The Real Roxanne (album)

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The Real Roxanne
Studio album by
the Real Roxanne
Released1988
Genre Rap
Label Select
Producer Full Force, Jam Master Jay, L.A. Posse, Andy Panda, Howie Tee
The Real Roxanne chronology
The Real Roxanne
(1988)		Go Down (But Don't Bite It)
(1992)

The Real Roxanne is the debut album by the American musician the Real Roxanne, released in 1988. [1] [2] It peaked at No. 30 on Billboard's Top Black Albums chart. [3] "Respect", which peaked at No. 55 on Billboard's Hot Black Singles chart, was released as the first single. [4] [5] Roxanne supported the album by opening for DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Boogie Down Productions, and Public Enemy on separate live dates. [6] [7] [4]

Contents

Production

Roxanne wrote or cowrote all of the songs on The Real Roxanne. [8] It was produced by Howie Tee, Jam Master Jay, L.A. Posse, Andy Panda, and Full Force. [9] [10] [8] [11] The recording sessions were delayed due to Roxanne's separation from Full Force. [12] By the time of its release, there were more female rappers with recording contracts, leading Roxanne to view her album as a springboard to other business endeavors. [12] "Early Early" is about how rapping is just another career choice. [13] "Roxanne's on a Roll" samples the Lyn Collins song "Think (About It)". [14] "Don't Even Feel It" samples the "Theme from Shaft"; it was cowritten by Special Ed and was his first credit. [10] [8] The sound of "Bang Zoom (Let's Go-Go)" was influenced by go-go music; it was also the first major rap song to adopt William DeVaughn's "gangasta lean" phrase. [15] [16] The song samples the Isley Brothers and Warner Bros. Cartoons characters. [8] "Respect" features a guest appearance from Rodney Dangerfield. [5] [17] Roxanne was inspired to write it due to her conflicted feelings about diss tracks directed toward female rappers and her desire to be a role model to her daughter. [17]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All Music Guide to Hip-Hop Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [18]
Robert Christgau A− [19]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]

The Potters Bar Times admired "Roxanne's on a Roll" but opined that the album "gives way to monotony, as the rhythm becomes ... predictable". [20] Of "Roxanne's on a Roll", the Manchester Evening News praised the "stuttering samplers" and lyrics that "slag off everyone in the same line of work." [21] Robert Christgau, alluding to the Roxanne Wars, wrote, "Roxanne Shanté's the real Roxanne. This one's the real Lisa Lisa—smart, fast-talking, Puerto Rican and proud, up on the get down." [19]

Spin opined that Roxanne "may be hip hop's Blondie—creating completely compelling, completely contrived produit ... while possessing a refined yet lust-inducing glamour". [22] Simon Frith, in The Observer , said that Roxanne is "exhilarating in the confidence with which she out-talks anything the backing tracks throw up, seeing off the hardest beats, choosing her own moments of sweetness." [23] The Daily Telegraph dismissed Roxanne's "murky beats and relentlessly self-praising raps." [24]

The Trouser Press Record Guide stated that, "with fine, sample-heavy old-school production by the likes of Jam Master Jay and Howie Tee, The Real Roxanne is irascible nasty-girl fun, a salty set of boasts, putdowns and don't-mess-wid-the-Ro' antagonism." [25] The All Music Guide to Hip-Hop called the album "a stunning debut". [18]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Roxanne's on a Roll" 
2."Look but Don't Touch" 
3."Early Early" 
4."Infatuated" 
5."Luv Scandal" 
6."Bang Zoom (Let's Go-Go)" 
7."Don't Even Feel It" 
8."Her Bad Self" 
9."Get Up on the Get Down" 
10."Oh Darlin' (Like We Used To)" 
11."Respect" 
12."Howie's Teed Off" 
13."Rap to Me" 

References

  1. ↑ Hoffman, Frank W. (2006). Rhythm and Blues, Rap, and Hip-Hop. Facts on File. p. 219.
  2. ↑ Perry, Imani (2004). Prophets of the Hood: Politics and Poetics in Hip Hop. Duke University Press. p. 84.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Joel Whitburn's Top R&B Albums, 1965–1998. Record Research. p. 168.
  4. 1 2 Huffman, Eddie (December 29, 1988). "A Good Mix of Rap Groups". Durham Morning Herald. p. B1.
  5. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2000). Joel Whitburn Presents Top R&B Singles, 1942–1999. Record Research. p. 367.
  6. ↑ "Concerts". The Morning Call. November 4, 1988. p. D7.
  7. ↑ "Pop Music Notes". The Buffalo News. December 19, 1988. p. B4.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Nelson, Havelock; Gonzales, Michael A. (1991). Bring the Noise: A Guide to Rap Music and Hip-Hop Culture. Harmony Books. pp. 190–191.
  9. ↑ Keyes, Cheryl Lynette (2004). Rap Music and Street Consciousness. University of Illinois Press. p. 117.
  10. 1 2 "New Releases". Vapors. No. 4. February 1989. p. 9.
  11. 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 800.
  12. 1 2 Browne, David (October 23, 1988). "Queens of the Hip-Hop". City Lights. Daily News. New York. p. 13.
  13. ↑ Eddy, Chuck (1997). The Accidental Evolution of Rock 'n' Roll: A Misguided Tour Through Popular Music. Da Capo Press. p. 25.
  14. ↑ Thompson, Dave (2001). Funk. Backbeat Books. p. 110.
  15. ↑ Bynoe, Yvonne (2006). Encyclopedia of Rap and Hip Hop Culture. Greenwood Press. p. 154.
  16. ↑ Green, Jonathon (2010). Green's Dictionary of Slang. Chambers. p. 340.
  17. 1 2 Brackett, David (2009). The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader: Histories and Debates. Oxford University Press. p. 464.
  18. 1 2 All Music Guide to Hip-Hop. Backbeat Books. 2003. p. 408.
  19. 1 2 "The Real Roxanne". Robert Christgau. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  20. ↑ Keeley, Graham (August 10, 1989). "Between the Grooves". Potters Bar Times. p. 24.
  21. ↑ Taylor, Paul (June 20, 1989). "Listen Here". Manchester Evening News. p. 35.
  22. ↑ Howland, Don (March 1989). "Spins". Spin. Vol. 4, no. 12. p. 74.
  23. ↑ Frith, Simon (July 9, 1989). "Releases". The Observer. p. 45.
  24. ↑ Rostron, Tim (July 15, 1989). "Magic Mix". The Daily Telegraph. p. XVII.
  25. ↑ Robbins, Ira (1991). The Trouser Press Record Guide (4th ed.). Collier Books. p. 537.
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