The Real Roxanne

Adelaida Martinez^[1] (born July 24, 1963), better known by her stage name the Real Roxanne, is an American female hip hop MC who recorded for Select Records.

The Real Roxanne
Birth name	Adelaida Martinez
Also known as	Roxanne, Joanne Martinez
Born	(1963-07-24) July 24, 1963 (age 61) Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupation	Emcee
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	1984–present
Labels	Select

Martinez was born in Brooklyn, New York. In the 1980s, she, the producer of Roxanne Shante, and others were engaged in the Roxanne Wars, a series of answer records inspired by UTFO's hit song "Roxanne, Roxanne", being the officially sanctioned artist in response to all of the answer records. She scored her biggest hit in 1986 by teaming up with Howie Tee on the single "Bang Zoom (Let's Go Go)", which reached No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart, her only UK top-40 song to date.^[2]

Career

The role of the Real Roxanne was originally filled by a different woman, Elease Jack, who recorded the first single "The Real Roxanne" under the character's name. Meanwhile, Martinez claims to have been introduced to UTFO in a fashion very similar to the Roxanne story. Already acquainted with Paul Anthony George, a member of Full Force, the group that produced UTFO:^[3]

Ironic[ally] enough, I briefly met Doc Ice and Kangol (Kid) at the Albee Square Mall in Brooklyn, and, like Roxanne, I paid them no mind when they tried to get their rap on. All this was taking place while Paul Anthony and I were just becoming friends. Full Force was looking for someone to play the permanent role of Roxanne, even though they had already cut the track with someone they picked out of a club, whom, by the way, had absolutely no rap experience. They utilized her for an answer back to outbid Roxanne Shante's track. It seems that while they tried to create this character, they were having issues with this individual and her mother, so I was told, and that's when I was asked by Paul Anthony if I would audition for the guys, and I said sure, and I did. And, from there, I kept on walking in the shoes of THE REAL Roxanne!'

Discography

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US R&B /HH [4]
The Real Roxanne	Released: 1988 Label: Select Formats: CD, LP, Cassette, digital download	30
Go Down (But Don't Bite It)[lower-alpha 1]	Released: April 17, 1992[5] Label: Select/Elektra Formats: CD, LP, Cassette	—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

As lead artist

List of singles with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions				Album
		US R&B [4]	BEL [6]	NLD [7]	UK [8]
"The Real Roxanne" (with UTFO)[lower-alpha 1]	1984	44	—	—	—	UTFO
"Roxanne Meets UTFO" (with UTFO)[lower-alpha 1][9]		—	—	—	—	Non-album singles
"Romeo Part I & Part II" (With Hitman Howie Tee)	1985	64	—	—	—
"Bang Zoom (Let's Go Go)" (With Hitman Howie Tee)	1986	24	—	—	11	The Real Roxanne
"Respect"	1988	55	27	24	71
"Roxanne's on a Roll"		80	40	42	80
"Ya Brother Does"[lower-alpha 1][10]	1992	—	—	—	—	Go Down (But Don't Bite It)
"Lollipop" (with UTFO, featuring Syncere)[11]	1998	—	—	—	—	The Best of U.T.F.O.
"I Can't"[12]	2019	—	—	—	—	Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Promotional singles

List of singles, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Album
"Real Roxanne Meets Pee Wee Herman And Howie's Tee'd Off" (with Hitman Howie Tee and Joe Ski Love)[13]	1986	Non-album single

Guest appearances

List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Other artist(s)	Album
"Undercover"[14]	1988	Kid 'n Play	2 Hype

References

Notes

1. Published as "Roxanne"

Citations

1. Huey, Steve. "The Real Roxanne Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 453. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
3. "The Real Roxanne: – Interview | Hip Hop Throwback | RapIndustry.com". Archived from the original on January 7, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
4. "The Real Roxanne - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 11, 2013.
5. "The Real Roxanne - Go Down (But Don't Bite It) (CD - Elektra #61207)". AllMusic.
6. "The Real Roxanne Chart History (Ultratop)". Ultratop. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
7. "The Real Roxanne Chart History (Dutch Charts)". Retrieved June 12, 2021.
8. "The Real Roxanne Chart History (UK Singles Chart)". Official Charts. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
9. Roxanne Meets UTFO (track listing). UTFO With Roxanne. Streetwave. 1984. MKHAN 40.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
10. "The Real Roxanne - Ya Brother Does [Vinyl Single] (12 inch Vinyl Single - Select #66458)". AllMusic.
11. Lollipop / Roxanne, Roxanne (track listing). UTFO. Black Jam. 1998. 050-16835.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
12. "I Can't - The Real Roxanne - Release Info". Apple Music. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
13. Real Roxanne Meets Pee Wee Herman And Howie's Tee'd Off (track listing). The Real Roxanne With Hitman Howie Tee and Joe Ski Love. Cooltempo. 1986. COOLX 127.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
14. Huey, Steve. "Kid 'N Play - 2 Hype". AllMusic. TiVo Corporation. Retrieved June 13, 2021.

External links

• The Real Roxanne discography at Discogs
• Weblog Press Website (therealroxanne.com)
• MySpace ~ The Real Roxanne
• Interview (rapindustry.com)