270:, 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 confrontational and laced with profanities, but was an instant hit that sold over 250,000 copies in the New York area alone. The original issue of the "Street Version" was recorded on tape in Marley Marl's apartment, entirely free-styled by Gooden in seven minutes and in only one take. The recording was pressed onto 100 copies which were rushed out onto the streets to combat U.T.F.O.'s "Roxanne, Roxanne" release.
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response, U.T.F.O. released "Roxanne, Roxanne, Pt. 2: Calling Her A Crab", likening Shanté to an ape and a crab. The final record directly involved in the beef between the two artists came from Shanté, titled "Queen of Rox (Shanté Rox On)". On the track, Shanté recaps her feud with U.T.F.O. and highlighted her skills as a rapper. The
Roxanne Wars mostly ended with the release of "The Final Word – No More Roxanne (Please)" by the East Coast Crew, who pled for artists to cease the trend.
292:(and was soon replaced by Adelaida Martinez). It too 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 became so occupied with the "Roxanne" records that other
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The beef between the progenitors of the trend themselves, U.T.F.O. and
Roxanne Shanté, continued in the midst of the trend. Shanté released the diss record "Bite This", accusing U.T.F.O. of copying her style on "The Real Roxanne" whilst affirming her status as the true embodiment of the persona. In
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claimed copyrights on the instrumental which led Pop Art
Records to negotiate an agreement where all future copies of "Roxanne's Revenge" would feature a different track. It was subsequently re-released in early 1985 with new beats, re-rapped, and the
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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. Some of the most notable include:
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Following the success of "Roxanne's
Revenge", U.T.F.O. and Full Force released "The Real Roxanne", their own answer record. While not directly aimed at Roxanne Shanté, this record featured Elease Jack, who took on the moniker of
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talking about how U.T.F.O. had cancelled an appearance on a show they promoted. Gooden offered to make a hip-hop record that would get back at U.T.F.O., with her taking on the moniker
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But maybe the most important response in the
Roxanne Wars was "The Final Word—No More Roxanne (Please)" by the East Coast Crew.
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507:"Full Force Recalls Making UTFO's "Roxanne, Roxanne," Revisiting Song For New "Full Force: With Love from Our Friends" Album"
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The
Roxanne Wars helped solidify the careers of multiple rappers— notably Roxanne Shanté, The Real Roxanne, and Sparky D.
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beef". The dispute arose over a failed appearance at a radio promotional show. There were two
Roxannes in question:
237:, "Roxanne, Roxanne", a song about a woman who would not respond to their advances, that gained much attention and
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831:"With Netflix's 'Roxanne Roxanne,' the story of hip-hop pioneer Roxanne Shanté is finally told"
731:"Women made early hip-hop what it is today — here are the unsung rappers you should know about"
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claim to fame is a diss record released in response to
Roxanne Shanté's "Roxanne's Revenge".
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Ended in 1985 with the release of "The Final Word – No More
Roxanne" by the East Coast Crew
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removed. The re-release version peaked at No. 22 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart.
697:"The Story of Roxanne Shanté: How a Teenager From Queens Became Rap's First Female Star"
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Fat Lace Magazine's Series on the Roxanne Wars, including samples from key songs
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in history. It is one of hip-hop's earliest feuds and perhaps the first ever "
241:. Soon afterwards, 14-year-old Lolita Shanté Gooden was walking outside of a
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322:"Rappin' Roxy: Roxanne's Sister" by D.W. and the Party Crew (featuring Roxy)
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862:"'Roxanne Roxanne' Tells An Often-Ignored Piece Of Hip Hop History"
328:"Roxanne's a Man (The Untold Story—Final Chapter)" by Ralph Rolle
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1985: "The Real Roxanne", the Roxanne Wars from beginning to end
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319:"Yo, My Little Sister (Roxanne's Brothers)" by Crush Groove
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rivalries during the mid-1980s, yielding rap music's first
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about the life of Roxanne Shanté was released. The title,
476:"Rap Battles, Beefs, and Answer Records: A Brief History"
411:"Rap Battles, Beefs, and Answer Records: A Brief History"
47:"Hanging Out", with B-side "Roxanne, Roxanne" by U.T.F.O.
313:"The Parents of Roxanne" by Gigolo Tony & Lacey Lace
564:"Mr. Magic Helped Make Rap Appear, So DJ Takes A Bow"
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919:Let's Talk About the Female MCs Who Shaped Hip-Hop
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445:"Roxanne Wars: Is This How Diss Tracks Started?"
380:"Roxanne Wars: Is This How Diss Tracks Started?"
307:"Roxanne's Doctor – The Real Man" by Dr. Freshh
798:"The Greatest Diss Tracks of All Time, Ranked"
301:"Sparky's Turn (Roxanne, You're Through)" by
207:1984–1985: Background and "Roxanne's Revenge"
140:"Roxanne, Roxanne, Pt. 2: Calling Her A Crab"
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167:Series of hip-hop rivalries in the 1980s
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310:"Do the Roxanne" by Dr. Rocx & Co.
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626:"Roxanne Hip-Hop Inspired Speak Easy"
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766:Wilkinson, Dan (December 10, 2016).
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695:Weiner, Natalie (March 1, 2018).
443:Goufas, Nathan (April 28, 2020).
378:Goufas, Nathan (April 28, 2020).
505:Baker, Soren (August 26, 2014).
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624:Milne, Duncan (July 19, 2022).
316:"I'm Lil Roxanne" by Tanganyika
729:Hope, Clover (April 2, 2021).
157:"Queen of Rox (Shanté Rox On)"
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661:Banks, Alec (May 13, 2020).
531:G, John (January 7, 2010).
325:"Ice Roxanne" by Little Ice
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533:"Roxanne Shante Biography"
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474:Quan, Jay (May 2, 2024).
409:Quan, Jay (May 2, 2024).
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954:1980s in hip hop music
182:and perhaps the most
605:on February 11, 2008
663:"Roxanne's Revenge"
569:New York Daily News
537:OldSchoolHipHop.Com
837:. March 23, 2018.
225:, produced by the
137:"The Real Roxanne"
896:No connection to
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571:. March 5, 1999.
213:Roxanne's Revenge
174:were a series of
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30:Roxanne Wars
949:Diss tracks
630:Grey Coffee
350:In 2017, a
277:obscenities
264:Marley Marl
254:disc jockey
180:diss record
154:"Bite This"
69:Diss tracks
928:Categories
876:August 12,
845:August 12,
812:August 12,
802:The Ringer
782:August 12,
745:August 12,
711:August 12,
677:August 12,
579:August 12,
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365:References
355:drama film
231:Full Force
701:Billboard
257:Mr. Magic
60:1984-1985
870:Archived
839:Archived
806:Archived
776:Archived
772:Red Bull
739:Archived
705:Archived
671:Archived
640:June 30,
634:Archived
609:July 30,
573:Archived
547:July 30,
541:Archived
511:HipHopDX
484:Archived
453:Archived
419:Archived
388:Archived
303:Sparky D
223:U.T.F.O.
98:U.T.F.O.
599:MTV.com
352:musical
248:called
239:airplay
227:R&B
219:hip-hop
202:History
176:hip hop
83:Parties
866:Forbes
337:Legacy
259:, and
235:B side
229:group
75:Status
65:Medium
221:trio
128:Works
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611:2016
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194:and
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57:Date
294:MCs
188:rap
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