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.”

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For Every Jay-Z, NaS, & Diddy in this game there’s a thousand rappers who have been trying to get on and never made it. Then there are rappers who’ve had a few hits and faded into oblivion.  Thus to see an artist from the 80s who hasn’t remained relevant for into the 90s defeat the game and create a successful life after rap music is inspiring.

Roxanne Shante-Roxanne’s Revenge

Spotted in The New York Daily News