Nas On Rapping For Roxanne Shante

Roxanne Shanté was just 14 years old when she released “Roxanne’s Revenge” in late 1984, a seething response to the U.T.F.O. track “Roxanne, Roxanne.” Growing up in the Queensbridge Projects in Queens, a young Nas would often see her around and recognized her as a “hood star.”

Admittedly, he was a bit intimidated by Shanté’s imposing presence. After all, she was older than him, part of the infamous Juice Crew and had a reputation for being tough. During an interview with Ebro In The Morning, the Illmatic legend recalled essentially getting bullied into rapping by the then-teenage spitter, a moment immortalized in the 2017 Netflix biopic Roxanne Roxanne.