Roxanne's Revenge Explained

"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" from different hip hop artists to be produced at that time (according to different statements), in what would be called "Roxanne Wars".

The song spent 12 weeks on the Billboard R&B singles chart, reaching  22 in March 1985 and becoming Shanté's most successful song as the lead artist on that chart.^[1] Roxanne's Revenge sold more than 250,000 copies in the New York area alone.

"Roxanne's Revenge" is frequently regarded as one of rap's best diss tracks, both of the 1980s and in general.^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

Background

Roxanne'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

12" Vinyl

A-Side

1. "Just Say Stet" (3:40)
2. "Just Say Stet" (Instrumental) (3:44)

B-Side

1. "Rock De La Stet" (Vocal) (6:30)

Personnel

Credits are taken from the liner notes and the official page of the ASCAP.^{[6] [7] [8]}

• 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

Notes and References

1. Roxanne Shante Album & Song Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2021-07-27.
2. Web site: Pitch Slapped: The 10 Most Brutal Lady Diss Tracks In Hip Hop. https://web.archive.org/web/20231201020105/https://www.vh1.com/news/8lvtzy/10-most-brutal-lady-diss-tracks-in-hip-hop . live . December 1, 2023 . VH1.com . September 20, 2013. October 5, 2020 .
3. A Look Back at the Best Hip-Hop Diss Tracks From the '80s: 'Roxanne's Revenge,' 'Jack the Ripper' & More. . March 1, 2018. October 5, 2020 .
4. Web site: The 50 Best Hip-Hop Diss Songs. . October 31, 2018. September 27, 2020 .
5. Web site: Eminem Lists Ice Cube's "No Vaseline," MC Lyte's "10% Diss" and More as His Favorite Diss Tracks Ever. . December 26, 2018. October 5, 2020 .
6. Stetsasonic . 1985 . Just Say Stet . track listing . . TB 875.
7. Stetsasonic . 1986 . On Fire . track listing . . TBLP-1012.
8. Web site: ASCAP Repertory entry for this song . ASCAP. May 19, 2021 .