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Roxanne Shante Details Her Grammy Win, Beef, Her Regrets, Being Rap's First Huge Battle & Women MCs
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Mar 18, 2025
🎤 Check out this exclusive interview with the legendary Roxanne Shante as she reflects on her hip-hop legacy, 40 years of battling, and shaping the culture! From her groundbreaking battles to her Grammy win, this conversation is packed with wisdom, history, and untold stories. 🔥 **Highlights Include:** - Roxanne Shante on redefining hip-hop's relationship with the Grammys 🏆 - Her journey from battling UTFO to inspiring today’s rap battles 🎶 - Insights into her Netflix biopic and its powerful message 🎥 - The evolution of hip-hop and its lasting cultural impact 🌟 - Her inspiring fight against breast cancer and staying undefeated 💪 If you're passionate about hip-hop history, battles, and cultural evolution, this interview is a must-see! Roxanne Shante brings her unfiltered perspective, humor, and wisdom to the mic, making this a conversation you don’t want to miss. 👉 Comment and join the conversation! Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more exclusive hip-hop content from Chuck Creekmur, DJ Thoro and AllHipHop. 🎧 #groovepadhiphoplegacy #kendricklamar #breastcancerawarenessmonth #breastcancersurvivor #rapsodyinterview CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro 00:40 - Red Carpet Moments 02:42 - Etiquette in Entertainment 07:32 - Last Holiday Reflections
View Video Transcript
0:08
hey this is Roxy Shante and listen if it's only going to be a little bit nah
0:13
it's got to be all hip hop please believe it baby what's going on world it's your man Chuck Creek AKA jigsa I'm
0:20
here with my man DJ thorough AKA thoro bris to the streets baby let's go yeah
0:25
we here with a special guest a special special guest the queen queen Rox and Shante Grammy Award winning Grammy Award
0:33
winning congratulations lifetime achiever well deserved thank you I appreciate that yes let's let's just go
0:40
right into it like we missed you on the carpet I was telling my writer like yo get her get her get her and she's a
0:47
little younger I don't know what happened I'm not sure what happened but we missed you so I'm glad to have you
0:53
here I think this year um I think this year's uh Grammy red carpet was the red carpet for the lessons to be learned and
1:02
you know I think I'm hoping that not only did those who were on the red carpet who were conducting the
1:08
interviews that they learn but also the companies that send them out to represent them I'm hoping that they also
1:13
too learn you know what I mean and so yeah but it was a great thing it was a great experience you know it was my first time going to the Grammys and most
1:20
people were like really that's the thing that's the that's the first I've seen you that's the first thing everybody say
1:25
since you've been in the music business since been in music first time going how was that possible you know what um I don't know how everybody else felt but
1:31
it's an honor to go to something as prestigious as the Grammys and to go as a winner right and to go as a lifetime
1:39
you know what I'm saying go yeah to go as a lifetime so it's like you know it was the right time for me you know any
1:44
other time would not have been my time I went when it was my time right you know so I went to the Grammys and left with a
1:49
Grammy you know that's that's a good thing right you know hip hop has a a new outlook on the Grammys cuz if you will
1:54
back in the days we they didn't care like who gives a about a goddamn Grammy you know absolutely I remembery so
2:00
everything was anti-g Grammy now how did that culture shift I think what it is is that the music shifted and and the
2:06
respect for hip-hop has shifted and people Now understand that there's no genre of music that does not have hip-hop included in it so if you're
2:12
going to talk about any genre of music and you're going to say hip-hop you automatically know there's hip-hop and gospel hip-hop and rock hip-hop and
2:18
country hip hop and heavy metal hip hop and everything so therefore now they understood you know the strength of
2:23
hip-hop and now hip hop understands its strength CU sometimes you know we we we shun on things that that feel that
2:30
either one we're never going to get or we're never going to be deserving of or they're never going to include us to now having a better understanding that you
2:37
know I mean to if you literally want to take it that it's all hip hop you know so now that's what has became let me ask
2:43
you kind of something that you just stated like we saw notably that baby face had an interview and and they you
2:51
know really didn't show him any respect it it was I think they looked behind him in spoted somebody else was like Hey
2:56
such and such and he was like hey well if you want them you know and and I think that was very gracious of him to
3:03
do that that goes about what she was saying you got to have people on these panels that's interviewing people that are knowledgeable about who's there and
3:09
knowledgeable about the history of music but also etiquette you know there's there's a certain there's a certain etiquette that has to be present in
3:15
anything that you're going to present whether it's hip hop R&B country rock it's a certain etiquette right and I
3:21
think because so this generation or not this total generation but a majority of the generation is missing that etiquette
3:27
they didn't have anyone to teach them that because at that time we're going through a process of getting money so when
3:34
you're getting money you don't really stop and teach the lessons you kind of like you just you into the money so
3:39
therefore there was a whole generation that just was missing etiquette because proper etiquette is I don't care who I'm
3:44
talking to I'm not going to interrupt and stop talking to you what I might do is signal somebody next to me and say listen see if you can catch them right
3:51
and then let me finish conducting this interview because that's just the way we're raised you know but you got a whole generation out here that just
3:57
wasn't raised right and so those are going to yeah those are going to be like that's in the industry and out of the
4:02
industry that's why we have some of the issues we have now yeah and I know how that is cuz I've worked the carpet and
4:08
sometimes you'll be like oh my God there's you know Beyonce you know you ain't gonna never get Beyonce but I'm
4:13
just saying and don't say never don't never say never not saying never but yeah just you you have to eat you with
4:21
they you got to let it be you can't be like that it's just not the moment yeah it's not the moment yeah it's not it's
4:27
not the moment but I ain't going to lie to y'all we interviewed so this is how we did it at the MTV Awards one time I
4:35
was on my boss tip and I was just roaming the carpet wrangling Talent
4:42
right so I'm not going to say her name it was it this was so disrespectful but
4:47
my PE we were getting trying to get a drop from DJ cat Okay and it took all this energy and he was ready right then
4:55
right so this it's a colonizer and we was just
5:00
like you got to go right now it's time for DJ K it was so disrespect well if it was a colonizer then then it's all but
5:07
it doesn't matter it doesn't matter it it was wrong it was wrong to both of you it was wrong it was wrong and let me
5:13
tell you but here's the thing you realized it oh yeah see I I came back see you realized it and here's the thing
5:19
because you realized it you understood from that moment some people do wrong and don't even think it's wrong and we
5:25
stand on it like like like how was I wrong and you're like your do you not know you were wrong and then that's when
5:32
you know a person like myself would be like okay well I see that being with this person they're never going to hold
5:37
accountability for anything that they're going to do so I can't work with them and I found myself dealing with that a lot in the industry because it could be
5:44
just something as small as not holding the door for your elders or not doing certain things and then I'll take that
5:49
and be like yeah I can't with them here this is not going to work for me I I'll
5:54
bow out and they'll be like no but you don't understand this is going to be really big for you and I'd say yeah but then I'm going to feel really small on
6:01
the inside so I don't it doesn't matter what makes me feel big on the outside if it makes me feel small on the inside no
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I'm not going to I'm okay you know what I'm saying leave me where I'm at and what's meant to be will be and I'm
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living the meant to be you sound so mature you are mature you're
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mature don't say that see say that sub so let me just your experience I'm
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classically classic seasoned classically classic
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but we don't I don't speak the old word because then I feel like I'm going shrivel up and turn to dust that's not
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true see that's the thing people put old and make it like such a bad term and
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it's not right honestly that word is subjective who has who which type of
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Fortune would you rather have old money or new money oh I mean if it's elon's
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money that's kind of new money ain't not not that's old money
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okay Mark Mark that's new money newer newer but that's still privileged money
7:04
yeah because it's where it com from that's still old money I'm trying to be difficult here yeah see but you can't black folks are like the only people
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that I mean you know so like so and if you think about what would you rather have new painting or old painting old
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painting you see what I mean what would you rather go so so if you pull up to so if you pull up to a car show would you
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rather have the new car or would you rather have the old car you see the shirt there you go BBs
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that's my company there you go see what I'm saying so we did the movie with you yes you did yes you did thank you so
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much for those so again we weren't looking for new cars we looking for old cars cars so that's what it is so people
7:40
have to take it and put a certain Twist on it like I love it I love being the oldest person in the room really it does
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not bother me when we we sit down and we do this thing like me my family you know some people that we go out they'll say
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okay everybody put up your credit cards you know to see who's going to cover dinner
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and they'll say everybody put up your American Express and whoever has the oldest American Express does not have to
8:04
pay for dinner and I say okay so I know I never have to pay for dinner when I'm
8:10
around them why that works for you right yeah because my I've had American I've had a American Express you know Platinum
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American Express since 1988 some of y'all weren't even born J
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got the line from you you know what I'm saying some of y'all weren't even born in 88 so when I put mine up there they're looking at it like
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is that 888 and I'm like yeah but this dinner was expensive so yeah y'all go ahead and catch this dinner I'm going go
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get in my car so that's what it is and I think once people start to acknowledge
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that or they start to feel that then you know you look it you know I can be in a
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room and you know I wear no makeup you know no no nothing gorgeous by the way thank you but this is old skinn you see
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what I'm saying now you go get somebody new they got to wash all that off you look at that you know what I'm saying
9:00
that's new skin you know what I'm saying so which would you rather have you'd rather have old strong SK see this skin here this could be slapped and I don't
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give rules like like you know what I'm saying like my like a little covering to it right feel you you know so so anyway
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I say that to to say that I love aging the way I've aged and and I just love
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being who I am and but I would never change anything about me meaning if I was someone that if we fought when we
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was younger then we fought when we was younger you know I was very quick to be physical cuz you know I came from the
9:31
group home and I had went through foster care and everything else so unlike a lot of other female MC's who would grab the
9:37
mic and then let the fellas go first I always felt like I had to fight for everything right and I didn't care if it physically turns into a fight I still
9:43
would do that also and then now I sit back and now that we're older you know you see that people don't outgrow their
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bullies and they might have felt like I was a bully but in all reality I was just a young girl surviving and I was
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not going to do certain things that I seen other girls doing because you can do that but you still had a home to go
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to and go to sleep right I do that they going [ __ ] around want me to do that all night yeah because where am I going to
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go right so I'm not going to do that you know I'm going to walk in and still today you know I walk in sometimes you
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know and I try to catch myself because I walk in with food in my bag and they'll be like why do you have food in your bag
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because I'm not going to be hungry and I'm not going to wait for them to say okay we can eat this I'll pull my [ __ ]
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out theide and you know and I could be at a table full of billionaires and they will laugh and they'll be like well what
10:32
kind of sandwich is that and I'll be like hey you ain't never tried this [ __ ] here now look it's a little stuff on it but go ahead and eat
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it you know and then they understand and respect my realness you know and and and
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I can live with that right when you look back on yourself your younger self what do what do you
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see I see a lot of strength a lot of strength a lot of struggle yeah um
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recently I had the um honor of lighting the Empire State Building okay and when I L the Empire State Building
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um everybody had all these great speeches and everything about how you know they would go there with their
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family how they would see it and for me I was in the streets very young by myself for a very long time and at night
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I used to wonder like who lights the Empire State Building right you know because for me that was like a a a light
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or almost like a sign like okay listen the night is getting ready to start so
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you got to be able to survive this and I'm talking like I'm the side streets of between 39th Street and 43rd Street
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between 7th Avenue and 10th Avenue and these is the worst blocks to be in at that age you know on your own but I'm
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looking at the Empire State Building like okay so I just got to get through this till that light goes out wow but
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once the light lights up you know that's when the streets is getting ready to be lit you know you're talking about the 80s yeah and so when I went in there and
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I lit it the lady said well why are you over here in the corner cor by yourself and I told her I was like you know
12:02
because when I was little I would look at the Empire State Building and I would say who lit it tonight and honestly
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tonight I can say I lit the Empire State Building you know what I mean so it's
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just like one of those things for me so I look at the city differently I look at life differently you know I've been a
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mom longer than I've been anything else right right wow right now are you still
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regardless if you're putting it out or not are you still recording music do you still are you like I call him a career
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artist like because some people they just never start recording whether they're gonna put the music out it's like therapeutic do you still record I
12:36
rhyme every day you rhyme every day I rhyme every day I'm on a radio station I'm on SiriusXM every day from 4:00 to
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7:00 p.m. LL CJ's Rock Bells exactly and um I get a chance to Freestyle and rhyme
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every day and that's the type of artist I've always been I've never been a sit down right records type artist I've
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always been someone who freestyles so I get the chance to do that every day every day so I think I'll do that until
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the day I die as you should that's who you are part you let me tell you a story yes how I got to be so
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fresh I'm now was that a freestyle all of it that's why I say my name so much yeah
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right right yeah there was another phrase you say a lot I forget which which one it was now but it was not
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rocking the mic I I think that might have been mine I'm rocking on I'm rocking on the mic I'm rocking on the
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mic I was anyway whatever anyway but freestyle is a lost art now you know I
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wish more people could could get in the cipher and just off the top a lot of people are mentally lazy yeah you know I
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mean that's true it takes a different type of mental to think before you speak yeah I think what it is they changed the
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the definition of freestyle and once they Chang the definition of freestyle then people no longer need to do it
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because they come in they be like oh yeah well this is a freestyle and then they take the paper out but
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be sitting there like how was that a freestyle if he took the paper out like yeah right me and him were talking
14:05
before you came in and it it just came to my attention you know we obviously everybody here is hip-hop yes and
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battling is a part of hip-hop yes but we just discovered that if I'm not mistaken people Everyone you are involved in the
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first hip-hop battle on record yes is that can we is that that would be you and um uto if I'm not mistaken yes yeah
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yeah on somebody SA Sparky D but I would say you on record you and UT TFO like
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absolutely I think but that doesn't get celebrated or or mentioned enough I cuz I just actually realized that just now
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yeah 40 years right this is actually the 40th year 40th years wow right 40 years
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that's crazy right so basically Drake and Kendrick owe you a check please believe it trying to get
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some money up here please believe it hey SE that check okay no that's how does
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that make you feel yeah what to to see the the artist today the well the Legacy batt Legacy of battling to whereever
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it's it's incredible it's incredible I've always you know sat back and admired and watched everybody go out and
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and and do the battles and everything else I've also like to watch some of the little battle competitions that they
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would do and things like that but for me when I watched the Super Bowl which to
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me was the ultimate stage it was just incredible it was it was incredible yeah
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that's crazy you know and and I just felt a little because you know again I see them all as my hip-hop Brothers
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right yeah so I just felt a little bad only because I felt like there wasn't
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there wasn't anyone on Drake's side to tell him how he should have responded
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right how what would you have told him he should have bought a commercial a
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commercial right after right after Kendrick's performance see she this is why she this is why she she started this
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[ __ ] what's your sign you diabolical she started right listen this is how he
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should this how he should have done it because I like to see both sides went and right after Kendrick did this incredible performance right he should
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have been sitting at home it should have been a commercial with him sitting at home right next to him should have been
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some lawsuit papers on the table M with whatever type of endorsement whether it
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was a Coke or Pepsi or whatever sitting on top of the but you can still see that his lawsuit papers he should have had
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all of his Diamond plaques all of his stuff all behind him he should have had a huge screen and the screen should have
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showed him watching the performance cheering it on you know what
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I'm saying cheering it on like that and then he should have said and then he should have turned around and he should have looked in the camera and he should
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have said yeah you right they not like us and then he should have turned around
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and showed all his accomplishment and said but you're not like me wow you put
16:54
thought into that yoy that would have actually what are you doing Drake come on Dr and that
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would have let me tell you something that been effective that would have been effective nothing else yeah what that been effective it would have got mixed
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reviews but it was been it would have been effective though you know what it would have done it would have not the conversation would not have just been
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lost right the conversation now would have been balanced on but the commercial we know he spent 8 million on the
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commercial or the commercial did you see now as they're breaking down the Kendrick's performance they're breaking
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down all of the symbols that you put inside of your commercial like in the commercial you put the lawsuit papers
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but on the lawsuit papers you put the Coca-Cola bottle you know what I'm saying or you put the Coke and the Pepsi
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bottle you know what I'm saying that type of thing so now people are trying to feed and read from it there's always
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a way to win you never got to lose it's always a way to win it's always a way to win you ever lost a battle never not
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even with cancer I'm a two time breast cancer I love it so not even not even
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with cancer I remember when I remember when my oncologist told told me like listen you know you're getting ready to
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go into one of the greatest battles of your life and I was like all right I haven't lost one yet my mom's a two time
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breast cancer oh congratulations yeah thank you yeah nothing like ringing that Bell being on the other side some
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beautiful thing you know what I'm saying and so to be able to do that you know now have I suffered some losses outside
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of that like yeah like my mom and you know a few best friends and you know like I had a dog for 20 something years
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and lost that but they was they was getting kind of mad at me for holding on to him they was like he was like he was
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literally like fur just moving slow wow the house and they was like you got to let this go and I was like you want me
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to put you to sleep right right do you want me to put you to sleep when you old leave him alone and he was he was
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bumping in the things and stuff like that but you know I just turn him and just keep on going yeah until his day
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was done but you know even when I took him to the vet the vet was like how old
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is this dog right I was like you the vet right now now if I got to pay you and you
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don't know how old he is give him back you know what I'm saying and I took him to the vet and this is the truth and I'm
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telling everybody be very careful with these vets I took him to the vet and he was dead the next day wow all of them
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years I was feeding them table food hot sauce he was drinking tea eating candy all now y'all tell me oh you got to take
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him to a vet it's just too bad it's too and I took him to EV next day next day he died next day he died wow I was sad I
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was mad I was cuz I felt like I listened to y'all and I took him to the I should have never he
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was good he was moving F we knew he was this is how we did like people were saying like how old is he they would see
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pictures of my children and then see him with pictures him with my children's
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children so it was like that's the same family member what type of dog was it Bean wow they last long I see obviously
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no he last he had no teeth I was giving him he had baby food I was feeding him baby food like you know I put the baby
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food on the saucer he had no teeth he had no teeth he was done but he had baby food still feeding him tap still
20:04
wouldn't give him dog food right right still wouldn't give him dog food no matter what gave him baby food he ate
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good he he ate all the way out from steaks to baby food hey yeah what would
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you what would you how what would you say is your best accomplish your greatest accomplishment my children your
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my children because I exposed my children to a lot growing up you know I've never been that I've never been the
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mom by the book M I've been the mom by the streets the mom by survival the mom
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by hipop my children never had bed times um I have pictures of me having my son
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in the club with Me 2 3 o' in the morning right um you know even being in
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limos with with everybody smoking weed and just crack the window a little bit the baby's in here you know what I'm
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saying like that type of thing and um to see how they've turned out it has been
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incredible for me my son is responsible for for even like my I don't want to
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call it like a Resurgence or but just going to him and him saying like listen this is what you should do this is what
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you shouldn't do you know allowing him to be in management position being able to take care of things for me um telling
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me what to post what not to post and then you know my daughter being in law enforcements and doing the things that
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she's doing like it's just it's incredible for me to just sit back and say wow like you really are my kids you
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know and and when something goes wrong with them I remember when they were young younger they would be like you
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don't really want me to call my mom CU they were always very softspoken very good students in school right and then I
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show up and show the out as you should yeah was never afraid of a crowd and
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they used to take teachers out the other exit knowing that I was waiting for in the yard yeah I was just like but
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because I grew up missing certain things in my childhood I wanted my children to
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know that you can always count on me like like when they tell you do you want to call a lawyer you tell them I need to
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call my mother first let me call my mother and then she'll take care of everything from that point on because I
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didn't have that I didn't have that that that stability or you know I didn't have that person that I could call on and say
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okay this is who is going to take care of shant Shante had to take care of shant since she was about 10 right so
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you know for me I wanted to make sure that my children had the opposite right I I wanted to ask you to um your life
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story on Netflix biop how much of that was accurate and how
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much input did you have in in that in that movie I I was there every day to make sure that everything was absolutely
22:38
accurate what we did was we actually toned my life down okay because we weren't sure if the world was really
22:43
ready to hear the stories that really take place so what we did was we gave them bits and pieces of it we did not
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embellish on anything if anything we toned some of it down because I wanted it to be that Daddy Daughter movie you
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know growing up without a father I needed fathers to be able to sit down with their daughters watch this movie and then start to question certain
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things that they see I needed moms to sit down with this movie and say damn am I really putting that much pressure on
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my oldest child like does she get a chance to be a child am I asking too much of them and I also the young lady
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who played me her name is Shante Shante Adams and um the reason why she had just
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graduated from school uh June 2 something I want to say like June 25th
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so she graduated school June 25th July 5th I Had Her filming and it was very important to me that
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there were no nude scenes that there were no scenes that were going to make her feel that in order for her to get
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into this industry she was going to have to sacrifice and I didn't want people who picked her for other projects to
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feel that they needed to subject her to that and you know she told me her and her parents both thanked me for that
23:48
because after that she was able to get rolls with Denzel she was able to get rolls with this because automatically
23:53
people didn't see it as you know you knew what I went through but there was no need for us to to take that and put
23:59
visuals attached to it it you know so that this way so that this way this because you know what at the end of the
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day I'm still a black woman and I know what it was like to be a young black woman and I know what it was like to be a young black girl and to not have
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people think that way for you you know what I'm saying like come on I'm 16 years old I did a song called Lucy with
24:18
Rick James and lived with him for six months who sends somebody who sends somebody 16 to go live with Rick James
24:23
luc's rap I remember that Lucy's rap yeah so you Liv with Rick James for six months six months six months and and it
24:29
only took us two days to do the record right wow so the other six months was just living with Rick James what was
24:34
that like yeah just BL it was it was incredible it
24:40
was incredible I learned a lot it was incredible is there any other release
24:45
Rick James songs you have that that never came out no we only did one song six months I was there and we only
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recorded two days right that's the rest of the time I was just there I used to
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had that a I think I used to have a 45 of that record yeah and then I remember when we went to go do it on um Soul
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Train and uh don cornelus said how old are you and I said at the time I was
25:12
like I think I had turned like 17 yeah I was like 17 he said wrap this up we
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can't do wrap this up he was like no he was like no like he was like no he was
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like she's she's 17 and listen to the song no yeah he was like no and Don
25:30
didn't like hip-hop Don didn't like he didn't like and he and I don't think he liked Rick uh he
25:35
didn't yeah there were um so he was like she un wrap this up you know what I'm
25:41
saying and so for me you know I I always wanted to be that person so that when
25:46
people come to me they'll be like you know he told me that he's a producer I said well write his name down who he say he worked with okay and then I'll make a
25:54
phone call you ever work with this mother such and such and they' be like no then I call a girl and be like yo listen get out of there he can't do none
26:00
of that stuff he's saying right you know and then people would get a little angry with me because they'd be like listen you don't understand what the industry
26:06
is about and I said honestly you're right right is there anything oh real quick fun fact I was the last person to
26:13
interview Rick James oh yeah you yeah I was the last person Google it it's out there wow Village Voice did a whole
26:19
story on me hey there you go that's what I'm talking about sorry I had to throw that up no hey that's I don't get a lot
26:25
of praise you got you got OTE that you got to put that out there I tried they wouldn't pay me for my interview though
26:32
they did a documentary on Rick James and wanted my my interview I was like okay what we talking about they were like
26:37
here's the here's a release to give it give it to us I was like oh no can't
26:43
welcome to the world that give it to me right they wanted you to give it to me
26:50
babyar right right you quick you ever done standup com comedy no well let me
26:56
no wait wait I'm I'm lying cuz you I did it twice and both times was a dare okay
27:04
one of my sisters we was on a cruise ship she was like they doing comedy downstairs if you do the comedy then you
27:11
get to use the bathroom first cuz I was tired of her first like if you on a cruise with somebody and they first it
27:17
just mess your whole outfit up you just like man okay so I can go first what I'm
27:22
saying so I went down there so I did it then and um they thought that I was part
27:27
of the show right yeah you know and then the second time I did it I did it at a club Did You Freestyle your jokes yeah
27:34
just got up there and just tell us a joke just got up there and just did just did it right but you are so good on
27:42
stage thank you yo she's like the main event kind of almost like douge you like
27:50
douge without the beatbox you just Captivate the crowd she had a song called live on stage I
27:56
know he just trying to show how yeah but n that sometimes stay in all of
28:03
you you know what it is it's because I get up there and I do it because I want to do it and I get a chance to do it for
28:09
who I want to do it for so I'm literally having a great time I am a a wear all
28:15
day type person meaning I get on stage with whatever I wee all day you know and
28:21
so a lot of people feel like you're not you're not you know showman enough for
28:27
us you don't dress up enough for us and I say but it's not for you it's for them
28:32
so if I get out here and I'm in my regular clothes and I'm telling them like listen I ain't changed my mother
28:38
clothes let's let's do this like this this is what I'm going to wear you know because I need to be comfortable right
28:44
and that's what I do now speaking of clothes yes this is hip-hop question fashion question do you have any of your
28:50
old Dapper Dan Le guci have and I also have Stu and I also have all of my suits
28:55
that I had made for my son my daughter came later on in life but I still have all of the Dappa leather suits that my
29:01
son wore when he was little wow yeah and every now and then we got to take them out we got to air them out because you
29:07
know the Leathers will stick together and then some of the the detailing will come off so like some of the Gucci print
29:13
might come off if you keep them too close together so we've been trying to like take care of them a little more as
29:18
far as like putting tissue paper or something in between them but other than that yeah I kept them because I don't have any childhood pictures of me like I
29:25
have no baby I have one baby picture real tiny and it looks like it's been through a war so it's not like a really
29:31
clear photo and I didn't want that for my kids so I kept everything I got like the first braid I got like yeah like
29:38
when you cut the hair you cut the first braid I got the first braid I got the baby book I have garbage bags full of
29:44
photos wow you know so yeah and every now and then I'll go inside of the bag and I'll take out a handful of photos
29:51
and I'll go up online and I'll post some and you know but I never ever just go through them because I live life in the
29:57
n now so I don't really go through the then but if my children have questions about certain things you know then I'll
30:04
say like they be like yeah who's this and I be like oh yeah he was a hustler from such and such a time he did this
30:09
this this that and then I'll just leave it alone would you be open to put some of the um gear into the hip-hop Museum
30:15
hip-hop in the Bronx like your outfit I said you know what I said that once they decide exactly how they're going to do
30:21
it then I'm definitely going to present them with a gift something that I haven't given to anyone else you know where they can say okay this is is
30:28
really 50 years old or this is really 40 years old this is really from that time
30:34
and then with everything I also have like photos that match it like he wore this on this day so this shows him playing with this outfit on and you know
30:41
like that type of thing so yeah no I would definitely do that I always support like I remember when they were doing a hip-hop Museum and we were just
30:48
showing up in regular little meeting spaces you know I was there from from day one with the Architects and all of
30:53
that I'm always there always supportive you making it do what it do um I wanted to ask you a a hip-hop
31:02
question hit me I I texted you this like a couple years ago okay the word John
31:08
yes I would like you to talk to me about your relationship to the word and when
31:14
you first said it okay um a lot of people think that Roxy shante's career started in New York but it didn't it
31:20
started in Philadelphia my first record label was pop art pop art and it was the Goodman
31:25
brothers and the Goodman Brothers was the brothers like they was them type of Brothers you know um and when I would
31:34
stay in Philly all the time you pick up on their dialect it's a whole different language and one of the things is John
31:40
and like bull you know what I'm saying or or or or or or dude you know because
31:46
they would use those different terms and so I was describing a conversation that
31:51
we were having in in a storyline that we went through yeah and I remember Dana Goodman saying to me
31:58
yo baby that John is fresh you know what I'm saying and that's when I used you
32:03
used the voice you was like yo baby that fresh and that was the first time the word John had been placed on a record
32:09
ever yeah you know cuz people didn't know what is a John you know what I'm saying and a John is is that's a thing
32:15
that's a it that's a it's a noun you can use it to describe anything like your house could be your John like y did you
32:22
see that John it was you know like that so that's where John came from when I I was randomly listening to that record
32:28
and I heard it and I was like wait a minute I got to text her this I think this is the first time it's ever been
32:33
said yep Jo absolutely part of our regular dialect now in PH well I'm not
32:39
from Philly but a l Delaware oh Delware Delaware is the cousin the cousin right
32:44
there yeah definitely um what do you think about your legacy um as it pertains to the ladies in Hip Hop do you
32:52
do you mentioned your more kinship with the the men is that accurate what you
32:59
well you know um Roxy and Shante was surrounded by a all male crew so there was never I didn't really have any other
33:07
women around me when coming up in hip-hop okay I just didn't and then I
33:12
never wanted to battle them right because I always felt like they wouldn't
33:17
win and I didn't want to do that to them you mean K and G R like I I'm talking
33:24
like women Oh you mean Oh you mean women would I battle you when when I'm in the
33:30
car going with the great all day long and this is not going to be good for you and I remember them coming up with every
33:36
town that I went to they used to have their own rock sand so like if I'm going to Baltimore they'd be like yeah we got somebody to battle use Baltimore's Rock
33:43
sand and I'd be like man and yeah they used to have like everywhere I went Connecticut's Rock sand Baltimore's Rock
33:50
sand Chicago's rockand it's something everywhere I went and then you know I
33:55
would go there and literally they just weren't ready for me because some of them were like you know good girls and
34:01
didn't and I'm like right they they they don't even
34:06
like you if they put you up here right right right you know and so automatically that's the way it was for
34:13
me with female rappers for a very long time I always wanted to be sisters with them I wanted them to understand that
34:20
this is this is what we do for a living because it was always a job for me okay and I never looked I never got in the
34:27
industry because I want to be a star I I came in here because I need money to take care of these kids right I need money to be able to do these things and
34:34
this is easier money than doing other things you know and so that's what I was that's how I looked at it even when it
34:39
came to battles right it got to a point in New York City where they wouldn't let me enter any more battles and this was
34:47
before I made records they wouldn't even let me enter anymore they'd be like no listen if it's the little girl with the
34:52
braces then no she can't be in it no more because I would go with like my
34:58
family would literally find battles and be like now listen they having a battle here for 500 so I'm you gonna come over
35:04
here and we gonna go get this 500 right you know and and we go get that 500 and
35:10
and and then 1,500 and so that's what it was for me so for me it was always a job so when I would get a chance to see
35:16
other female rappers I'm looking at them like yay and they looking at me like they ready right you know and now I'm
35:22
just so happy that we've all grown up and everybody is in a in a great position so now I love the relationship that I have with my hip-hop sisters now
35:29
is it as o as it is it as often that we talk as I do my hip-hop Brothers it's just not because I was closer to them
35:36
growing up but you know my yo-yo my light my Queen Latifa like you know just
35:42
being able to have those moments where it's like hey how's everything doing how you going how's everything everybody's
35:47
good D I love that because at one time I never thought we would have that and I'm so glad that we do call me up like
35:53
listen do you want to do this show cuz I'm not going to do this show you want to take this yeah you want to do that Cong congratulations that like it's just
35:59
a beautiful thing now you know to be able to see that and to be able to feel that yeah I remember you were in a panel
36:07
discussion or something and you were on it and so was the real Rock sand it felt
36:13
very frosty like it felt I don't but if we if it did it wasn't for me okay you
36:19
know it wasn't for me you know one thing that my mom did tell me she said you know winners are never
36:26
upset you if you're if you're a winner you're just never going to be upset you know and you got to look at life that
36:32
way so only losers are angry and mad and and and go through all this stuff so you
36:40
know even if you're going through something like but are you a winner right and it's like yeah they're not right then yeah so for me you know I
36:47
guess my reaction to people has always been they always been like well she should be upset she should be mad and
36:52
I'm like I can't like I'm I'm a winner you are that's you I'm I'm a
36:58
winner Grammy a winner Grammy Award Grammy winner yeah absolutely you
37:03
inspired me I was like man I'm I got to get me a gram good G you see what I'm saying there you go because you know I've always been that if she can do it I
37:09
can do it person so if you see me do it then you could do it you know if I do it this keep be done yeah do you have any
37:18
regrets one what what would that be I do it's it's um I have one regret one one
37:26
personal regret I do and um I don't know like I've never
37:32
told the story I've never said why I you can tell us I look at you like you can tell us tell us we won't tell
37:39
nobody well I can just tell y'all a part of it okay you know like I I grew up in the streets and there was a lot going on
37:45
and everything else and they used to be these um they used to be these pimps they used to come around and try to get
37:52
young girls and stuff like that and I remember being in the back of a B this is with a friend so I wasn't one of
37:59
those I used to sell clothes let me clear that up uhhuh I sold clothes okay cuz I was a booster right so I dressed
38:05
everybody that used to be out the streets so that's why they really C it to me cuz that's what I did yeah you
38:10
know what I'm saying so you know I was on that side of the track okay not that side of the track got it got it but this
38:16
day everybody piled up in the van and everybody was trying to get away because
38:22
you know back then it was like this thing called like gorilla pimping or whatever and they were trying to get away G wait gorilla pimping though
38:29
what's that gorilla pimping was like hard pimping I guess okay it's yes just that's for a whole another show okay
38:35
okay so anyway one thing I regret was
38:40
um pushing some girls out the van
38:46
well to save yourself cuz I knew I was going to be somebody
38:52
yeah so they just just imagine the rest just just think of just think of a good good
38:59
episode of Law and Order okay okay okay
39:04
all right yeah okay okay um you have a foundation let's change let's shift the
39:13
gears let's beine over to something positive right
39:19
right yeah so how was church
39:24
Sunday stud day one day I'm going to have to tell
39:29
the whole story one day I'm going to have to tell the whole story but but here's the thing you see you asked me
39:37
right I love it you asked me listen is there anything that you regret right and I had to tell you cuz most people say
39:43
thisen I don't regret anything I don't regret any of those things you know like all the things that I did that was but
39:49
one personal moment I do remember that you know what I'm saying you know but
39:55
but when you when you feel in your heart like you know listen you know what I'm saying I was young I was like look I'm
40:00
going to beat somebody know about them right right right you know what I'm saying you know there's a different type
40:07
of sheep different type of wolf yeah I'm just a little wolf but I'm never a sheep
40:14
never you know what I mean so I may not be a big as a wolf as them they Wolves
40:20
yeah you know what I'm saying but I'm howling too right right right you know what I'm saying so I got caught up in a
40:25
in a little cheap herd right right right right and so I started doing little wolf
40:30
bites right you know what I'm saying to make the Sheep move right okay so now now now we now we can get to my
40:37
organization turn Bible [Music]
40:43
study it's all good crazy I've done things too listen
40:49
that's right open up open up open up open up and yeah open up and tell us tell us what you did without telling us
40:56
what you did sorry you you know what I'm saying this say he was he was mentally
41:02
challenged and I did not do right
41:09
oh he he's alive and everything but anyway we'll leave it at that I'mma
41:15
leave it open ended like you yeah there we go that's right one day one one day one day we will both one day we would
41:21
both go there we yeah yeah wow yeah yeah
41:27
she's looking at me like you next yeah like look you think you you think you just gonna leave us there I was in 11th
41:33
grade and I was very dumb I didn't study and the guy that was sitting next to me was very smart and he turned his head
41:40
and I switched our papers what and I passed and he failed what I felt bad about that oh my he changed his life
41:47
that's nasty work changed his life he just found that class that CL but you don't know what that did to him when he
41:53
got home I don't know what happened but yeah I did that his mama whooped him so bad what tore him up that's mad he never
42:00
be the you got somebody on his way to Harvard yeah you got somebody out there hating their mama now thanks to you hey
42:08
you said you wanted the truth right there it is there we go I regret I regret it it's a regret absolutely well
42:13
as you know I went through the foster care system so what I did was I became a casa both in New York uh I was a
42:19
registered Casa in New York and also in Essex County in New York New Jersey and aasta is a court appointed special
42:24
advocate for children who are in forced to care somebody to be that voice for them you know and I always wanted to be that voice for them and so my husband
42:31
and I started an organization called Mind Over Matter and literally it was just the fact of being able to put your
42:36
mind on and know that that's what matters so putting your mind over your matters knowing that this is where I may live this is what the circumstances are
42:43
but my mind can take me out of this also encouraging them to read books and make sure that they graduate high school but
42:49
what we do is we start off with them in the 9th grade which is that age the ninth grade is really that point in life
42:55
where a lot of young women tend to shift and they decide what is if it's going to be this way if it's going to be that way
43:00
some become mothers some become you know just a lot of things take place in the ninth grade you know from what I've known and from what I've experienced and
43:07
what we do is follow them through all the way to they graduate into high school with whatever it is that they may need you know and now being so busy and
43:15
being able to um now monetarily having more to be able to assist is a beautiful
43:21
thing but not having the time that I still want to have has been difficult for me so now it's like I want to take
43:27
some time off and I want to go back and I want to be able to start another group of girls and get and follow them all the
43:34
way through because it's a three-year process you know what I'm saying sometimes it's four depending on what they go through academically but it
43:40
really makes me feel good to know that when I see these young ladies as they're growing up now seeing some of them as
43:45
adults and you know seeing them say like listen I don't have no babies I'm working I'm doing this you know I'm I'm
43:51
work at the airport I do this I do that you know it puts a smile on my face because I think everybody needed a
43:57
Shante in their life and so I like to be that Miss Shante so when they see me they like Miss Shante I saw your movie
44:03
Miss Shante congratulations you know so I enjoy being M Shante yeah that's dope
44:08
that's dope giving back giving back got to give back um I want to ask you just a basic
44:15
question but I do want to get your your thoughts on the state of hip hop right
44:21
now how do you feel like well yeah let me ask you how you feel and I'll leave it there okay so how do I feel about hip
44:30
hop today I'm truly proud I know that it has
44:35
been through a lot there's been and and life has been through a lot for everyone you know we as black people we as the
44:42
culture have been through a lot and to see hip hop still be able to survive and come out on top not being the most
44:49
supported genre of music not being the most respected genre of music not being the the oldest genre of music you know
44:56
one of those things is it's really good to see where we have come and also understanding now I think technology has
45:02
done wonderful things for hipop because it allows people no there's no excuse for not knowing see we didn't know
45:09
lawyers and Publishing and writers and everything else but now all of those things are at your finger tips so to see an artist say I'm going to stay
45:15
independent because I'm want to own my own publishing is is just incredible for me where I remember artists only wanting
45:22
to get on Big record labels only so that these big record labels could just steal more because they gave you one big check
45:29
you know and being an artist who's never received royalties you know what I'm saying uh I
45:34
understand what could that can do for your life how that can change everything where something as simple as your
45:40
publishing and your writers and how important that is to have so when I sit back I am not disappointed in Hip Hop at
45:46
all when I look at female rappers like Doshi and and all you know like I I love it I
45:52
love the the ability to be able to create just what they want to create how they want to create it I love to see the
45:58
women have the strength that they have now having lawyers having attorneys being able to go through their contracts making their own decisions you know
46:05
these things are wonderful for me because I remember when it was always a sit down and shut up type circumstance
46:10
you know what I'm saying or just get the money from the show you know just be happy that you're getting the money from the shows you know I I think it's
46:16
wonderful now to see them be promoters and everything else so when it comes to rocking and Shante and what I feel like
46:22
I've sacrificed and contributed to this great thing called hip hop I sit back and say you know what I'm honored to see
46:28
where it has went and and where it's going to keep going you know and and I love it yeah you and I'm not angry yeah
46:35
you no you got winner job she's a winner she's a winner thank you thank you thank you thank you for having us abely for
46:42
coming here look look look you said Thank you for having us like I like I I feel like you're having us
46:49
you bless real blessing us with your presence man and I'm I'm like proud to
46:54
see you you know so many people get grump being angry and all this sucks that sucks be mad about she just want to
47:01
grab me absolutely no you can't be you know what because being that way only chases
47:07
the good people away oo it does that's a bar you know what I'm saying and I haven't been around the bad people long
47:12
enough so just open up for the good people yeah open up for the good people there it is thank you thank you
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