The Source recognizes women in Hip-Hop who have made history.
Roxanne Shante was one of the first female MCs to gain national recognition back in 1984. As an aspiring 14-year old rapper from the Queensbridge houses, the young female rose to popularity under the guidance of one of Hip-Hop’s most respected producers Marley Marl. Shante recorded an answer to the extremely popular song “Roxanne, Roxanne” by UTFO. “Roxanne’s Revenge” instantly became a controversial hit record because Roxanne was dissing the members of UTFO. She later released a full-length album, Bad Sister, in 1989. Roxanne’s second and last album was titled “The Bitch Is Back” and was released in 1992.
As one of the founding members of the Juice Crew, Roxanne has gone on to lecture and mentor young female artists. In 2009, however, she was involved in a bit of a controversy after an investigative journalist for Slate exposed that she had lied about obtaining a Ph.D. from Cornell. Roxanne has apologized for the misrepresentation of herself.