Roxanne Shante with BBP eco bag..(Photo by Peter Beste)

UPDATE: Roxanne Shante’s claims have been proven false by slate.com

New York Daily News recently featured an article on how Queensbridge rapper Roxanne Shante became Roxanne Shante Ph.D. At the age of 14 the rap icon was on top of the world with “Roxanne’s Revenge,” a response record to UTFO’s hit “Roxanne, Roxanne.” By her second album the pioneer learned industry rule #4080 firsthand when her record company ripped her off.

At 19 she was a teen mother still living in Queensbridge Houses when she decided to pursue a clause in her recording contract. That clause stated Warner Music would fund her education for life.

I like Roxanne Shante’s attitude toward education and her each one teach one type posture. Mental health is an issue in the Black community as it is in any community though I think we are reluctant to address it as though seeking mental health is a luxury we can’t afford. I appreciate that she takes the time to counsel young women in the industry.

According to nydailynews.com: “She eventually cashed in, earning a Ph.D. in psychology from Cornell to the tune of $217,000 – all covered by the label.” Surely Warner Music has gotten rid of that clause in their current and future deals.

Shante thinks “Warner considered the clause a throwaway, never believing a teen mom in public housing would attend college.”

Since earning her doctorate in 2001 Roxanne Shante Ph.D has “launched an unconventional therapy practice focusing on urban African-Americans – a group traditionally reluctant to seek mental health help”. She also advise young women in the music biz through her myspace page. On top of all that the 38 year old “offers $5,000 college scholarships each semester to female rappers through the nonprofit Hip Hop Association.”

So it is possible to retire from and have a life after rap. Well done.

QUOTE: “People put such a taboo on therapy, they feel it means they’re going crazy…No, it doesn’t. It just means you need someone else to talk to.” ~Roxanne Shante Ph.D., nydailynews.com

Read more: Rapper behind ‘Roxanne’s Revenge’ gets Warner Music to pay for Ph.D

Roxanne Shante’s official myspace

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