Roxanne Roxanne

So I have to admit I was more into Headbangers Ball and Hair Metal then I ever was rap or hip hop. Some songs were an exception if they caught my attention. So while I knew who Shante was in mention I didn't ever know or experience HER.

However, when I was on youtube looking over new movie trailers trying to make a list of what I want to watch this one had enough drama to catch my eye. Which is great in itself because even there I am more of Horror/Action/Fantasy ind of girl. So this movie was so not me on all points and corners yet I settled down and started watching it and when I did it kept me watching from start to finish. I became so enthralled with the story of this lady's life that not only did I watch the movie and finish it I went to Wikipedia and several fan sites to read more. I then listened to the original song and then her response song in full followed by some of her other work. The movie touched me that much.

So yes I still love metal over rap lol. But this movie has inspired a new moderate fan.

As a hip hop head this truly disappointed me. Of course I am aware of the history Roxanne Shante has played. For those who did not know now know, but I felt the story was very weak. The dialogue doesn't grab you by the balls. There is a huge lack of, something. It doesn't feel raw. It doesn't take you back to the 80s, more like a low budget movie. The same feeling I got from The Get Down, although they had a 30 million dollar budget. I also feel that her story alone is not enough to represent Hip Hop alone. There were many other female MCs at that time who started way before Shante who never received the same credit they deserve. If this story is about abuse, a young girl going up in the projects and by ''accident'' becoming a full-time rapper, then overall it could have been told better.

After watching this movie i cant say that I was left speechless but have to admit that there was definitely some decent acting and a familiar story told from a fresh and unique perspective. Nia Long who was playing the mother of Chante nailed her roll, her acting was really spot on. One could easily see how Mahershala Ali managed to score himself a golden statue. His character was the complete opposite of the one he played in Moonlight where he was the criminal with a golden heart. Here we had a troubled drug dealer who couldn't rise above his dark environment, his huge gangster ego and his selfish needs. And finally Chante gave us a really honest and fresh performance that kept me and my girlfriend watching until the end of the movie. I rate it 7 out of 10 only because i felt that the movie lacked a bit of depth.

All in all i would recommend this movie if you are into biopics.

Whether it was the acting or direction needing vast improvement, the portrayal by Chante Adams of Roxanne Shante was average at best, and sometimes cringe enducing. And although the factual story was interesting to absorb, as a fan of Roxanne Shante's music, I would have liked to have seen it stretch into the Go on Girl and Live On Stage era.

Additionally, the rap wars with BDP and the coming together of the Juice Crew would have bolstered the story with factual content important and interesting to Hip Hop fans across the world, especially relative to Roxanne Shante. I understand the focus here was on the mistreatment and early life, but the film lost an opportunity to be much bigger by leaving out these explorations.

I remember when my boy D came home from Detroit with a Roxanne tape. It was all we played for weeks. This movie was well acted but lacked the feeling of the time and music of the period. I expected more from it.