Rapper Roxanne Shante – born Lolita Shanté Gooden in Queens, New York on March
8, 1970 – is best known as the Roxanne that kickstarted the Roxanne Wars in the
mid 1980s and one of the first popular female MCs. The origins of the Roxanne
Wars began in 1984 when rap group UTFO had a surprise hit with “Roxanne,
Roxanne,” the B-side of their debut single. When UTFO didn’t show up for a live
appearance, it inspired a conversation between hip-hop DJs Marley Marl and Mr.
Magic and 14 year old Lolita Gooden, who was a member of the Juice Crew. The
trio wrote and recorded a rebuttal to t...