Roxanne, Roxanne

UTFO recorded the song in Brooklyn with Full Force, who wrote and produced it. The group began rehearsing and recording at Full Force Studio/House in Flatbush, and the single first appeared as the B-side to “Hanging Out.” The track became UTFO’s breakthrough record and helped ignite the Roxanne Wars, one of hip-hop’s earliest and most famous answer-record feuds. It quickly turned the group from local newcomers into a widely noticed rap act. “Roxanne, Roxanne” remains a cornerstone of early hip-hop history because it launched a long chain of response records and helped define the battle-rap tradition. It is still remembered as UTFO’s signature song and as an origin point for Roxanne Shanté’s rise.