Roxanne Shante biopic, Forrest Whitaker producing, Nia Long cast

[Why-Fi]

Forest Whitaker Producing New York 80s Hip Hop Feature “Roxanne Roxanne”

The Real Roxanne? In the 1980s she was everywhere.

Now Forest Whitaker is a co-producer of “Roxanne Roxanne,” a feature about the Roxanne hip hop wars of the 1980s in New York.

Michael Larnell will direct, and Whitaker is joined by Nina Yang Bongiovi, Mimi Valdés, and Erica Brady.

The story is all about 14 year old Roxanne Shante, who become a hip hop superstar. In her circle, and in the movie, will be actors playing Kurtis Blow, Biz Markie, a young Nas, and many other hip hop pioneers.

The real Roxanne was a girl named Lolita Shante Gooden, who became Roxanne Shante and recorded a response record to UTFO’s famous B side rap single “Roxanne Roxanne.” A bunch of answer records followed SHante’s “Roxanne’s Revenge” including another single called “The Real Roxanne” by a girl singer named Adelaide.

None of this had anything to do with the Police hit, “Roxanne.” But it did spawn an industry in early hip hop. Some say there were around 100 Roxanne response records. Done properly, this could be a funny, clever movie about the pioneer days of hip hop. It could be the “Straight outta Compton” for New York.

Nia Long Lands Role In Forest Whitaker's New Roxanne Shante Biopic

The story of female hip-hop trailblazer Roxanne Shante is getting the biopic treatment.

Co-produced by Forest Whitaker, Roxanne Roxanne will reportedly tell the story of Roxanne's early beginnings in hip-hop as a fearless 14-year-old MC who set the rap world ablaze with the release of her "Roxanne's Revenge" response record in reply to the UTFO single "Roxanne Roxanne," in 1984. The film will chronicle the infamous Roxanne Hip-Hop Wars that spawned as a result of the track and take viewers back to the early days of hip-hop culture in the '80s.

Filming for the project is currently underway in Queens and Roxanne, whose real name is Lolita Shante Gooden, shared a photo of herself and Nia Long on set earlier this week. Taking to her Facebook page, she revealed in the photo's caption that Nia would be playing the role of "Miss Peggy" as the two took a break for a quick photo op. "When your sister Nia Long is playing your Mama MissPeggy You can only feel so honored and so so blessed. #roxanneroxanne The Movie The Roxanne Shante story #plzbelieveit," she wrote.

 

[L. Deezy]

Whyyyyyy does she have a biopic? Shante was cool, but.... a biopic? Ehhh

 

[Piff Perkins]

Whyyyyyy does she have a biopic? Shante was cool, but.... a biopic? Ehhh

I'd bet it won't be a traditional biopic. This is one of the craziest and most original stories in hip hop, it could make for a weird but fun indie style flick.