The godlike genius of Roxanne Shante

She gets some kind of all-time rhyme award for her Monie Love dis: "You're illegitimate/Tryna get a little bit/And I'm about sick of that 'Monie in the Middle' shit/Your album cold garbage/Had one good jam, now you think you a star, bitch." Whoever it was who wrote that...

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2009/08/23/2009-08-23_rapper_schools_record_label_qns_ma_makes_warner_music_foot_bill_for_phd.html

Yeah that's a great story. Here she is explaining it in Beef:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8Cbq3CZNQ0

LOVE IT.

Who's the educated rapper now?

<3 roxanne.

Greatest rapper of all-time.

I love her so so much.

How is this news? She's been talking about it for years now.

Was wondering that myself. That youtube clip is from 2003. It's like being told in 2009 that, oh I don't know, she's still the greatest rapper of all-time. We already knew that. Next?

they talked about this on the vh1 100 greatest hip-hop songs thing or w/e

Well, it was news to me, but I don't tend to keep up on these sorts of things, even from the 13th greatest rapper of all time. (Actually, I don't know where she ranks, but she's up there somewhere.) No idea why the Daily News ran the piece now, though.

I used to *love* "Big Mama" to death, but in the past year it's started to bug me. It's actually a pretty misogynist song! Hearing it years ago, I never really thought about it. But she's basically saying that if you're a woman and a great rapper, you're like an honorary man. Would have been cool to see her ripping on some dudes in that song too. Lord knows she's a better rapper than most of them.

But she's basically saying that if you're a woman and a great rapper, you're like an honorary man.

How does this square with the MC Lyte rips?

Reading that article made me feel better about my day.

It's actually a pretty misogynist song!

Don't forget homophobic. But isn't that what you signed on for?

Would have been cool to see her ripping on some dudes in that song too.

She ripped on KRS-One years before that in "Have a Nice Day" (and brilliantly too - "with a name sounding like a wack radio station").

Then there's "Independent Woman." And "Fatal Attraction." And "Gotta Be Free." And "Straight Razor." And "Thin Line" from the Girls Town soundtrack. And the eternal "Brothers Ain't Shit." Maybe even the breathless "Trick or Treat." None of which really "excuses" (or compromises, thank gawd) the raging id of "Big Mama" but voila.

And if it's any consolation, she told me in an interview that she'd never dream of dissing any female rappers by name today.

Lord knows she's a better rapper than most of them.

Which renders her failure to call out any male rappers on "Big Mama" moot since she's a better rapper than ALL of them.

Yep, pretty much.

Big Daddy Kane wrote a fair amount of her material.

love big mama and have a nice day so so much. are there any proper documentaries about her?

godamn that is great!

also she has not aged a day!

also it was news to me thanks xhucx, btw is there anything more annoying that being all "OOOH OLD NEWS" on the internet?

(answer: no)

hahaha poor baby

some people call me doctor shanie,
some people call me doctor rox,

LOVE this story, love roxanne. love. <3 <3 <$ <$

ya i'd never heard that either, it's news for this poor baby too!

haha it is cool, obviously. I'm just surprised it suddenly became a news item after being in the book Yes Yes Y'all, on the VH1 Top 100 Hip-Hop Songs special last year, and I've seen Shante talk about it in a speech a few years back in Mpls. It's like if suddenly people started talking about Wilco selling an album to two labels or something.

Yeah, but remember: Roxanne has never had Wilco's public exposure.

Yeah, despite her being a godlike genius and their being turds.

huh i didn't even know she spoke in my hometown!

was that at the women in hip hop thing they have?

i didn't know wilco sold an album to two labels either! (though with that one, i don't care either.)

(sadly) i don't think any of the things you mention really equate to mainstream exposure for this story, matos...

was that at the women in hip hop thing they have?

yeah. I forget which year I went--'05 maybe? pretty excellent.

hahahahahahaha just noticed Matt's new screen name. actually laughing out loud.

Lex, VH1 is pretty damn mainstream.

Yeah, my "honorary man" comment was off. But something about how she only compares herself to other women in that song bugs me. With her persona, saying a butch rapper just needs "a good piece of dick" doesn't ring true. Just seems like something a lunkheaded dude would write. I bring it up b/c like 10 or 12 years ago it was one of my favorite songs period but for for me it's become hard to listen to. Weird how that happens sometimes.

Apparently MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, and Queen Latifah all slammed her back on later tracks -- What were they?

How weird would it be to enter psychotherapy under the care of Roxanne Shante? Just trying to imagine laying on a couch and telling her my problems.

With her persona, saying a butch rapper just needs "a good piece of dick" doesn't ring true.

Well, again, if it's any consolation, the shit she left out was even more scandalous. Message me if you want to know.

Apparently MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, and Queen Latifah all slammed her back on later tracks -- What were they?

Not sure about Latifah but Lyte (and KRS-One) slammed back with "Steady F--king" (on Ain't No Other) and Yo-Yo did on the title track of You Better Ask Somebody. My Shanté diss record (assuming "Round 1 (Uncensored)" with Sparky Dee doesn't count) is J.J. Fad's "Ya Goin' Down" which is on Rhino's great Fat Beats & Brastraps: Battle Rhymes & Posse Cuts (which also includes the "Round 1").

The J.J. Fad cut is also the first cut on Soul Jazz's Fly Girls! - B-Boys Beware: Revenge Of The Super Female Rappers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsaepyi8MR0

Early Roxanne Shante. I remember hearing her on Mr. Magic's show out of NYC when I was going to school in Connecticut.

Shante vs Busy Bee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5_nfV0-b-o&feature=related

Man, great videos.

She's one month older than Jay-Z.

still sounds great now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzSY8dK31kU

before i go on a heavy google does anyone know of any good articles/interviews with her? only seems to be chuck eddy's album review on rocksbackpages, boo

Oops.

More like "Ouch!" I doubt this is the last we'll hear on the matter, though.

Dr. Morbius does not have a license to practice medicine either

I doubt this is the last we'll hear on the matter, though

I dunno, kinda looks like it might be.

Not quite:

"I would like to thank my long time fans and supporters for your continued support. I am humbled and grateful to all of you for that. Without going into all of the details as of right now, I would like to apologize that this story regarding my post recording career has caused such a ruckus. The entire story will be revealed at a later time.

Throughout my career and life, I have been faced with many challenges, both professionally and personally. Like all of you, I am human, and may have not made the correct decision all the time. And, like anyone else, I would like to think that my entire life or career is not judged by one error or mistake.

It is very easy to criticize someone and I have left myself open to criticism. That is fair. There are plenty of people that will attest that I have done a lot for them. It seems though, that negativity gets more attention than positivity.

All I can say to that, is before you level any further criticism and cynicism, walk in my shoes. I am making this statement to apologize to the people that truly care about me for any angst that this situation has caused, and to thank them for their continued support. I am proud of what I have been able to do for so many others, and would like to let those persons know that I will continue to be there for them no matter what.

I am proud that during my twenty plus years as a pioneer in the Hip-Hop industry, to have opened doors for those who came after me, such as MC Lyte, Salt N Peppa, and Queen Latifah to name a few. I will have no further statement in regards to this matter at this time."

Told ya.

i know she made up with krs (great youtube clip of them chuckling about it all) but is she matey with s&p and latifah now too? or was that a backhanded i-was-there-first swipe at them?

Told ya.

Rubbish, that's 305 words of exactly no content whatsoever, advancing the story not at all beyond the previous point of "she lied."

But her admitting that she lied (which she didn't exactly do, but that seems to be implied) is a key part of the story. What a strange thing this whole thing has been.

her admitting that she lied (which she didn't exactly do, but that seems to be implied) is a key part of the story

she didn't exactly say ANYTHING! "hey everyone, nice to see you, how's the weather? I know a lot of people have said a lot of things but I don't have anything to say about that. I'm a person. it's nice to be nice. wow, I'm older than some other people, huh? how about that!"

[nb: is probably not actually older.]

Heads up

Ya’ll. WOW. #RoxanneRoxanne pic.twitter.com/uSs0SNWmMR

— Reagan Gomez (@ReaganGomez) February 22, 2018

only just heard her collab with mekon this morning and thought how wonderful it was, so was a little concerned when this thread popped up !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKA8H_LolNM

wowwwwwwwwww