Roxanne Shante, Ph.D.

LameAim · Post by **LameAim** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:19 pm

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/que ... r_phd.html

Roxanne's revenge was sweet indeed.

Twenty-five years after the first queen of hip-hop was stiffed on her royalty checks, Dr. Roxanne Shante boasts an Ivy League Ph.D. - financed by a forgotten clause in her first record deal.

"This is a story that needs to be told," Shante said. "I'm an example that you can be a teenage mom, come from the projects, and be raised by a single parent, and you can still come out of it a doctor."

Her prognosis wasn't as bright in the years after the '80s icon scored a smash hit at age 14: "Roxanne's Revenge," a razor-tongued response to rap group UTFO's mega-hit "Roxanne, Roxanne."

The 1984 single sold 250,000 copies in New York City alone, making Shante (born Lolita Gooden) hip hop's first female celebrity.

She blazed a trail followed by Lil' Kim, Salt-N-Pepa and Queen Latifah - although Shante didn't share their success.

After two albums, Shante said, she was disillusioned by the sleazy music industry and swindled by her record company. The teen mother, living in the Queensbridge Houses, recalled how her life was shattered.

"Everybody was cheating with the contracts, stealing and telling lies," she said. "And to find out that I was just a commodity was heartbreaking."

But Shante, then 19, remembered a clause in her Warner Music recording contract: The company would fund her education for life.

She eventually cashed in, earning a Ph.D. in psychology from Cornell to the tune of $217,000 - all covered by the label. But getting Warner Music to cough up the dough was a battle.

"They kept stumbling over their words, and they didn't have an exact reason why they were telling me no," Shante said.

She figured Warner considered the clause a throwaway, never believing a teen mom in public housing would attend college. The company declined to comment for this story.

Shante found an arm-twisting ally in Marguerita Grecco, the dean at Marymount Manhattan College. Shante showed her the contract, and the dean let her attend classes for free while pursuing the money.

"I told Dean Grecco that either I'm going to go here or go to the streets, so I need your help," Shante recalls. "She said, 'We're going to make them pay for this.'"

Grecco submitted and resubmitted the bills to the label, which finally agreed to honor the contract when Shante threatened to go public with the story.

Shante earned her doctorate in 2001, and launched an unconventional therapy practice focusing on urban African-Americans - a group traditionally reluctant to seek mental health help.

"People put such a taboo on therapy, they feel it means they're going crazy," she explained. "No, it doesn't. It just means you need someone else to talk to."

Shante often incorporates hip-hop music into her sessions, encouraging her clients to unleash their inner MC and shout out exactly what's on their mind.

"They can't really let loose and enjoy life," she said. "So I just let them unlock those doors."

Shante, 38, is also active in the community. She offers $5,000 college scholarships each semester to female rappers through the nonprofit Hip Hop Association.

She also dispenses advice to young women in the music business via a MySpace page.

"I call it a warning service, so their dreams don't turn into nightmares," she said.

Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons said Shante is a shining role model for the rap community. "Dr. Shante's life is inspiring," Simmons said. "She was a go-getter who rose from the struggle and went from hustling to teaching. She is a prime example that you can do anything, and everything is possible."

Employee · Post by **Employee** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:20 pm

LameAim · Post by **LameAim** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:22 pm

Yeah I figured it might be old news but thought maybe someone missed it like I apparently did. Didn't know you had hit 31k already, Emp.

YouTube · Post by **Philaflava** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:23 pm

"This is a story that needs to be told," Shante said. "I'm an example that you can be a teenage mom, come from the projects, and be raised by a single parent, and you can still come out of it a doctor if you're a rapper signed by a major label in the 80s'."

Employee · Post by **Employee** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:25 pm

LameAim wrote:Yeah I figured it might be old news but thought maybe someone missed it like I apparently did. Didn't know you had hit 31k already, Emp.

It's a great story, I just assumed it was widely known.

HomeSkillet · Post by **HomeSkillet** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:29 pm

Philaflava wrote:
"This is a story that needs to be told," Shante said. "I'm an example that you can be a teenage mom, come from the projects, and be raised by a single parent, and you can still come out of it a doctor if you're a rapper signed by a major label in the 80s'."

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:43 pm

HomeSkillet wrote:
Philaflava wrote:
"This is a story that needs to be told," Shante said. "I'm an example that you can be a teenage mom, come from the projects, and be raised by a single parent, and you can still come out of it a doctor if you're a rapper signed by a major label in the 80s'."

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:44 pm

Employee wrote:
LameAim wrote:Yeah I figured it might be old news but thought maybe someone missed it like I apparently did. Didn't know you had hit 31k already, Emp.
It's a great story, I just assumed it was widely known.

It's somewhat widely known, but then again what percentage of posters here even know who the fuck she is? 4%?

cenzi · Post by **cenzi** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:19 pm

I had no idea. thats cool to read.

FYI. Live on Stage was hiphop's worst video in the 90's

lj · Post by lj » Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:31 pm

i didn't know.
great to hear that.

Employee · Post by **Employee** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:46 pm

Thun wrote:
Employee wrote:
LameAim wrote:Yeah I figured it might be old news but thought maybe someone missed it like I apparently did. Didn't know you had hit 31k already, Emp.
It's a great story, I just assumed it was widely known.
It's somewhat widely known, but then again what percentage of posters here even know who the fuck she is? 4%?

Valid point.

Comedy Quaddafi · Post by **Comedy Quaddafi** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:53 pm

I always though her and Biz were retarded?

MC Homeless · Post by **MC Homeless** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 5:04 pm

I remember she was on Rap City in either late 2001 or early 2002 talking about her phd...maybe the clip is on youtube somewhere.

YouTube · Post by **Philaflava** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 5:10 pm

She seems like one of those people that has to constantly remind everyone she encounters she has a PhD. Let's be honest here, if WB didn't honor the contract Marymount Manhattan College would have told her to bounce and then she would be graduating from the University of Phoenix. My old P.E. teacher Otis Johnson had a PhD. He was also a father of 8 and was caught fondling a 10th grader once.

MC Homeless · Post by **MC Homeless** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 5:12 pm

Otis Johnson is a great name.

bignormy · Post by **bignormy** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 5:54 pm

I had heard about the psychology degree (didn't know it was necessarily a PhD) but I had never heard about the circumstances regarding the record label and contract covering it.

Employer · Post by **Employer** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 6:41 pm

there used to be a youtube interview of her talking about this, which was removed.

apparently it's a clip that plays during the credits of the Beef III dvd.

Tariq's Dilemma · Post by **Tariq's Dilemma** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 6:54 pm

Getting a PhD in Psych from Cornell is no joke. Good for her.

RAZAH CUTZ · Post by **RAZAH CUTZ** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 8:19 pm

seen this story on the Yahoo front page the other day....and before that seen it as told by her on that Beef DVD....

way to pimp the system Roxanne....

The Afronaut · Post by **The Afronaut** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 8:32 pm

cenzi wrote:I had no idea. thats cool to read.

adwhizz · Post by **adwhizz** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 8:53 pm

Philaflava wrote:BOOOOOO TO ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, FUCK THAT BOOUGIE ASS BITCH!

Hasenfefer · Post by **Hasenfefer** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 9:55 pm

Shante often incorporates hip-hop music into her sessions, encouraging her clients to unleash their inner MC and shout out exactly what's on their mind.

I remember when Roxanne's Revenge came out. I remember someone bringing a tape of it to our 6th grade graduation party and playing it over and over until our teacher got annoyed and made us stop playing it.

Deezal · Post by **Deezal** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 3:08 pm

http://www.philaflava.com/forum/viewtop ... nne+shante