Starring Chante Adams, Mahershala Ali, Nia Long, and Elvis Nolasco
Directed by Michael Larnell
Music and Lyrics by various
We transition from Black History Month to Women's History Month on this Leap Day with this biography of a pioneering female rap artist. Like the performers in Krush Groove and Beat Street, Lolita "Roxanne" Shante Gooden got her start singing on the streets of Queens. Her specialty was rap battles, answering a song written by another performer with her own song. She became known for her rapped put-downs and responses to the largely male-dominated rap business. How does the story of how she got started look today? Let's begin with a young Lolita (Adams) as she picks rap battles even as a child and find out...
The Story: Lolita was a member of a rap collective, "The Juice Crew," that produced records that were answers to their many "beefs" with local rivals like Sparky Dee (Cheryse Dyllan). She was living with her mother when she recorded an answer to the song "Roxanne Roxanne" called "Roxanne's Revenge." The song was a hit, making her one of the first major female rap recording artists at 14.
She does well recording another rap battle with Sparky, but her love life is a mess. She moves in with her drug-dealing boyfriend Ray (Ali) after a falling-out with her mother, but it proves to be a volatile relationship, especially after she has a son. She has an even harder time keeping her career going, especially after the money from her rap battles she intended for her family to move to New Jersey is stolen. She finally gives up her career, but not before she's able to see what an impact she's made on the rap genre.
The Song and Dance: Adams is phenomenal as Roxanne Shante, the confused teenager who knows she loves her rap battles, but has a harder time with her love life. Long does even better as her tough-as-nails mother who is fighting her own inner demons. I have to hand it to these ladies - they're portrayed as tough, independent, and all above, better than the useless men around them. Ali is the best of the awful men in her life as the guy who gets the closest to her. There's some nice location shooting around the real Queens and a few nice editing bits, notably going from the bedroom to screaming like she's in labor. It effectively shows the passage of time in a movie that sorely needs more moments like that.
Favorite Number: "Roxanne's Revenge" is heard many times throughout the film, including when she first records it before it becomes a hit. We hear snatches of other numbers from the Juice Crew, including "Keep It Funky" and "And My Beat Goes Boom." "What Have We Done" is the question asked during a dance number at a local club. "Sparky's Turn" is Sparky's response. "Round 1 (Roxanne Shante vs Sparky D)" gets so heated, the guys want to make a recording and turn it into an act. "Runaway" is her number later with Juice Crew. We also get her "Payback."
What I Don't Like: I wish this was a lot more of a musical. They spend so much time on Roxanne's relationships with these terrible men and how she survives them, we really don't get to see much of the career that made her such a hot commodity to begin with. No songs are performed in full until the credits, not even her rapped fight with Sparky. And be warned, this is rough going. The language and violence (including domestic violence) makes this not a rap tale for children.
The Big Finale: Some good performances, but I think they missed a real opportunity to show why rap was so important to Lolita and how she burned out so early. Only if you're a huge fan of early rap or want to know more about Roxanne.
Home Media: This is a Netflix exclusive at the moment.
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