Here’s an amazing story of perseverance: back in 1984, then 14-year old Roxanne Shante had a hit song, “Roxanne’s Revenge.” Her single sold over a quarter million copies in New York City alone. Though she got a record contract with Warner Music and put out two albums, she was screwed over by the music industry. It was the typical stories you hear: lying, bullsh*t, stealing material, etc. Roxanne ended up a teenage mother living in the projects in Queens. About to be homeless, she remembered a clause in her record contract that promised to pay for all her schooling – for life. And that’s exactly what Roxanne had Warner do – getting her PhD in psychology from Cornell.

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.
… 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.”

[From the Daily News]

Dr. Shante got her PhD in 2001 and has a therapy practice specializing in urban African-Americans, a group she says traditionally don’t seek out counseling. She even uses hip-hop music as part of her therapy, giving clients another outlet to express themselves and “let loose and enjoy life,” as she puts it.

What an absolutely amazing story. This woman simply did not take no for an answer and kept pushing and pushing until she got what she knew was hers. She got a college to let her attend classes for free, along with a powerful advocate. She has a little well-deserved bitterness towards the music industry, but there’s clearly still a love there since she incorporates it into her counseling. I imagine she’s done a lot of good work in the past eight years, and will change many lives beyond her own.

Update – story fabricated: Slate conducted an extensive investigation that revealed that not only is Roxanne Shante not a PhD holder, she doesn’t even have a bachelor’s degree and dropped out of college after four months. She also wasn’t with Warner Brother records toward the end of her rap career. This story is apparently a fabrication by Shante.

Images thanks to Dr. Roxanne Shanté’s MySpace page.