259:, 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.
281:(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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496:"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:
226:, "Roxanne, Roxanne", a song about a woman who would not respond to their advances, that gained much attention and
30:
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635:... Marley Marl changed up the instrumental and backing track and still sold over 250,000 copies in NY alone.
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222:, released a single titled "Hanging Out", which did not perform well. However, it was the single's
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820:"With Netflix's 'Roxanne Roxanne,' the story of hip-hop pioneer Roxanne Shanté is finally told"
720:"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.
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686:"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 "
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230:. Soon afterwards, 14-year-old Lolita Shanté Gooden was walking outside of a
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311:"Rappin' Roxy: Roxanne's Sister" by D.W. and the Party Crew (featuring Roxy)
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851:"'Roxanne Roxanne' Tells An Often-Ignored Piece Of Hip Hop History"
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317:"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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308:"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,
465:"Rap Battles, Beefs, and Answer Records: A Brief History"
400:"Rap Battles, Beefs, and Answer Records: A Brief History"
36:"Hanging Out", with B-side "Roxanne, Roxanne" by U.T.F.O.
302:"The Parents of Roxanne" by Gigolo Tony & Lacey Lace
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553:"Mr. Magic Helped Make Rap Appear, So DJ Takes A Bow"
908:Let's Talk About the Female MCs Who Shaped Hip-Hop
551:
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434:"Roxanne Wars: Is This How Diss Tracks Started?"
369:"Roxanne Wars: Is This How Diss Tracks Started?"
296:"Roxanne's Doctor – The Real Man" by Dr. Freshh
787:"The Greatest Diss Tracks of All Time, Ranked"
290:"Sparky's Turn (Roxanne, You're Through)" by
196:1984–1985: Background and "Roxanne's Revenge"
129:"Roxanne, Roxanne, Pt. 2: Calling Her A Crab"
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156:Series of hip-hop rivalries in the 1980s
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861:from the original on August 12, 2024
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767:from the original on October 7, 2017
755:Wilkinson, Dan (December 10, 2016).
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684:Weiner, Natalie (March 1, 2018).
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432:Goufas, Nathan (April 28, 2020).
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494:Baker, Soren (August 26, 2014).
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305:"I'm Lil Roxanne" by Tanganyika
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146:"Queen of Rox (Shanté Rox On)"
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650:Banks, Alec (May 13, 2020).
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520:G, John (January 7, 2010).
314:"Ice Roxanne" by Little Ice
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522:"Roxanne Shante Biography"
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943:1980s in hip hop music
171:and perhaps the most
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652:"Roxanne's Revenge"
558:New York Daily News
526:OldSchoolHipHop.Com
826:. March 23, 2018.
214:, produced by the
126:"The Real Roxanne"
885:No connection to
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560:. March 5, 1999.
202:Roxanne's Revenge
163:were a series of
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938:Diss tracks
619:Grey Coffee
339:In 2017, a
266:obscenities
253:Marley Marl
243:disc jockey
169:diss record
143:"Bite This"
58:Diss tracks
917:Categories
865:August 12,
834:August 12,
801:August 12,
791:The Ringer
771:August 12,
734:August 12,
700:August 12,
666:August 12,
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354:References
344:drama film
220:Full Force
690:Billboard
246:Mr. Magic
49:1984-1985
859:Archived
828:Archived
795:Archived
765:Archived
761:Red Bull
728:Archived
694:Archived
660:Archived
629:June 30,
623:Archived
598:July 30,
562:Archived
536:July 30,
530:Archived
500:HipHopDX
473:Archived
442:Archived
408:Archived
377:Archived
292:Sparky D
212:U.T.F.O.
87:U.T.F.O.
588:MTV.com
341:musical
237:called
228:airplay
216:R&B
208:hip-hop
191:History
165:hip hop
72:Parties
855:Forbes
326:Legacy
248:, and
224:B side
218:group
64:Status
54:Medium
210:trio
117:Works
867:2024
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600:2016
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183:and
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283:MCs
177:rap
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