Sick of that "Monie in the Middle" Shit?: Best Roxanne Shanté Single!!!

Clearly, the answer here is "Big Mama" from the second greatest album of the 1990s after my boy Shadow.

If you're voting for "Round 1," then you KNOW that Shanté won that round if only for "A penny? A nickel? Heard you fucked yourself with a motherfucking pickle!"

Unfamiliar with "What's Going On?"? It goes:

M-E-K-O-N
M-E-K-O-N
M-E-K-O-N
M-E-K-O-N
M-E-K-O-N
M-E-K-O-N
M-E-K-O-N
M-E-K-O-N
(repeat)

What's going on, Mekon?
You told me put you on so baby you're on
And in a little while baby I'll be gone
So you better bring it on
Mekon bring it on
(repeat)

It's been a long time since you've heard the voice
Of the number one America and UK choice
Mekon took a trip across the sea,
To find me, Shanté, the queen of emcees
Now that you know exactly who I be
The R-O-X-A-N-N-E
Last part Shanté and I don't play
I hold it down overseas, all around the way
Whether I speak English, parlez-vous français
People just can't help but love Shanté.
And what's going on, Mekon?
You told me put you on so baby you're on

I can listen to this woman order pizza. She transforms "It's been a long time since you've heard the voice
Of the number one America and UK choice" into "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" or "Rosebud."

"Why'd you have to make a record 'bout me/The R-O-X-A-N-N-E?" is a talisman. It can open up rooms in Eqyptian pyramids.

Re: "Big Mama." She told me about a Latifah couplet so nasty they dared not record it. Email me and I'll tell you what it was.

P.S. Best interview I've ever conducted.

And this is forgetting "Queen Pin" and "Thin Line" from the Girls Town soundtrack with its really fucking disturbing image of "peeling off pink and white."

Oh yeah and I suppose I should've put Basement Jaxx's "Make Me Sweat" up there too.

Tough, tough call. I'll go with "Have a Nice Day" as it was the one I played out the most, ergo happy memories etc. "Queen of Rox (Shanté Rox On)" and "Bite This" come very, very close. ("Sharp As A Knife" was pretty awful, though.)

On the heels of announcing that Keke Palmer has been cast as rapper Roxanne Shante in the upcoming film on the Juice Crew called 'The Vapors', blackfilm.com is reporting that the following have also been cast for various roles. Cuba Gooding Jr. will be playing Marley Marl, rapper-actor David Banner will play the part of Biz Markie, Evan Ross will play MC Shan, Jackie Long as Big Daddy Kane, and Idris Elba as Tyrone Williams aka Fly Ty.

Clifton Powell was previous announced as playing the part of hip hop DJ and radio host Mr. Magic.

She earned a PhD in psychology from Cornell University—paid for by her record label via an unusual contract clause—and has a practice in Queens. She is a vegan and owns Hip-Hop Ices ice cream parlor in Queens.

best retirement ever!!

"Sharp As A Knife" was pretty awful, though.

OK nothing Shanté did was awful. I love how her rap builds in rage throughout "Sharp As A Knife. But the lyrics aren't angry which makes for an odd pop-like abrasion. "Why is she yelling at me to have lots of fun and stay out until after 1am?"

But "Have A Nice Day" is indeed her 1980s pinnacle. Hear how she climbs up from "Because yo you know you can't deal with this/I'm Shanté the microhpone grand mistress" to "A pioneer like Lola Falana" with "pi" as the peak.

Don't forget this eternal dis: "Now KRS-One you should go on vacation/With a name sounding like a wack radio station."

And "I gave birth to most of these MCs" gave birth to the world historic "Big Mama."

On the heels of announcing that Keke Palmer has been cast as rapper Roxanne Shante

I heard that! Cannot wait! But I pray for Palmer that she lip syncs cuz...well, ya know.

She earned a PhD in psychology from Cornell University—paid for by her record label via an unusual contract clause

You can hear that story here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE1cpbaR-tM

She is a vegan and owns Hip-Hop Ices ice cream parlor in Queens.

Didn't know that!

best retirement ever!!

Hells yes! I'm voting for her in 2008!

vegan and a ice cream baron though, i dunno. is soya ice cream really that good?

Check out this jaw-dropping performance of "Big Mama." Rawer, more phelgmy. Sounds like she's really had a cold whereas it always sounded as if she had a cold:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkMB7kMxBq0

These are the ones I own 12-inch singles of:

"Roxanne’s Revenge" (1984)
"Bite This" (1985)
"I'm Fly Shanté" (featuring Steady B) (1986)

I'm voting for "Roxanne's Revenge," of course, given that it's one of the greatest records ever made.

Wish I still owned her album; guess I must have gotten rid of it because the (non-real) Real Roxanne's album was better, which was true, but that still must rank as one of the stupidest reasons I've ever gotten rid of an album in my lifetime. (I'm talking about the Bad Sister LP, of course. There were others, right? I swear I saw an early one in a store once featuring Shante and some other girl rapper -- maybe Sparky Dee or Steady B, whoever they were? -- but AMG is listing only one proper album*, and I'm fiding no trace of it via googling either. AMG does list singles called "Def Mix #1" and "Def Fresh Crew," however, the latter w/ Biz Markie.)

* -- Actually, that's wrong. They are also listing a 1988 Columbia album called Roxanne, but there's no picture of it nor information; that's just a mistake, right? Also two later best-of CDs.

"Have A Nice Day" over "Roxanne's Revenge" by just a little.

And that's just because of the beat, because Shante brings it in "RR"

I'm talking about the Bad Sister LP, of course. There were others, right?

Yes. The Bitch is Back (Livin' Large 1992) which is the second greatest album of the 1990s after Endtroducing.... She was just Shanté on that one and thus AMG unhelpfully have her listed as a different artist here.

I swear I saw an early one in a store once featuring Shante and some other girl rapper -- maybe Sparky Dee or Steady B, whoever they were?

You're probably thinking of Roxanne Shanté vs. Sparky Dee: "Round 1" (Spin 1985) available above for voting.

They are also listing a 1988 Columbia album called Roxanne, but there's no picture of it nor information; that's just a mistake, right?

Yeah, it's gotta be.

Listening to Mr. Magic's radio show when I was sick of studying. Good times.

"Have A Nice Day" over "Roxanne's Revenge" by just a little.

I'll second that.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

You're probably thinking of Roxanne Shanté vs. Sparky Dee: "Round 1" (Spin 1985)

Yeah, this is it! So I guess it's an EP?

http://www.discogs.com/release/179466

Did Bimble hack KJB's account?

This thread is seriously awesome

Ah, if only "Bad Sister" had been a single!

"Early one mornin' I was layin' in my heart-shaped bed
Red silk sheets over my head
My servant came runnin' in: 'Shanté, rise!'
'Yes, what is it?' I said, rubbing my eyes
'Listen up: there's a gang coming to town
They want your crown
And they don't want you around
They hail from the west, these three unruly chicks
Look at the time! They'll be here by six!'
I stretched and I yawned, then it dawned on me
I was hungry. Hmm, let's see--
I'll have a hard-boiled egg. No, make it two
And a tall glass of juice, 'cause that's my crew"...

FUCKING BRILLIANT.

Always kinda regretted that the album version of "Have a Nice Day" omits the BDP dis. I guess it was in memory of Scott La Rock, but still.

OMG just remembered you forgot what may well be my favorite Shanté single-qua-single: "Brothers Ain't Shit." (Always wondered if Ice Cube inspired its short line/long line rhymes...) Among its highlights:

"Some brothers approach you while you're shoppin'
Their girl ain't around, so they're going ho-hoppin'"

"They get mad, 'cause I always look serious
So they say I'm on my motherfuckin' period"

"Matter of fact, I'm tooken
So you brothers in the jeep can keep lookin', but I ain't hookin'"

"That's what she gets for wilin'
Cold left the dumb bitch somewhere out in Long Island
Next time she'll act decent
And her moms won't have to come and get her ass from a precinct"

"That's the dog in him, woof woof,
That makes him get up in the middle of the night and go poof!"

Oh shit you're right! Well, anyone who wants to vote for that brilliant single, just holler.

I always thought it was an answer to Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit."

Also, "Dance To This" was a single too. I own the thing! Grrrr!

You're probably thinking of Roxanne Shanté vs. Sparky Dee: "Round 1" (Spin 1985)

Yeah, this is it! So I guess it's an EP?

Yes. But "Round 1 (Uncensored)" is the keeper. The EP builds up to it after two turns for each rapper (and one of those just "Roxanne's Revenge") and a censored (and slightly different) version.

"Bad Sister" is indeed godhead. I always quote:

'Listen up: there's a gang coming to town
They want your crown
And they don't want you around
They hail from the west, these three unruly chicks
Look at the time! They'll be here by six!'

and try to make it sound as if I'm not quoting a song, like three unruly chicks are really coming for you!

More greatness:
"So if you want to know how much the girl is movin
I do a show in the park and get the squirrels groovin
Or do a show in the zoo and make a monkey rage
You oughta know - you was there in your funky cage
With a smell stronger than a witch spell.."

Oh shit "Wack Itt" was a single too. Ugh.

Other obscure gems from Bad Sister:

"My Groove Gets Better":

"I go off, get loose like a master
Deal with Shanté? Hmmm. Gimme a glass of milk."

The milk comment makes sense. But I always stop quoting it there to heighten the stoopidty quotient. Besdies, it's actually difficult to quote Shanté since a mere couplet clasps onto another in such a way that the entire rap becomes one extended outburst.

"Let's Rock Y'all" - The imagery here is so vivid that it feels like a classical Hollywood musical, one that features a North Beach leather dress and a gay guy getting fresh.

"Skeezer" -

"Tis the season to be skeezin'
Hmmm. I wonder what type of mood she's in."

Clearly, the answer here is "Big Mama" from the second greatest album of the 1990s after my boy Shadow.
Clearly, the answer here is "Big Mama" from the second greatest album of the 1990s after my boy Shadow.
Clearly, the answer here is "Big Mama" from the second greatest album of the 1990s after my boy Shadow.
Clearly, the answer here is "Big Mama" from the second greatest album of the 1990s after my boy Shadow.
Clearly, the answer here is "Big Mama" from the second greatest album of the 1990s after my boy Shadow.

Seung-Hui Cho

Glad you agree, Hoos. And Rev, come on - it's a new year. Either try to be nice or take that break you threatened a month or so ago.

Haha.

Should I start the following poll, y/n?

- Roxanne Shante
- Rakim
- Chuck D
- Dr. Dre
- Rass Kass
- Kool Keith
- Madvillain
- Jean Grae
- Lil Wayne
- T-Pain.

What's the point of contemplating a break if you're never going to take one? Now's the time. We'll all still be here.

Nah, I'm good.

Hip-Hop nerd says "Go On Girl was re-released in '88. It's originally from '87."

Ah right - thanx for that!

Email has failed. I must know what the Latifah couplet was.

DBC Douglas? If so, I'll email ya.

The same. Please do. Webmail should work too.

Lolita Shanté Gooden is the greatest rapper of all-time. There is none higher

OTM. Or, if not the greatest, still my alltime favourite, and I've said so several times here. What sass! Loved her voice - the way you could hear her audibly grinning after a particularly devastating rhyme, the sarcasm that turned "...and have a nice day!" into a priceless punchline. That's the one that gets my vote. although I wish she'd retained that absent final verse on the LP version - which otherwise improved on the single, musically ("Funky Drummer" beats.)

Agreed. The LP version is much brighter. Although I think the echoed-to-fuck LP version of "Go On Girl" obscures her voice too much although it is a perverse artifact in its own right.

The same. Please do. Webmail should work too.

-- Douglas

Done.

I'd like to know what you guys think of 'Cold Act Ill' by Classixx (née Young Americans). It's a cut-up of the Roxanne Shanté song "Def Fresh Crew", which I've not yet heard. One of the best tracks I've heard all year, perfect for the dancefloor.

http://www.ohhcrapp.net/2007/12/classixx-l.html

"Go on Girl" for the original single version--best flip of the "Think" break ever. (The album version isn't nearly as good, sadly.) And yeah, one of my absolute favorite rhymers ever.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

This is the perfect time to pose the question and hope for an answer: Anybody know the origin of that repeated "You've got the time/I've got the time" chant in "Bad Sister"? Was that a sample or an homage or something totally original? It sounded naggingly familiar right from the first time I heard it 15+ years ago, but I've never encountered the original source, if there is one.

Anyone?

It's Kid Dynamite's "Uphill Peace of Mind."

The break in Kid Dynamite's "Uphill Peace of Mind" to be precise.

Excellent! Thanks, Kevin - dunno if I've ever even heard of them. (Him?)

oh well. blueski to thread, if anyone'll get it, *you*'ll get it

Huh?

Anyhoo, MVB, I found this:

Kid Dynamite is another one of those ultra mysterious bands whose story is murky at best. It is known that the band emerged in 1975 when two former members (bassist Dicky Thompson and drumer John King) of the Steve Miller Band decided it was time to strike out on their own. Vocalist Val Garcia and guitarist Michael Mallen were later added and Kid Dynamite was born. Opting for a label who would allow the band total control over their direction, the band signed with Alvin Bennett's Cream Records in late 1975 and began working on their self-titled debut with producer Hal Winn at the helm. "Kid Dynamite" was released in January of 1976, but flagging sales and little label support abruptly killed the band at the conclusion of the year. Very little is known about the members post-split activities, though Michael Mallen is rumoured to be teaching guitar in California.

This elusive gem is one that is often discussed in collector circles, but rarely ever recognized as a musically viable effort. I beg to differ. "Kid Dynamite" is a dynamic exercise in genre splicing which works effectively from start to finish. Blending blues, hard rock, soul and funk, the band shows off their musical chops throughout, with a notably scorching effort from Dicky Thompson in particular. Sounding quite similar to Joey Newman's hard soul act, Bandit, the band merges the groove and conviction of classic funk with the forcefulness of 70's hard rock. The outcome is pretty spectacular and it's a real travesty that Kid Dynamite were merely a blip on the radar. Though this band is undoubtedly anonymous in all respects, some listeners may recognize the track "Uphill Peace of Mind", which was sampled and used by Dr. Dre (Nuttin But a G Thang) and Ultramagnetic MC's (Feelin' It) almost twenty years ago.

And Roxanne Shanté's "Bad Sister!"

I got this from http://robotsforronnie.blogspot.com/ where you can d/l the album. It's pretty bad.

I always thought it was an answer to Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit."

came out a few years before

Oh holy shit! You're right!

http://www.discogs.com/release/801871

And now that you say that, I seem to recall a review in Spin around that time about a compilation that featured the song. IIRC, the review was tag-team written by Bob Guccione Jr. and some censorship nut. Also, IIRC, the censorship nut dug "Brothers Ain't Shit."

the worst thing I can think of of hers is Wack It (cuz it makes no sense) but even that is kinda loveable

Hey Kevin, have you got any of these singles (or the Bad Sister album) handy? Wanna make a trade?

You mean as MP3s?

If so, yes.

Yup.

Ok email me at LiLiPUT(the number one) at AOL. My computer is spitting out discs right now so I'm taking it in to get in fixed (in ten minutes, actually). So it may take a few days to get something to you.

Cool.

Just posted this on the I'd-buy-that-for-a-dollar thread, but I'm really curious what the answer is. (The new copy is one I'd picked up, for basically $1, on the street in Manhattan last month.)

Roxanne Shante "Roxanne's Revenge" (Pop Art 12-inch, 1984) -- already had a copy of this, but didn't want to pass up a chance to own a second copy for so cheap

Okay, this is weird. I just looked at both of my copies, and they're actually different. The one I just bought includes a 4:53 "vocal" version and a 5:01 "instrumental" that aren't on the one I've had for years, and both tracks from that first one ("street version" and "instrumental," the latter now called "inst. street version") are on the same side of the new one. Both on Pop Art, both catalog # PA-1406. Is one worth more than the other one?

yes.

http://www.discogs.com/release/834986

Check this for info.

So, it looks like both are valuable, but your first one, assuming it's genuine, is one of only 100.

Well, judging from this, I have the first version (which I have to assume is genuine -- I've had it since the '80s, I think) and either the second or third (!) versions. (Mine doesn't say "bedroom" version anywhere, though maybe it's not supposed to? weird.) Neither of my labels is "coloured." (Why are the "coloured" ones "infamous," though?):

This record was replaced upon the 2nd pressing with the "bedroom" street mix on the B-side, Then on the 3rd pressing came 4 "clean" studio mixes leaving the terribaly recorded live "bedroom aka street version" redundant. A 4th pressing followed with the infamous coloured pop art label

It's not supposed to say "bedroom", that's just where it was made. ~check the label (enlargeable on discogs site)

also:
on offer for £175 there.

Well, my first copy looks exactly like this (though somebody -- a DJ, maybe -- has prominently written "4:20" in black magic marker on one side of the label, and "4:31" on the other side. How much does that reduce the resale value, I wonder?):

http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?what=R&obid=834986

My second one, which seems to be in fairly mint condition to my unschooled eyes, looks like this, though I still have no idea how I'm supposed to tell whether it's the version that the discogs Pop Art page says is a "promo". (It definitely doesn't say "promo" anywhere on it, if that matters.)

http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?what=R&obid=55854

Though at least the spindle hole of my copy of the first one doesn't look like a bullet went through it, like the one at that link does.

Btw, here's why the coloured one (as in light maroon-ish -- I've got at least one later Shante 12-inch in that "colour") is infamous, according to discogs:

The original issue of the 'Street Version' was a tape of Roxanne Shanté rhyming over U.T.F.O.'s "Roxanne Roxanne" instrumental. Select Records didn't take to it kindly and it was rereleased here without the taped version but still bearing the mix name 'Street Version'.

http://www.discogs.com/release/1094972

The "vocal" (and, up until now, I've always assumed) original version can be heard on the Cold Chillin' greatest hits from 1995. That's the version I have on 12" although I can't recall which exact pressing I have. I won't be able to get to my 12"s until later today to find out.

You can hear the "street version" on Fat Beats & Bra Straps: Battle Rhymes & Posse Cuts (Rhino). It begins with a sample of UTFO saying "Roxanne feel it!" and has a slightly different (and dirtier) rap than the "vocal" version which is extremely minimal. Of course Rhino could have mislabeled it.

xhuxk, can you spin your first 12" and tell us which version it is?

I wouldn't have thought yr markings would affect the value that much, being as how rare it is. I'd expect it to hang on the condition of the record (i.e. the playing of it), really.

I guess the 'promo' is because it hasn't got the 'coloured' label.

So that "infamous" colored one has the same version on both sides even though they're marked differently as "vocal" and "street?" But the colored label shows two different times...

Yes, to my own question as that is the version I have on 12".

Wait, who could be sick of "Monie in the Middle"? Also why no Monie Love thread?