Roxanne Roxanne on Netflix: Review

During the rise of this rap and hip-hop phenomenon were a select few of female Emcees whose name will always hold weight, when comparing the great female rappers. Of course, you have Queen Latifah, MissyElliot, MC Lyte, and even the modern Queen of rap Nicki Minaj, but like the men of hip hop, it took a few untold stories to evolve these respected acts of today. In the beginning rappers couldn’t make enough income to support themselves, because hip hop and rap was yet to be considered a music genre. So, throughout the Burroughs of New York, Emcees used battle rap as a positive outlet to express themselves, while creating a form of revenue. However, as the music evolved, so did the talent, inspiring more and more people which eventually led to 2018, where hip hop is the number 1 recording genre in the world.

The rise of female Emcees

As a hip-hop connoisseur, the moment I heard rumors of the legendary Roxanne Shanté biopic, I was instantly thrilled. Being a 90s baby, you hear and educate yourself on all these great rappers, but also question their downfall. During my hip hop research stage, I reviewed acts like, Yo-Yo, Mc Lyte, and Roxanne Shante, a female rapper who was said to have inspired many successful East coast rappers and was one of the most respected female rappers in Hip Hop history. Her song was an instant success, that created a catch phrase that is still widely used “Roxanne Roxanne, I wanna be yo man” in black culture. From the naked eye you would label her as just another one hit wonder, but what placed Roxanne Shanté on higher pedestal was that many of the “greats” continued to acknowledge her work. Raising questions about her sudden disappearance to hip hop students like myself. It’s written as if she made a triumphant impact on the top Emcees, and just sporadically dropped from existence. There isn’t one hip hop documentary that doesn’t include the name Roxanne Shanté.

Roxanne Roxanne: The Movie

The untold story of Lolita Roxanne aka Roxanne Shanté was first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017. Roxanne Roxanne was co-produced by Academy Award winning actor Forest Whitaker and Music legend Pharrell Williams. The star-studded cast included Nia Long and Academy Award winning actor Mahershala Ali, but Chante Adams breakout performance as Roxanne Shanté received positive reviews from critics, which ultimately landed the Netflix deal. Released on Netflix on March 23, the film has once again an overwhelming success and positive response from their audience. Roxanne Shante now have of fans. Adams is the perfect Roxanne, from looks to music delivery, she captured the voice of Roxanne. Almost as if she were an actual female rapper who’s studied Roxanne Shanté also. Honestly all the actors surpassed the expectations in their delivery. Nia Long who portrayed this oppressed scorn mother who couldn’t express love, because she’d never been given it, was dead on character. When Ms. Peggy looked at Cross, played by Mahershala Ali, you felt the hate that she had toward him and other men like him in your soul. Everything is unveiled in this dramatic depiction of a woman who overcame poverty and hardship, but in return sacrificed her creative talent.