Among the list of artists that can be credited with bringing hip hop to the forefront of American culture, James Cross and Roxanne Shante are the most prominent. Their freestyle raps and UTFO albums were influential to many artists who followed in their footsteps. Considering the success that they enjoyed, it is not surprising that they are considered to be the most popular rappers of all time.
Early rap career
Throughout the 1980s, Roxanne Shante was an up and coming teenage rapper. She was the first female to make it big in hip hop. Then she disappeared from the scene. Eventually, her personal problems kept her off the radar. However, she eventually resurfaced in the early 2000s.
Roxanne Shante was born on November 9, 1969, in Queens, New York. She is an American rapper. She became famous for her controversial lyrics about the U.T.F.O., a group of lecherous Losers. She also had the reputation of being a tough rapper. She worked on several different albums when she was young. She also hosted a radio show called Have A Nice Day on Rock The Bells.
In her early days, Shante was a member of the Juice Crew. Her singles include “Hanging Out,” “Pay Back,” and “Bite This.” She later released an anthology of her best work in 1995. She also appeared in Sprite commercials in the late 1990s.
Relationship with Queen Latifah
Having starred in films like Hairspray, The Bone Collector, and Chicago, Queen Latifah has earned an Oscar nomination for her role as Matron “Mama” Morton. She is also a Grammy, Golden Globe, and Emmy Award winner, and is the first hip-hop artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Queen Latifah was born in Newark, New Jersey, on March 18, 1970. She grew up in a Baptist home. She started singing in the locker room at Catholic School. She also toured as a beatboxer in a group called Native Tongues. She was signed to Tommy Boy Records when she was 19. She later worked with famed producer DJ King Gemini. She has released four hip-hop albums.
Latifah first considered playing Bessie Gibson over 22 years ago. She described the character as a free-spirited, strong woman. She said she wanted to re-create Bessie’s powerful voice. She hoped the movie would be successful.
Freestyle raps
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to speak with Roxanne Shante about her upcoming Netflix movie. In the course of our conversation, Shante discussed her early days, her career, and her upcoming movie. She also discussed her work with the company, and what she hopes people will take away from it.
Roxanne Shante was a pioneering rapper. She was 14 years old when she released her first single. Her first single was a clapback to U.T.F.O.’s “Roxanne, Roxanne.” Despite her early success, she soon bowed out of the music industry.
She had a tough time in the male dominated music industry. She eventually ended up in a relationship with James Cross, an abusive man. She left him after he became abusive toward her and her son. Eventually, Shante left her son with Cross, and started a new life in New Jersey.
She became known as the first lady of rap. She is also one of the most sampled cross-genre voices in music history. She has performed with Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, MC Lyte, and Queen Latifah.
Influences on UTFO
During the late 1980s, Roxanne Shante pushed hip-hop in the direction of mainstream music. In a period when women had to fight street harassment and intimidation, Roxanne paved the way for a new generation of young women to pick up mics.
She was a member of the Juice Crew. She was the only female member of the teenage crew. She was recruited by producer Marlon Williams, better known as DJ Marley Marl.
Marley asked Shante to rap a response to the UTFO single “Roxanne, Roxanne.” The beat combo U.T.F.O. (Unit of Two Friends) released the single in 1984.
Roxanne’s response became an instant hit. It sold over 250,000 copies in New York City. Roxanne’s Revenge was released as a 12-inch single on Philadelphia’s Pop Art Records.
Roxanne’s record inspired a new genre of answer records. A total of close to 100 records were released as response tracks to the song. These answer records built on Roxanne’s success.