Roxanne Shanté

While strolling near the Queensbridge housing project in New York, Lolita Gooden—later known professionally as Roxanne Shanté—overheard three men discussing the cancellation of a performance by the group U.T.F.O. She volunteered to record a retaliatory rap track aimed at the trio, who had earlier released the single “Roxanne, Roxanne,” portraying an aloof woman uninterested in their advances. Tyrone Williams, disc jockey Mister Magic, and producer Marley Marl accepted the proposal, and Marl oversaw the sessions for “Roxanne’s Revenge.” The resulting track was biting, arrogant, swaggering, and at times nearly explicit, ultimately inspiring 102 further answer records. U.T.F.O. later threatened legal action over Shanté’s use of their B-side instrumental, prompting a settlement and a re-recording built on a new though related backing track. Following the peak success of “Roxanne’s Revenge,” her career momentum slowed, although she did join Rick James for the 1986 single “Loosey’s Rap,” which topped the R&B chart and reached the pop Top Ten. At age 25 she stepped away from music to pursue advanced studies, eventually earning a Ph.D. in psychology. She subsequently established a private practice and raised a family in New York while remaining active in entertainment as a mentor to emerging female rappers and as a participant in Sprite’s series of commercials spotlighting freestyle hip-hop artists.