Juice Crew icon Roxanne Shante honoured in Las Vegas
Roxanne Shante is a legend of the game. Shante is a female rapper who shaped hip-hop when it was a young genre in the 1980s. Although not many women rapped at the time, Shante had an incredible flow with exceptional lyrics and quickly earned a reputation in Queensbridge.
That said, as a Queensbridge native she was turning heads and before long, she was recruited by Mr Magic and Marley Marl to join the Juice Crew which included Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, and Kool G Rap.
Although Roxanne Shante was a small female among tough-talking men, she had many on their toes and was a lyrical powerhouse. As such, she is recognised as one of the best golden-age hip-hop MCs of all time.
With tracks such as ‘Roxanne’s Revenge’ and ‘Go On Girl’ she pushed the boundaries of what was possible for women in hip-hop and as a result she was recently recognised for her contributions to the culture and honoured with the Hip-Hop Grandmaster Award.
The award, which bestowed upon both Roxanne and her Juice Crew counterpart, Kool Moe Dee, celebrates “transformational hip-hop artists who have not received economic rewards proportional to their exceptional contributions to art and culture.”
Many of hip-hop’s pioneers whether it’s MC Sha-Rock, Grand Wizard Theodore or The Cold Crush Brothers amplified the culture when there was no money to be made from it and were vital to it’s survival and evolution.
The ceremony, which took place in Las Vegas on October 5th, saw Shante saw appearances from Nas, E-40 and Doug E Fresh. The award show was hosted by iconic actor Terry Crews and Will Smith’s former right-hand man DJ Jazzy Jeff performed a set to mark the occasion.
The ARIA Resort & Casino was packed full of hip-hop legends from the genre’s early days, and many of the people who built it from the ground up and pioneered the sound were present to see Shante as well as Grandmaster Caz and Kool Moe Dee get honoured for their work. They were named as “transformational artists who have made a significant cultural impact” and the hosts hoped that the honour would “empower them to fulfil their continued creative and artistic endeavours.”
After receiving her flowers, Roxanne Shante hopped on the mic to deliver a freestyle to great applause. Last year’s recipients were the conic rap lyricists Rakim and Scarface who were also in attendance this year.