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The Roxanne Wars were a series of hip hop rivalries during the mid-1980s, yielding rap music's first diss record and perhaps the most answer records in history. It is one of hip-hop's earliest feuds and perhaps the first ever "rap beef". The dispute arose over a failed appearance at a radio promotional show. There were two Roxannes in question: Roxanne Shanté and The Real Roxanne.[3][4]
| Roxanne Wars | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 "Hanging Out", with B-side "Roxanne, Roxanne" by U.T.F.O. | |||
| Date | 1984-1985[1][2] | ||
| Medium | Diss tracks | ||
| Status | Ended in 1985 with the release of "The Final Word – No More Roxanne" by the East Coast Crew | ||
| Parties | |||
| Works | |||
| |||
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1984–1985: Background and "Roxanne's Revenge"
In 1984, the hip-hop trio U.T.F.O., produced by the R&B group Full Force, released a single titled "Hanging Out", which did not perform well. However, it was the single's B side, "Roxanne, Roxanne", a song about a woman who would not respond to their advances, that gained much attention and airplay.[5] Soon afterwards, 14-year-old Lolita Shanté Gooden was walking outside of a New York City housing project called Queensbridge, when she heard Tyrone Williams, disc jockey Mr. Magic, and record producer Marley Marl talking about how U.T.F.O. had cancelled an appearance on a show they promoted.[6][7] Gooden offered to make a hip-hop record that would get back at U.T.F.O., with her taking on the moniker Roxanne Shanté, after her middle name. The three took her up on the idea, with Marley producing "Roxanne's Revenge".[8] 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.[9] 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. Select Records 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 obscenities removed. The re-release version peaked at No. 22 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart.[10]
1985: "The Real Roxanne", the Roxanne Wars from beginning to end
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 The Real Roxanne (and was soon replaced by Adelaida Martinez).[11] 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.[citation needed] The airwaves became so occupied with the "Roxanne" records that other MCs decided to get into the act. Over the next year, anywhere from 30 to over 100 answer records (according to different claims)[3] were produced, portraying Roxanne's family, or making various claims about her. Some of the most notable include:[12][13][10]
- "Sparky's Turn (Roxanne, You're Through)" by Sparky D
- "Roxanne's Doctor – The Real Man" by Dr. Freshh
- "Do the Roxanne" by Dr. Rocx & Co.
- "The Parents of Roxanne" by Gigolo Tony & Lacey Lace
- "I'm Lil Roxanne" by Tanganyika
- "Yo, My Little Sister (Roxanne's Brothers)" by Crush Groove[a]
- "Rappin' Roxy: Roxanne's Sister" by D.W. and the Party Crew (featuring Roxy)
- "Ice Roxanne" by Little Ice
- "Roxanne's a Man (The Untold Story—Final Chapter)" by Ralph Rolle
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 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.[13] 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.[14]
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The Roxanne Wars helped solidify the careers of multiple rappers— notably Roxanne Shanté, The Real Roxanne, and Sparky D.[11][12]
In 2017, a musical drama film about the life of Roxanne Shanté was released. The title, Roxanne Roxanne, is a reference to the U.T.F.O. track which began the Roxanne Wars.[15][16]
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