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Roxanne Shanté (born Lolita Gooden) was walking outside a New York housing project called Queensbridge when she heard three men talking about how the trio <a href="spotify:artist:52tOyUbNQQ1vKsqOHCPb7l">U.T.F.O.</a> had canceled their appearance at a show they were promoting. Gooden offered to make a rap record that would get back at <a href="spotify:artist:52tOyUbNQQ1vKsqOHCPb7l">U.T.F.O.</a>, who'd previously recorded "Roxanne, Roxanne," a song about a woman too stuck up to notice them. The three -- Tyrone Williams, disc jockey <a href="spotify:artist:2tfqMWNSP00ReirMsh7WSu">Mister Magic</a>, and producer <a href="spotify:artist:0AqfGv5Nifg1klh0iH4Nqs">Marley Marl</a> -- took her up on the idea, with <a href="spotify:artist:0AqfGv5Nifg1klh0iH4Nqs">Marl</a> producing "Roxanne's Revenge." The song was confrontational, sneering, boastful, and even borderline obscene, and it spawned 102 additional answer records. Eventually <a href="spotify:artist:52tOyUbNQQ1vKsqOHCPb7l">U.T.F.O.</a> threatened to sue Shanté for using their B-side as the musical foundation. She settled with them and recut the song with a different, though related, track. Shanté's fortunes were thin shortly after the heyday of "Roxanne, Roxanne," though she did share a number one R&B and a Top Ten pop hit with <a href="spotify:artist:0FrpdcVlJQqibaz5HfBUrL">Rick James</a> in 1986, "Loosey's Rap."

Shanté retired when she was 25 to focus her attention on obtaining a higher education. She went on to receive a Ph.D. in psychology, eventually running her own practice and building a family in New York. She stayed involved with the entertainment industry by being a mentor to young, female rappers and taking part in a series of Sprite commercials that highlighted freestyling hip-hop artists. ~ Ron Wynn, Rovi

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