Who is rapper Roxanne Shanté?
Roxanne Shanté is the stage name of Lolita Shanté Gooden, an American rapper born on November 9, 1969, in Queens, New York City. A pioneering figure in battle rap and hip-hop, she became nationally known as a teenager through the 1984 response record “Roxanne’s Revenge.” She was associated with producer Marley Marl’s Juice Crew collective and is widely recognized for her sharp, confrontational lyrical style and influence on women in rap.
Background/biography
Gooden grew up in the Queensbridge Houses public-housing development in Queens, an area that became closely associated with several important hip-hop artists. She was raised primarily by her mother and developed an interest in rhyming and rap battles while young.
Her early path in music began through local hip-hop circles in Queens. As a teenager, she recorded “Roxanne’s Revenge,” a response to UTFO’s “Roxanne, Roxanne,” after being connected with Marley Marl. The record quickly became an underground hit and helped launch a large number of “Roxanne” answer records known as the Roxanne Wars.
Music career
- “Roxanne’s Revenge” (1984) — her breakthrough response record to UTFO’s “Roxanne, Roxanne.”
- “Roxanne’s a Man” (1984) — a response in the Roxanne Wars, recorded with Marley Marl.
- Bad Sister (1989) — studio album featuring the single “Go on Girl.”
- The Bitch Is Back (1992) — studio album that included “Independent Woman.”
- Membership in the Juice Crew, the influential hip-hop collective associated with Marley Marl.
“Roxanne’s Revenge” helped establish Shanté as one of rap’s earliest prominent female battle MCs. Her delivery emphasized direct responses, insults, storytelling and competitive rhyming at a time when recorded rap battles were becoming an important part of hip-hop culture.
During the 1980s, Shanté recorded with Juice Crew-affiliated artists and appeared on material connected to the collective. She later stepped back from recording as a full-time artist, while remaining an influential name in discussions of hip-hop history, women in rap and battle rap.
The record that started the Roxanne Wars
Shanté’s “Roxanne’s Revenge” was recorded when she was still a teenager and was made as an answer to UTFO’s song “Roxanne, Roxanne.” Its success prompted numerous response records by other artists, a phenomenon that came to be called the Roxanne Wars. The episode is often cited as an early example of rap’s competitive, answer-record tradition.
Her life and early career later inspired the 2017 film Roxanne Roxanne, directed by Michael Larnell. The film starred Chanté Adams as Shanté and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival before its release by Netflix.
Did you know?
- Roxanne Shanté was born Lolita Shanté Gooden.
- She emerged from Queensbridge Houses in Queens, New York, a neighborhood with a major place in hip-hop history.
- Her breakthrough song, “Roxanne’s Revenge,” was recorded as a response to UTFO’s “Roxanne, Roxanne.”
- She was affiliated with the Juice Crew, which also included artists and producers such as Marley Marl, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie and MC Shan.
- The 2017 biographical drama Roxanne Roxanne was based on her early life and career.
