Roxanne Shante facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roxanne Shante
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Shante in 2016
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lolita Shante Gooden |
| Born | November 9, 1969 Queens, New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip-hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper |
| Years active |
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Lolita Shante Gooden (born November 9, 1969), known by her stage name Roxanne Shante, is an American rapper. She became famous in 1984 as a key figure in the Roxanne Wars, a series of rap battles. Shante was also a member of the famous hip-hop group, the Juice Crew. In 2017, a movie called Roxanne Roxanne was made about her life.
Contents
Early Life and Career
Shante was born in the Queens borough of New York City. In 1984, when she was just 14, she met the radio DJ Mr. Magic and producer Marley Marl. At the time, a rap group called U.T.F.O. had a hit song called "Roxanne, Roxanne." The song was about a girl named Roxanne who ignored their advances.
Shante, who was part of the Juice Crew, was asked to create a response song. She pretended to be the "Roxanne" from the U.T.F.O. track. Marley Marl produced her song, "Roxanne's Revenge," using the beat from the original. It was a huge success and made Shante one of the first very popular female MCs.
The Roxanne Wars
"Roxanne's Revenge" started a famous series of rap rivalries known as the "Roxanne Wars". Many other rappers released songs about the "Roxanne" character. Shante continued to rap and tour with her producer, Marley Marl.
In 1985, Shante released a record with another rapper, Sparky D. Sparky D had previously released a diss track (a song meant to insult another artist) about Shante. Their joint record, "Round One, Roxanne Shanté vs Sparky Dee," included their original battle songs and new tracks where they rapped against each other.
Shante also had other hits, including "Have a Nice Day" and "Go on Girl." She was known for her skills in freestyle rapping. In a famous 1985 battle against Busy Bee Starski, many felt she should have won, but the judges decided against her. One judge, Kurtis Blow, later said he didn't vote for her because she was a girl.
Taking a Break from Music
By the time she was 25, Shante had mostly retired from making music. However, she still performed sometimes and helped guide young female hip-hop artists. She also appeared in Sprite commercials in the late 1990s.
In 2008, her song "Roxanne's Revenge" was named number 42 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. She re-recorded the song in 2009. In a 2015 interview, she mentioned that she was engaged to be married.
Questions About Her Education
In 2008 and 2009, news articles reported that Shante had earned several college degrees, including a Ph.D. in psychology from Cornell University. The articles claimed that her record label, Warner Music, had to pay for her education because of a special clause in her contract. Shante had also talked about this in a 2004 documentary.
However, a journalist named Ben Sheffner investigated these claims for Slate magazine in 2009. He found no proof that Shante had earned these degrees. Records showed she had only attended college for three months at Marymount Manhattan College. The newspaper that first reported the story later printed a correction. Shante apologized for the claims in November 2009.
Roxanne Roxanne Movie
A movie about Shante's life, called Roxanne Roxanne, was shown at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. The film was praised by critics. The actress who played Shante, Chanté Adams, won an award for her performance. The movie was produced by Forest Whitaker and Pharrell Williams and was released in 2017.
Legacy and Impact
Roxanne Shante is seen as a pioneer in hip-hop. At the peak of her fame, The New York Times called her the "Queen of Rap." She is known for making diss tracks popular.
Music experts say that her hit song "Roxanne's Revenge" and the rap battles that followed helped bring hip-hop to a wider audience. They call her "rap's first female star." She inspired many female rappers who came after her and was an early voice for female empowerment in music. The success of artists like Shante, Salt-N-Pepa, and MC Lyte helped open doors for future generations of female hip-hop artists.
Discography
Studio albums
- Bad Sister (1989)
- The ... Is Back (1992)
See also
In Spanish: Roxanne Shante para niños
