"Roxanne's Revenge" is the debut single by American rapper Roxanne Shante. It was produced by a then unknown Marley Marl and released in 1984 through the independent label Pop Art Records. In the song, a 14-year-old Roxanne Shante, whose real name is Lolita Shanté Gooden, responds to UTFO's hit song "Roxanne, Roxanne". In addition to her feud with UTFO, this also caused between 30 and more than 100 "answer songs"[citation needed] from different hip hop artists to be produced at that time (according to different statements), in what would be called "Roxanne Wars".
| "Roxanne's Revenge" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Roxanne Shante | ||||
| B-side | "Roxanne's Revenge (Vocal)" | |||
| Released | 1984 | |||
| Recorded | 1984 | |||
| Genre | Golden age hip hop | |||
| Length | 4:20 | |||
| Label | Pop Art Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Lolita Shanté Gooden, Marlon Williams[1] | |||
| Producer(s) | Marley Marl | |||
| Roxanne Shante singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Roxanne's Revenge" on YouTube | ||||
The song spent 12 weeks on the Billboard R&B singles chart, reaching No. 22 in March 1985 and becoming Shanté's most successful song as the lead artist on that chart.[2] Roxanne's Revenge sold more than 250,000 copies in the New York area alone.[citation needed]
"Roxanne's Revenge" is frequently regarded as one of rap's best diss tracks, both of the 1980s and in general.[3][4][5][6]
Background
editRoxanne's revenge is regarded as an inspiration towards rapper Nicki Minaj song Roman's Revenge. Roxanne's Revenge was the first female rap diss track
Single track listing
edit12" Vinyl
editA-Side
edit- "Just Say Stet" (3:40)
- "Just Say Stet" (Instrumental) (3:44)
B-Side
edit- "Rock De La Stet" (Vocal) (6:30)
Personnel
editCredits are taken from the liner notes and the official page of the ASCAP.[7][8][9]
- Written By – Glenn Bolton, Arnold Hamilton, Paul Huston, Martin Nemley, Leonardo Roman, Marvin Shahid Wright
- Producer – Stetsasonic
- Co-producer – Eric Calvi, Robin Halpin (tracks: A1, A2), Jim Klein (track B)
- Keyboards, Horns – DBC
- Mastered By – Herbie Jr :^)* (Herb Powers Jr.)
- Engineer – Eric Calvi
- Producer (exec.) – Tom Silverman
References
edit- ^ "ASCAP Repertory entry for this song". ASCAP. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ "Roxanne Shante Album & Song Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 27, 2021.[dead link]
- ^ "Pitch Slapped: The 10 Most Brutal Lady Diss Tracks In Hip Hop". VH1.com. September 20, 2013. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ "A Look Back at the Best Hip-Hop Diss Tracks From the '80s: 'Roxanne's Revenge,' 'Jack the Ripper' & More". Billboard. March 1, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ "The 50 Best Hip-Hop Diss Songs". Complex. October 31, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
- ^ "Eminem Lists Ice Cube's "No Vaseline," MC Lyte's "10% Diss" and More as His Favorite Diss Tracks Ever". XXL. December 26, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ Just Say Stet (track listing). Stetsasonic. Tommy Boy. 1985. TB 875.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ On Fire (track listing). Stetsasonic. Tommy Boy. 1986. TBLP-1012.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "ASCAP Repertory entry for this song". ASCAP. Retrieved May 19, 2021.