Roxanne Wars
Encyclopedia
The Roxanne Wars is a well-known series of hip hop
rivalries during the mid-1980s, yielding perhaps the most answer records in history. It arose from a dispute over a failed appearance at a radio promotional show. There were two Roxannes in question, Roxanne Shanté
and The Real Roxanne
.
trio U.T.F.O., produced by the R&B group Full Force
, released a single titled "Hanging Out," which did not do well. However, it was the single's B side, "Roxanne, Roxanne", a song about a woman who would not respond to their advances, that gained much attention and airplay
.
Soon afterwards, 14-year-old Lolita Shanté Gooden was walking outside a New York City
housing project called Queensbridge, when she heard Tyrone Williams, disc jockey
Mr. Magic
, and record producer
Marley Marl
talking about how U.T.F.O. had canceled their appearance at a show they were promoting. Gooden offered to make a hip-hop record that would get back at U.T.F.O, with her taking on the moniker Roxanne Shanté
, after her middle name. The three took her up on the idea, with Marley producing "Roxanne's Revenge." The single was released in late 1984, taking the original beats from an instrumental version of "Roxanne, Roxanne." It was very confrontational and laced with profanities, but was an instant hit that sold over 250,000 copies in the New York area alone. Legal action followed, and it was re-released in early 1985 with new beats and the obscenities removed.
Following this, U.T.F.O and Full Force decided to release their own answer record. While not directly aimed at Roxanne Shanté, this record featured Elease Jack, who took on the moniker of the Real Roxanne
(and was soon replaced by Adelaida Martinez). This also was a hit, but it may have also produced an undesired result: while there had been answer records before (such as the semi-disco song "Somebody Else's Guy" and "Games People Play"/"Games Females Play"), they usually ended with the second recording. But in this saga, with a third record in airplay, a whole new trend began. The airwaves were so occupied with the three "Roxanne" records that other MCs (Masters of Ceremony) decided to get into the act. Over the next year, anywhere from 30 to over 100 answer records (according to different claims) were produced, portraying Roxanne's family
, or making various claims about her. The ones that were more well known were the following:
The biggest successor to the Roxanne war was The Bridge Wars
, in which Roxanne Shanté, as a member of Marley Marl's Juice Crew
, was loosely involved. The Bridge Wars attacked the entire Queensbridge area. The tables were then turned, because this time it was a hit record produced by Mr. Magic and Marley Marl that garnered a response (MC Shan's
"The Bridge"), sparking off a whole new battle saga.
It was in the midst of this battle, in the song "Go On, Girl", that Roxanne Shanté dropped the name Roxanne, and was thereafter known only as Shanté. (The opening line says "it's '88, y'all, so no more Roxannes . . . "). Likewise, The Real Roxanne dropped "Real" from her name, and went by the name Roxanne, and was even addressed as such by Shanté in the track "Big Mama", in a reference to their past battles. This lasted until her 1992 track, "Roxanne S*** Is Over", where she relinquishes the name Roxanne for good, and dubs herself Jo-Anne With The Plan. The album this was released on, Go Down But Don't Bite It, however, was her final record. Shanté likewise retired from the business a few years afterward.
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
rivalries during the mid-1980s, yielding perhaps the most answer records in history. It arose from a dispute over a failed appearance at a radio promotional show. There were two Roxannes in question, Roxanne Shanté
Roxanne Shanté
Roxanne Shanté is an American hip-hop pioneer. Born and raised in the Queensbridge Projects, Shanté first gained attention through the Roxanne Wars and her association with the Juice Crew....
and The Real Roxanne
The Real Roxanne
The Real Roxanne was an American female hip hop emcee who recorded for Select Records. In the 1980s she, Roxanne Shanté, and others were engaged in the Roxanne Wars, a series of answer records inspired by UTFO's hit song "Roxanne, Roxanne," being the officially sanctioned artist in response to all...
.
History
In 1984, the hip-hopHip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
trio U.T.F.O., produced by the R&B group Full Force
Full Force
Full Force is a group of R&B performers and producers from Brooklyn, New York, USA, calling itself the original hip hop vocal band.-Members:*B-Fine - drums and drum programming*Shy Shy - bass guitar...
, released a single titled "Hanging Out," which did not do well. However, it was the single's B side, "Roxanne, Roxanne", a song about a woman who would not respond to their advances, that gained much attention and airplay
Airplay (song)
Airplay is a term used in the radio broadcasting industry to state how frequently a song is being played on over-the-air radio stations. For example, a song which is being played several times every day would be classed as receiving a large amount of airplay...
.
Soon afterwards, 14-year-old Lolita Shanté Gooden was walking outside a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
housing project called Queensbridge, when she heard Tyrone Williams, disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Mr. Magic
Mr. Magic
John "Mr. Magic" Rivas, was an important figure in the world of hip hop radio.-Biography:Mr. Magic debuted in 1981 on WHBI-FM in New York City with the first exclusive rap radio show to be aired on a major station...
, and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Marley Marl
Marley Marl
Marlon Williams , better known as Marley Marl, is an American DJ and record producer, who is considered one of the most important and influential hip-hop producers in the history of hip hop.-Biography:...
talking about how U.T.F.O. had canceled their appearance at a show they were promoting. Gooden offered to make a hip-hop record that would get back at U.T.F.O, with her taking on the moniker Roxanne Shanté
Roxanne Shanté
Roxanne Shanté is an American hip-hop pioneer. Born and raised in the Queensbridge Projects, Shanté first gained attention through the Roxanne Wars and her association with the Juice Crew....
, after her middle name. The three took her up on the idea, with Marley producing "Roxanne's Revenge." The single was released in late 1984, taking the original beats from an instrumental version of "Roxanne, Roxanne." It was very confrontational and laced with profanities, but was an instant hit that sold over 250,000 copies in the New York area alone. Legal action followed, and it was re-released in early 1985 with new beats and the obscenities removed.
Following this, U.T.F.O and Full Force decided to release their own answer record. While not directly aimed at Roxanne Shanté, this record featured Elease Jack, who took on the moniker of the Real Roxanne
The Real Roxanne
The Real Roxanne was an American female hip hop emcee who recorded for Select Records. In the 1980s she, Roxanne Shanté, and others were engaged in the Roxanne Wars, a series of answer records inspired by UTFO's hit song "Roxanne, Roxanne," being the officially sanctioned artist in response to all...
(and was soon replaced by Adelaida Martinez). This also was a hit, but it may have also produced an undesired result: while there had been answer records before (such as the semi-disco song "Somebody Else's Guy" and "Games People Play"/"Games Females Play"), they usually ended with the second recording. But in this saga, with a third record in airplay, a whole new trend began. The airwaves were so occupied with the three "Roxanne" records that other MCs (Masters of Ceremony) decided to get into the act. Over the next year, anywhere from 30 to over 100 answer records (according to different claims) were produced, portraying Roxanne's family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
, or making various claims about her. The ones that were more well known were the following:
- "Sparky's Turn (Roxanne, You're Through)" by Sparky D, a feisty female who criticizes Roxanne (Shanté, in particular) for being disrespectful toward UTFO, and for being too young, both for them to pursue, and to be an MC. Even though the record defended UTFO, they were reportedly not appreciative of this additional unauthorized response. It was after this that the saga really took off.
- "Roxanne's Doctor-The Real Man" by Dr. Freshh, who also insulted Roxanne for having no class.
- "Do the Roxanne" by Dr. Rocx & Co., which created a dance based on Roxanne. (Referred to Shanté's cracky wacky voice, as Sparky D had described it in her record). A rare instance of a record in the series not aimed at dissing someone.
- "The Parents of Roxanne" by Gigolo Tony & Lacey Lace, which answered both UTFO and Sparky D. It drew references from both "Roxanne's Revenge" and "The Real Roxanne" as if both represented the true Roxanne.
- "I’m Lil Roxanne" by Tanganyika, was a record by the then young artist named Tanganyika stating that she was the younger version of the original Roxanne.
- "Yo, My Little Sister (Roxanne's Brothers)" by Crush Groove (no relation to Krush GrooveKrush GrooveKrush Groove is a 1985 Warner Bros. film, written by Ralph Farquhar and directed by Michael Schultz . This film is based on the early days of Def Jam Recordings and up-and-coming record producer Russell Simmons , portrayed by Blair Underwood in his feature film debut...
), which answered UTFO, Sparky D, and Dr. Freshh.
- "Rappin' Roxy: Roxanne's Sister" by D.W. and the Party Crew featuring Roxy, which reuses several lines from The Real Roxanne and attacks both UTFO and Sparky D.
- Another record answered Roxanne Shanté by a young female calling herself "Little Ice", who told Roxanne to "make up her mind" if she wanted a man or not.
- "Roxanne's a Man (The Untold Story—Final Chapter)" by Ralph Rolle, which claimed that Roxanne was actually a man who had been sodomized in prison, and then having "lost his manhood", turned himself into a woman after his release; and insulted UTFO for not realizing this.
- "The Final Word - No More Roxanne (Please)" by The East Coast Crew, the final record that told the world to end it all. East Coast Crew contained regulars from the 80's TV show on the USA Network "Dance Party USA".
Aftermath
In due time, the "Roxanne" trend had run its course, and a sort of moratorium was called on new Roxanne acts. The response records finally died down; however, the battle continued among its core group of players:- UTFO added another response of their own; "Roxanne, Roxanne, Pt. 2: Calling Her a Crab", also aimed loosely at Shanté, in which they took back all the compliments they had given to Roxanne in the first record, give out insults instead, and claimed to have never really liked her in the first place.
- Roxanne Shanté issued her follow-up record "Queen of Rox", which told the story of "how she got so fresh," and faced "a little bit of hassle from UTFO about saying that I'm Roxanne," and then takes a jab at the Real Roxanne ("Yeah, I seen (sic) that girl—she got a face like a man").
- In "Bite This", Shanté dissed other MCs, including them "the Real Roxanne, Sparky D, and all the other Roxannes imitating me."
- Then, there was the one-on-one battle between Shanté and Sparky D: "Round 1 - Roxanne Shanté Vs. Sparky Dee." The album cover had a picture of both women challenging each other wearing boxing gloves.
The biggest successor to the Roxanne war was The Bridge Wars
The Bridge Wars
The Bridge Wars was a hip hop rivalry during the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s, that arose from a dispute over the true birthplace of hip hop music and retaliation over the rejecting of a record for airplay. The Bridge Wars originally involved The South Bronx's Boogie Down Productions, led by...
, in which Roxanne Shanté, as a member of Marley Marl's Juice Crew
Juice Crew
The Juice Crew was a hip hop collective of largely Queensbridge-based artists in the mid- to late-1980s. Founded by producer Marley Marl and radio DJ Mr. Magic and housed by Tyrone William's Cold Chillin' Records, the Juice Crew would introduce New School artists Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie,...
, was loosely involved. The Bridge Wars attacked the entire Queensbridge area. The tables were then turned, because this time it was a hit record produced by Mr. Magic and Marley Marl that garnered a response (MC Shan's
MC Shan
MC Shan is an American rapper. He is perhaps best known for collaborating with Snow in "Informer", an international number one hit single.-Biography:...
"The Bridge"), sparking off a whole new battle saga.
It was in the midst of this battle, in the song "Go On, Girl", that Roxanne Shanté dropped the name Roxanne, and was thereafter known only as Shanté. (The opening line says "it's '88, y'all, so no more Roxannes . . . "). Likewise, The Real Roxanne dropped "Real" from her name, and went by the name Roxanne, and was even addressed as such by Shanté in the track "Big Mama", in a reference to their past battles. This lasted until her 1992 track, "Roxanne S*** Is Over", where she relinquishes the name Roxanne for good, and dubs herself Jo-Anne With The Plan. The album this was released on, Go Down But Don't Bite It, however, was her final record. Shanté likewise retired from the business a few years afterward.
Other Response Records
- Anthony - Roxanne Is A Man
- Blowfly - Blowfly meets Roxanne
- DJ Spin Kut - Roxanne Girls Mega Mix 2
- Doctor JR Kool - Rap Your Own Roxanne
- G-Mann - Roxanne (Is My Girl)
- Korner Boyz - The Saga Of Roxanne
- Maggotron - Planet Detroit vs. The Roxanne Plague
- Mix-Trix 4 - Roxanne Can You Feel It
- Potato Chips - Roxanne's Real Fat
- Ricardo & Chocolate Boogie - Do It Ricardo (Roxanne's Man)
- Rocksann - She Died
- Starrlite - Watch Out Roxanne
- The Invasions - Roxanne's Dis
- The Invasions - Roxanne's Man
- The Overnite Bandits - Roxanne's Baby
- Zelee featuring Osé - No More Roxanne (Roxanne No More)