An article on Hip-Hop pioneer Roxanne Shante in The New York Daily News has come into question by Slate Magazine.
For years it was reported that Roxanne Shante earned her Ph.D. in Psychology, around 2001.
The New York Daily News recently ran an article on Roxanne Shante, a pioneering female emcee and original member of The Juice Crew.
In the article, Shante claimed to have convinced Warner Music to a contractual obligation to “fund her education for life” as part of a settlement, in a contractual dispute between her recording home, Cold Chillin’ Records and Warner Music.
In the New York Daily News article, she claimed was planning to launch a Hip-Hop themed therapy practice, focusing on African-Americans, although it had been widely reported that she was operating one in Queens.
According to Slate, Warner never paid for the rapper’s education and that she does not have a Ph.D. – from Cornell, or any institution, which Roxanne Shane also confirmed.
“I got my master’s in psychology. I didn’t complete my Ph.D.,” Shante admitted in an interview with Slate.
Slate claims that Roxanne Shante doesn’t even have a degree in psychology. She did attend Marymount Manhattan College, but reportedly dropped out after four months.
Representatives for Marymount Manhattan confirmed that the female rapper attended the college from February to May of 1995, before dropping out without earning a degree.
Shante replied to that information by stating that she attended college under an alias, because of a domestic violence situation and may have used an alias on an application.
At press time, Roxanne Shante could not be reached for comment.
To read the Slate article, click here.