VINTAGE CAR: Blue Diamond Limos TUX: Garçon Couture SHOES: Garçon Couture CUFF LINKS: Lombardi Customs Dallas BOUQUET: Nicole Smedley Event Designs

MUNALUCHI BRIDE | 39

SUMMER.2019 | 40

DESTINATIONS

DRESS: Brides by Nona HEADPIECE: Bridal Styles

Boutique EARRINGS: Stanley Korshak Dallas

MUNALUCHI BRIDE | 41

DESTINATIONS

DRESS:

Naama & Anat Couture HEADPIECE: Bridal Styles

Boutique

SUMMER.2019 | 42

"I feel like

I just met my soul...

My partner...

Because we just enjoy the lightness of life."

- SPINDERELLA

SUMMER.2019 | 44

GOWN: Galia Lahav from Stanley

Korshak Dallas HEADPIECE: Bridal

Styles Boutique