Roxanne Shanté

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Roxanne Shanté is the stage name of Lolita Shanté Gooden, born in 1969 in Queens, New York. She was a member of the Juice Crew and became known in 1984 through the Roxanne Wars. That year she spoke at the Queensbridge housing complex with Mr. Magic and Marley Marl, who were talking about U.T.F.O. That rap group had failed to show up for a concert, and their B-side Roxanne, Roxanne had in fact become a hit.

Music and breakthrough

Shanté was asked to write an answer from the perspective of the Roxanne in that song. Marley Marl turned the instrumental version of Roxanne, Roxanne into the beat for Roxanne's Revenge. It became a hit at once and made her, at fourteen, one of the first popular female MCs. The Roxanne Wars followed, a series of answer records, and she went on tour with Marley Marl. In 1985 Round One, Roxanne Shanté vs Sparky Dee came out, with her battle against the rapper Sparky D. In 1988 she rapped on Loosey's Rap by Rick James. Bad Sister followed in 1989 and The Bitch Is Back in 1992.

Influence

By around the age of twenty-five she had largely withdrawn from the record industry, but she continued to make guest appearances and mentored young female rappers. In 2008 Roxanne's Revenge was number 42 on VH1's list of the hundred greatest hip-hop songs. In 2017 the film Roxanne Roxanne about her life appeared. She showed that a girl could win in hip-hop through pure rapping skill.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 1989Bad Sister
• 1992The Bitch Is Back