STRAIGHT OUTTA HIP HOP: Respect Due: Roxanne Shante

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STRAIGHT OUTTA HIP HOP: Respect Due: Roxanne Shante

Respect Due: Roxanne Shante

Ask most young ladies if they've even heard of her now (as you could do for many of our legends) and they would probably look at you crazy, but for most female MCs, Roxanne Shante is one of the most influential ladies to rock the mic; and it all happened by chance. The story goes that one day, Shante (born Lolita Shante Gooden) overheard three guys talking about UTFO - the group popular at the time for their hit "Roxanne, Roxanne" - cancelling their show. Shante offered to write a diss track and the three men - Tyrone Williams, Mister Magic, and legendary producer Marley Marl - bought into the idea.

Marley Marl took care of the production while Shante laid the vocals to what would become "Roxanne's Revenge". The song was a huge success, helping launch the careers of Shante and Marley Marl. The track also birthed over 100 other "Roxanne, Roxanne" response tracks. Shante was only 14 years old. Her celebrity got to the point where she wasn't even able to go to school due to the amount of attention she was receiving.

While never quite having the impact that "Roxanne's Revenge" had, Shante did have a few hit singles, many of which were written by Big Daddy Kane and produced by Marley Marl (these included "Have A Nice Day" and "Go On Girl"). Although she retired at the age of 25, the young Shante had one of the hugest impacts on hip hop in general and women specifically. Without her, who knows where so many of our other leading ladies would be. So, to Roxanne Shante, we say...Respect Due.

What are your thoughts on Roxanne Shante? How big was her impact? What would hip hop look like without her? Leave all your thoughts and comments below. You can send any e-mails to straightouttahiphop@gmail.com.

Peace.