Roxanne, Roxanne (2017) Movie Script
[Bobby Barnes' "Keep It Funky"
playing over speakers]
Keep it funky now
What'd I tell you about sucking your
thumb, huh? You'll mess up your teeth.
Look at your lips. You wearing
my red lipstick. You think you grown?
Nobody in the house wears
red lipstick besides me. Let's go.
Where are we going?
To the Park Jam.
Just follow the music, Ms. Peggy.
The champ is here. The champ is here.
- The champ is here!
- Okay, Ranita.
Enough with all that yelling.
We get the point.
Well, excuse me.
[man 1] There you go. That's right.
Hey, hey, hey!
Oh, shit. They're here.
The Queensbridge Battle Rap Champ
has arrived. Let's get it on!
[crowd cheering]
Everybody to the DJ booth.
Come on.
Let's get it on. The Queensbridge
Battle Rap Champ has arrived. Let's go.
[Ranita]
The champ is here. The champ is here.
The champ is here. The champ is here.
- [woman] Oh, you don't know...
- [man 2] That's right.
- Yo, what is this shit?
- Didn't I tell you the champ was here?
Bro, I ain't battling no little girl.
- You can't be serious.
- You asked for the Queensbridge champion.
All right, who's going first?
Remember, this is hip-hop, breaking,
MC-ing, graffiti and DJ-ing.
Why do we do it? Peace, love, unity
and to safely have fun, all right?
Now, let's get this battle started!
[man 3] My man got this.
Can I curse?
I don't care what you do
as long as you win that $50.
Yo
[Mike James Kirkland's
"What Have We Done" playing]
What have we done?
- [Fastima] It's the way I like it.
- [Shante laughing]
Go, Fast. Go, Fast.
Go, Fast.
Stop, you're gonna cut me with your teeth.
So what? I'm getting in my kisses.
[laughing]
Shante. Come on. If you're gonna
do this, go take that in your room,
and tell Latifa to come out here
and let's get dinner going. It's ready.
What have we done?
[giggles]
Watch this.
Shante, stop.
Mommy want you.
What have we done?
What have we done?
[laughing]
Mommy, I picked out my room.
You did? Well, let me see.
- I like this room with the window.
- Mm-hm.
And I really, really, really want it.
You have to fight that out with
your sisters. What do you think?
[laughing]
You can have what you want.
- Go wash your hands.
- Okay.
Ho-oh!
What's all this, baby?
We're celebrating.
Celebrating what?
Life.
- New beginnings, honey.
- All right.
- [laughing]
- Alrighty, then. Come on.
Tell me you love me.
- You know how I feel...
- I wanna hear you say it.
- Tell me you love me.
- Know what? I'll tell you this.
- [grunting]
- [laughing]
Come on. Come on, come on, come on.
[grunting]
We're dancing.
Let me see what you got.
Let me see if you still got it.
[Shante] All right, Fastima,
five more minutes.
Can't be late your first day of school.
Man, y'all are lucky.
- Are you getting your own room, too?
- No.
But it don't matter.
I'm happy we have a backyard,
so she can stop playing
on dirty-ass mattresses.
Yeah, that's true.
Anyway...
you see them new Sergio Valente
jelly bean jackets?
- Mm-mm.
- Fresh to death.
[Ranita] I gotta get me one.
[Shante] Yeah, and the jeans, too.
So, when you, uh, grab yours,
make sure you grab me one, too.
[both laughing]
[Ronald] Well, you ain't shit, Shante.
[Shante] Excuse you?
I ain't battling you again, Ronald.
Yeah, she already dusted your ass,
you need to kill that noise.
- Nobody talking to your big-head ass.
- [Ranita] Watch your mouth.
I'm the dopest rapper in the Bridge.
No, the world.
I've been practicing. I'm ready now.
You need to practice some more.
[laughing]
- All right, Fast. Time's up, come on.
- I got 50 I could beat you.
Fifty? That's it? She ain't took
a battle for less than 100 in years.
- Get your broke ass out of here.
- Seventy-five.
- A hundred. Can't hear?
- I don't have 100.
You don't have a battle neither.
We Audi 5000, homeboy.
Move.
Y'all a bunch of ugly chicks.
Mad 'cause nobody wants y'all.
Take them slanted eyes
back to the projects.
- Want me to put your head to bed?
- Word up.
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Say something else.
Come on.
[school bell rings]
Good morning, class. We have
a new student joining us this semester.
Welcome Ms. Lolita Gooden.
Y'all can call me Shante.
[Ronald groans]
[Lester] Young man.
- Do you want some problems?
- He already know he don't.
[students groaning]
So, tell us a little bit
about yourself, Shante.
Uh...
I'm from Queensbridge,
but I went to school in Woodside.
[Lester] Woodside? You know,
Woodside is a really good school.
Not to say that 802 isn't. But it...
Understand what I'm saying?
Yeah. I had to transfer,
'cause I needed to be closer to home.
My little sister started school,
and I gotta pick her up.
You know, grown people stuff.
Oh.
All right. Uh, well, once again,
welcome to 802.
You can have a seat.
Now, I have strong rules.
One of them is keep your area clean.
Don't lose it.
I'll hang it in my new room.
- You gotta color inside the lines, Fast.
- Mommy said I don't.
[The Harvey Allison Experience's "This Is
Our Love Story" playing over speakers]
How it was when we first met
I said I know you...
- Who knew what I was thinking?
- Mm.
You know Gina's kids, Sharonda and Nicole?
Ah.
What do you think about bringing them
to that house we're gonna get?
[both laughing]
- Yeah, baby. They could come.
- Why are you laughing?
Because, baby. I mean,
you know, that's why I dig you, girl.
You always thinking about everybody else.
But we ain't gonna be able
to get that house right now.
I got something for you.
And we gonna get that house.
[both laughing]
- Baby, is this what I think it is?
- You have to open it and see.
- And this is all for the down payment?
- Yes.
- Where'd you get this?
- I saved it.
- Peggy.
- I saved a little bit every day.
I will do anything for my babies.
Oh, babe. You know what?
We getting that house.
Are we?
We getting that house, girl.
- We getting that house? [laughing]
- Getting that fucking house. Come here.
You should be sleep. You a big girl now.
You gotta get up for school.
You should do the same.
You gotta go to school, too.
Go to sleep.
So, you telling us
you a Guardian what today?
You need to go ahead
and take that shit back to the store.
You can't stop crime
with a T-shirt and a hat.
- Anything else you want?
- You gonna get your ass hurt.
He already look hurt.
[all laughing]
Don't look for me
when you get robbed on the train.
- Whatever.
- Aw... Here we go, man.
Kill that noise. Sucker.
- [Ranita] Whatever.
- [Shan] He's a sucker.
Hey. Pick out what you want, man.
Aw. Look at Lil Cross. Cutie pie.
Looking just like his daddy.
[pager beeping]
Who blowing you up? Your girlfriend?
No.
But, yo, can you help him
pick out some candy?
- I gotta make this call quick.
- Wait. How much you paying?
[chuckles]
You can have whatever this is. Hey.
I'll be right back, all right?
You want a bite?
You know you definitely buying
my licorice, right?
[laughs]
All right.
Where your daddy at?
Should've never took him.
He gave me $15.
I ain't know he was gonna take this long.
- Anybody know what time it is?
- Yeah.
Yeah.
Check it.
Listen.
[rapping] Thought you was dapper
Now you the rappin' babysitter
Should've told him
Don't try to play me, you crazy nigga
Guess that's what happens When your heart swoon
Leave the crew And open up Shante's Romper Room
Look like you're in business black
And all you need is some diapers
And Similac, ha
Come on, little man.
Got you some candy?
You owe me more money.
You took all day.
- I was gone five minutes.
- Five minutes too long.
- We could've left him here.
- Mm.
[chuckles]
Who you think you are?
[both] Hmm?
You funny as hell, Bee.
Project kids be hustling.
Come on, man.
Drop that beat. [laughs]
I hear you out here fucking
with my door, Shante.
What do you want?
I wanna come in.
What time does this key lock my door?
You wanna be playing with ho's,
keep your ass out there,
but stop knocking on my door.
Hey, hey, hey. Come on, now, Peggy.
Let her back in.
No, Dave.
If she wants to hang it on the streets,
let her stay her ass out there.
My door locks at nine o'clock.
And that goes for anybody.
Peggy.
That goes for anybody.
[Dave] Come on.
- Thanks, Dave.
- Yeah.
[singing] We movin'
Everybody, we movin'
We movin', we movin'
[Peggy] Fast.
Knock it off. Go sit down somewhere.
[Fastima] Everybody, we movin'
We movin', we movin'
[line beeping]
Neek, got your stuff packed?
- Yeah, I been packed.
- Okay.
Shante! Latifa!
Bring yourself out here.
Dave will be here any second.
- [Shante] We been ready.
- Hurry up.
Mom, when we finished moving,
you gonna see me battle?
I'll see you battle, but right now,
battle your ass to the front door.
We gotta go.
Girls. Girls. What are you doing?
This is a happy day.
You should not be angry.
I'm not angry, but do you ever close
your mouth? Give your mouth a break.
Finally.
What's up, y'all?
[groans]
I just came to see if y'all left yet.
Not yet. But the truck's on its way.
He was supposed to be here hours ago.
You're not telling me
what I think you're telling me.
I'm not telling you anything.
[Supreme Jubilees'
"It'll All Be Over" playing over speakers]
Why?
We gonna get it back. I promise.
That was everything I have.
Twenty thousand dollars.
Why would he take that away
from my babies?
You know how long it took me
to save that money?
How many toilets I cleaned?
How many asses I wiped?
Why, Gina?
- Every time I try to leave...
- Here.
Go ahead and have a drink.
No, that ain't gonna get me out of here.
It'll take your mind off it for now.
It'll all be over
It'll all be over
And we won't have to cry no more
And we won't have to cry no more
[sighs]
Shante. Get your thumb out your mouth.
Know how much I paid
for them braces?
You gonna put your thumb
in your mouth and ruin your teeth?
She the only one
in the projects with braces.
Come here, little girl. Come here.
- Let me see if they even work.
- All right, Ms. Peggy.
- Shante, go.
- No. Let's see if they working.
[Gina] All right.
Okay? It's okay.
- Take the girls in your room, Shante.
- Come on. It'll all be over
And we won't have to cry no more
Ms. Peggy, it's okay.
Girl, it's okay. You can let it out now.
I'm all right.
We gonna be fine.
It'll all be over
Move. Get off my bed.
I don't want you here.
No.
- Move.
- No.
- Move, little girl.
- This is my bed, too.
[Fastima] Stop, that hurts.
You don't know how to comb my hair.
[Shante] Stop moving.
[Fastima] Ow.
Stop! I want Mommy to comb my hair!
Mommy's sleep. We can't wake her.
Stop!
Go ahead.
What you all doing? You two
should be out the door. Time for school.
Come on, Neek. I need your help.
Okay.
Mommy, are you up?
I need my hair combed.
Shante don't know what she doing.
Mommy?
Come on, wake up.
Dudes ain't shit, Shante.
They really ain't shit.
Like, straight up wack.
Did they even find him yet?
He gone, Ranita.
- Motherfucker.
- [Ronald] You ain't shit, Shante.
It's time I cleaned your clock
You a dusty nigga
Swing all you want
But if you touch me, nigga
I won't rest
Till you in a grave or hearse
You a second-rate man
This is ladies first
I'm Shante You couldn't play me out You
the type to take the food Out a baby mouth
You worthless, always perpetratin'
I keep a cross medallion
You probably work with Satan
Don't trust you
As far as I can throw you
You ain't shit around the way
I fly global
Another hard rap
You all in my bra strap
You step to me
all you'll get is a hard slap
if you ever had a thought in your mind
That I was wack
You must be buggin' out
high off crack
Tryin' to stay strong
But everything you say weak
I kill a track and all you is
Is a deadbeat
I'm the best
I don't care what the rest think
And I ain't rhymin' no more
'Cause your breath stink
[crowd groaning]
Gimme, gimme, gimme, all your little bank.
- We kicking ass, and taking numbers.
- Right. That's my girl, Shaunie.
She killed them. He wasn't ready.
[Jake] That's cool, but when you going
to the store for me?
I need some new clothes.
You got dough?
There was something in there.
- Wasn't nothing in it.
- Show me.
It wasn't nothing in there.
Say something else
and see what happens to your ass.
When was the last time
you took your ass to school?
I don't want no fucking social worker
showing up at my goddamn house anymore,
you understand me?
I want better for you,
and I'm tired of this shit.
And if you don't like it,
you can see your ass to my front door.
I'm doing this for us, Mommy.
We need money.
I don't give a shit about no money.
I want you to go to school.
[Lester] You have 30 minutes.
So, good luck, my young geniuses.
Mr. Lester, I need a test.
Oh. I forgot you were here, Ms. Gooden.
- Can I see you in the hallway?
- I can't take the test?
How can you? You're never here.
Hallway, please, now.
- Yeah, I know what a PINS warrant is.
- You must not know.
They came up here looking for you.
They asked me to turn you in
when I see you.
So, what's up? What's going on?
Nothing.
Listen, I know the streets are calling,
but you must find a way to rise above it.
And you know what? You can.
Because you are
tremendously smart, Shante.
Hey, Ms. Peggy.
Hey, Ms. Denise.
Where you all off to?
Waiting for they daddy.
He's supposed to take them for ice cream,
but you know how that go.
Don't worry, baby.
I'll keep an eye on them.
Hey, girls!
You looking beautiful.
Looking like Easter Sunday out here.
[laughing]
I don't know why
we gotta wear these dresses.
Because I said so.
- What up, Shante?
- What up, Tone?
Hey, yo, y'all out here looking crazy.
Hey, I got this young dude
in Jamaica trying to battle you.
What? You don't mess
with rap shit no more?
I don't battle for less than 250.
I don't waste my time.
- Oh, so you about your dough, now, huh?
- Been about it.
All right. Two-fifty ain't shit.
We gonna see what's up.
- But otherwise, everything good?
- Yeah.
Don't we look good? [chuckles]
All right, Shante.
- If you need to go to the bathroom, go.
- I don't have to go.
Fast, just go and use the bathroom.
- I'll go with you.
- No.
Come on, girl.
Stop. I'm not going.
Why don't you wanna go in?
You scared you gonna miss him?
Get up.
Get up, Fast. We not going in the house.
Neek, LaLa. We need to crowd around her.
Come on. Spread out your dresses.
Fast, come in the middle of us.
You can go right here.
What she need to do
is just get in the house.
Don't get it on my feet.
Ah.
I feel like a whole new woman.
[Denise] Just a damn shame.
These babies learning
how to be disappointed by men
at such an early age.
It's gonna happen sooner or later.
Shante!
There's some beans and cornbread
on the stove if y'all hungry.
Baby, just sit down.
Or go on back to your place.
I'll look after them.
I want y'all to take this as a lesson.
You don't ever wait for no motherfucker.
This is what happens when you think
they love you and you find out they don't.
Trifling-ass motherfucker.
Come on, Shante.
Come on inside and get something to eat.
Give me my baby, Shante.
Don't be giving me no attitude,
'cause I ain't him.
[R&B music playing over speaker]
[humming]
- You ain't gonna eat nothing?
- No.
You know what time my door closes.
Mommy.
[humming]
Get on my fucking nerves, man.
I'm out here fucking trying.
Karate Bob in the place to be.
All right. For this, it's gonna be 500.
- Go on ahead and do that for 250.
- Two-fifty?
For six cashmere sweaters?
- Mm-mm. It costs 1000 in-store.
- Two-fifty, Shante.
It's only gonna take you 30 minutes,
there and back.
Two hundred and 50 bills
for 30 minutes of work?
You can't beat that.
Miss? Miss?
Hey! Come back here!
[panting]
Fuck you! I'm done!
Hey, yo, I'm for real
about that 50 a week.
- Don't be coming up short.
- I won't.
Here.
Put your money in this, all right?
This what you put it in every week.
And I'm serious about coming up
short, Shante. I'm counting that shit.
Tone. [chuckles]
Thank you.
It's all good, Shante.
We family.
That's why I'm inviting you into my spot.
Ah.
Man, these lights be tripping and shit.
So... how you gonna pay this rent, huh?
You still be boosting?
Man, you old-school hustling.
Let them bums do that shit.
We out here heavy, right?
You need to get down.
I told you to be there in a minute.
Hey, yo.
Shante. What's up?
That phone do something to you?
No, it's broken.
I got you. Use my cellular if you want.
- Yo, how you work this thing?
- Dial the number and press the red button.
- [Neek over phone] Hello?
- Neek Neek. What's up? Shante. Hey, where are you?
I can't tell you.
- But what's up? How are things?
- When you coming back home?
I ain't coming back, Neek. Not to live.
- But I'm gonna bring some money, though.
- Mommy. She's been drinking a lot.
I wanna leave, Shante.
I wanna live with you.
Can you come get us?
Everything copasetic?
Yo, Shante.
The fuck?
[knocking on door]
What you want? [man] A dart.
[sighs]
[man using door as drum]
I'm not rapping.
The fuck you think this is,
a free concert?
- Hi, I'm VJ Ralph McDaniels.
- And I'm the Vid Kid.
- We've been receiving letters and calls
- Crazy mail.
about people telling us they don't know
what time the Box comes on.
They don't know what time
Video Music Box comes on?
- Tell them what time it is.
- Monday through Friday, 3:30...
[Tone] Hey, yo, Shante.
- I came to grab something, all right?
- All right.
Money for rent is in the jar.
It's piling up,
waiting for you to take it.
Let it pile.
- You got some more Kool-Aid?
- Yeah. It's in the fridge.
Word.
Yo, Shante, what you got on, yo?
You can't be walking around like that.
Need some pajamas on around this joint.
All these dudes here. You can't be
walking around like that. Straight up.
What you mean? I always wear this.
No, Bee.
What? Ever since I moved in here,
I wear the same pajamas.
No, yo.
Hey, yo, yo, where you going?
Stop it, Tone.
- What is you doing?
- What you doing?
Come on. Stop tripping, yo.
- No, Tone.
- Shut up.
- Chill out.
- No! Tone, quit...!
- Stop fighting, yo.
- No, don't.
Shut up.
Stop!
- Come on.
- Don't.
[whimpering]
- You gotta go, yo.
- What?
You gotta go.
- Get the fuck out.
- No.
- You better leave...
- I don't got nowhere to go, Tone.
I don't give a fuck.
- Now, come on, yo. Let's go.
- All right. I'll do it.
I'm sorry, I'll do it.
Come on, I'll do it. I can't leave.
Out there in the world thinking you grown,
and you're back now?
You tell me one good reason why
I should let your ass back in my house.
Because you my daughter?
[Shante] Y'all got any more clothes?
I ain't picking that up.
What you think this is?
- I'm telling Mommy you ain't cleaning.
- Oh, really?
How are you gonna make it out to tell her?
I missed you, old mean butt.
[Marley] Hey, yo!
Yo, yo, Shante!
Yo, you still rhyme?
- Yeah.
- I got this beat I want you to rhyme over.
- I ain't got time, I got laundry to do.
- One verse. It ain't gonna take long.
- What you gonna give me for doing this?
- I ain't got no money to give you.
You still work
at the Sergio Valente factory?
I want jeans for me and my sisters.
I want Western Sergios.
All right, I can get those.
- You coming up?
- Yeah.
I need to put this in the laundry.
My mother been on me.
- I gotta get it done.
- All right. Hurry up, though.
- I only got ten minutes. Put on the beat.
- One second.
- I need four pair of them Western Sergio.
- All right, I got you.
Yo, you heard that song by UTFO,
"Roxanne, Roxanne"?
- Yeah.
- Can you get down to that?
All right, we'll see.
Marley, what you doing?
You wasting my time.
You gotta put the headphones on
to hear the beat, Shante.
I'm about to play it back.
[UTFO's "Roxanne, Roxanne"
instrumental playing]
Well, my name is Roxanne
A- don't you know
I just a-cold rock a party
And I do this show
You see I met these three guys
You know it's true
A-let me tell you
And explain them all to you
Shante, where you going?
We gotta play it back and listen.
I'm done. I don't wanna hear
my mother talking shit.
[phone ringing]
- Hello?
- [girl 1] You on the radio. Oh, my God.
[girl 2] Oh, my God, Shante! Oh, my...!
[phone ringing]
[girl 3] Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
You're on the radio!
Stop calling.
You're gonna get me in trouble.
[chuckles]
[whispering] I wonder what I sound like.
You're Shante? We heard you on the radio.
You sounded dope.
All right, back up, back up.
She's a superstar now.
Okay. Come on.
Move it, move it. Move.
No, she ain't signing.
It's crazy how Shante
is all over the newspaper.
Newspaper? What newspaper?
Oh, you don't know?
Well, what happened now?
- What trouble did she get herself into?
- I think she should tell you.
Goddamn, Shante is always getting herself
into some mess.
- Thank you.
- Don't have no kids, Raoul.
Shante.
I heard you was in the newspaper.
What did you do now?
You can't keep yourself
out of trouble, can you?
- They been playing my song on the radio.
- What song?
["Roxanne's Revenge" playing on radio]
My name is Roxanne
And they call me Shante
But every time-a I say
A rhyme-a just-a like-a this-a
So, that's where
all this rapping shit is going.
Okay, well, I like it.
But who is Roxanne? That ain't your name.
I ain't name you Roxanne.
Is that your name?
I don't think that's your name.
I didn't name you no damn Roxanne, now.
[crowd cheering]
If you're tryin' to be cute
And tryin' to be fine
You need to cut it out
'Cause it's all in your mind
Tryin' to be like me
Yeah, is very hard
You think you are God
But you do eat lard
Tryin' to be cute
And you're tryin' to be fly
Don't you know...
Show me your teeth.
We need to check for braces.
No, no. See, look, on the flyer,
they said anybody could get in.
They got 2500 for the winner.
We here to win that.
Nope. She won't show her teeth.
I told you, we can't let the girl
with the braces battle.
All these "rapper chicks" that's making
diss records about me?
What we at now, like, 50 or something?
That's crazy.
Fifty diss records about me
for this one song.
They should be thanking me,
sending me gifts for Mother's Day,
'cause I birthed they asses.
No ands, no buts, or suppose
No coke up your nose
No dope in your vein
And then it won't cause no kind of pain
But yet, and still
You're trying to be fly
I ask you a question, I wanna know why
Why'd ya have to make a record 'bout me
The R-O-X-A-N-N-E?
And you know it like a poet,
this is Magic 106FM, WHBI.
It's called "Roxanne Speaks Out."
Hope you got it on tape,
you may never hear it again.
Coming up on ten minutes
before the 2:00 hour in the a. m.
[Nu Shooz's "I Can't Wait"
playing over speakers]
Good?
We good?
- Everybody good?
- Yeah.
Right on.
You need something, let me know.
Sparky Dee, Sparky Dee, Sparky Dee.
What you gonna do about "Sparky's Turn"?
She cold got busy...
Man, get out of here,
I told you, I'm done talking to you.
Oh, you don't like to hear this?
I can turn it off if you want me to.
Yo, come...
Shan, I don't even know
why you bother to argue with fools.
Ain't that right, Ranita?
[Cross] Everyone all right over here?
Oh. [chuckles]
Look at you, Shante. Looking all grown-up.
- I'm glad everything working out for you.
- Thank you.
Need something to drink? I got you.
When you got free time,
let me take you out. Me and you.
- Treat you to your success.
- [John] Let's go.
Leave that little girl alone.
She ain't gonna be little forever.
Ain't that right, Shante?
I ain't little now.
Shaunie.
You ready to go?
Yup. She's ready, I'm ready.
I got school tomorrow. Let's go.
- I could take you home, Shante.
- She already got a ride.
It's all good, big man.
Good job getting him out of here.
You don't know me, homeboy.
It's all good, homeboy.
I'm just saying.
Shante gonna need some protection.
She a big superstar now.
[laughing]
All right.
If y'all need something, I'm around.
You know I love you
Even when you don't try
Yo, Shaunie.
I need to holla at you.
A hundred dollars? That's it?
That's all this rap shit pay?
I battled three times tonight.
- I make more than this on the street, Ray.
- Come on, Shaunie. We only made $500.
We owe 100 for the limo,
and the rest we split with everybody.
Look. This is how it works.
It don't matter whose show it is.
If everybody's working,
everybody gets paid the same.
We gotta take care of the family.
I'm gonna book you mad shows.
You gonna eat out here, I promise.
Check out what I got for you.
- You know I don't drink, Ray.
- Just open it.
You know we use these bags for everything.
Damn.
This is dope.
"Roxanne Shante."
Say it loud.
Thanks, Ray.
I got you.
The champ is here. The champ is here.
We used to get busy.
You should've seen us, Antwan.
Killing them.
Well, you still killing them now.
Yo, and keep killing them.
All right, yeah. Ain't nobody
fucking with you while I'm around.
Like tonight? Yo, I don't play with nobody
putting their hands on you.
I'm always gonna be right there, ready.
I know you will.
Yo, Shaunie.
- You know you about to take over, right?
- Of course she is.
This ain't nothing new.
I been telling them the champ is here.
Y'all crazy.
No.
- We just love you, Shaunie.
- Yeah.
Aw.
I love y'all, too.
Hey. You like the way I say that?
No.
- The champ is here. The champ is here.
- [laughing]
The champ is here.
Boogie down Bronx,
how y'all feeling tonight?
Let's hear you make some noise!
[crowd cheering]
This is my DJ, Marley Marl,
with the funky mixes.
We about to kick a new track for y'all.
A subject I know all about.
[rapping] It's a story I came to say
Tell you just about those runaways
How you run away
And you leave home
Just thinking you're grown
Wanna be on your own
I'm here to stop you
Right in your tracks
I am your conscience
For you to turn back
I came to tell you what it's about
How you should stay in
And you shouldn't go out
I don't wanna tell you yes
How the story goes
In case you didn't get the knowledge
And you don't know
I wanna tell you just how it is
Out there in the streets
And all the other biz
This is what happens straight to you
And don't stop me until I'm through
First you run away to a city, yes
Saying I'm gonna live and be super fresh
It don't work that way, don't you see?
So, come on, listen straight to me
I'm your conscience and your guide
Saying don't run away
Straight from the inside
Don't run away
- What?
- Word. He got locked up last night.
Antwan beat the shit out of somebody
that owed him money.
- Last night?
- Yup.
[boy] Great show, Roxanne.
- It was dope.
- Thanks.
[boy] Can I get your autograph?
- Can we get him out?
- I don't know. It ain't looking too good.
[boy] You forgot to answer the question.
[chuckles]
Look what he asked me.
Like we in school or something.
And you checked "no"? Shaunie, you cold.
You cold.
Here you go. I don't need no man,
and you too young for me.
But we the same age.
Exactly.
I shouldn't even be here.
[elevator door opens]
After you.
Before we go in, I need you
to put on this bandana.
I ain't putting that on. For what?
Just put it on.
I already told you,
I shouldn't even be here.
Shante, stop acting so tough.
- Let me do something for you.
- You ain't gotta do nothing for me.
This is so damn stupid.
You gotta cut me some slack. I'm gonna
do some white folk shit for once.
Hold out your hands.
- What's this?
- What does it feel like?
Is this mink?
Who you think I am?
It looks a little big.
I'm pretty sure it fits.
- Why you get me this big-ass coat?
- That ain't for you. That's mine.
You like it?
[laughing]
Cross, why you playing with me?
Just wanted to match your fly...
when I take you out tonight.
I don't know about this.
People gonna think we a couple.
Ain't nobody ever gave me
nothing like this.
Here, let's get it right on you.
Cute.
I like your freckles.
I ain't ready for all that.
Me neither.
[The Georgettes' "Would You Rather"
playing over speakers]
Would you rather
That I never fell in love
Pull over right up there.
Right in front of this car.
I wouldn't be
Too much for you to see
Just how in love with me
Pop the trunk button.
Be right back.
Happy we would be
[inaudible dialogue]
You can run along Everything all right?
We don't gotta go out.
No. Just a little tired.
Let's go.
This is why I do this.
[The Egyptian Lover's "Egypt, Egypt"
playing over speakers]
[singing] Roxanne, Roxanne
I wanna be your man
Homeboy, you see who the fuck she with?
It's nothing like that.
I'm just singing a song.
Come on, Cross.
[laughing]
You're beautiful.
You cute, too.
Pretty eyes.
Every girl in here gonna be all on you.
It's obvious who I'm here with tonight.
Why you messing with me, Cross?
You know how old I am?
Good.
I don't trust shit
moving out here, Shante.
There's something about you.
I want family.
A family bond. I need that in my life.
Let me give that to you.
Give what to me?
Love, Shante. You ever feel that?
Hmm?
[chuckles]
Get it right, baby, Roxanne Shante
Hi, Roxanne, and how do you do? My
name is Sparky Dee I'm pleased to meet you
Let me tell you something, girl
That you should know
I'm Sparky Dee and I'm running this show
You got braces in your mouth...
I'm telling y'all, this is huge.
We gonna get paid. Mm.
Check it. We take them out on tour
like prize fighters.
Make it a big event every night.
Roxanne Shante vs. Sparky Dee.
Round One.
This will be epic. I mean, you ain't never
seen anything like this before.
And they're ripping each other apart.
Fans gonna love this.
A right guard? A wrong turn?
This is something that you must learn
Because you took it too far
Yeah, that's right
Now it's my turn, yes, to get on the mic
To prove to you that I'm the best
When I say my rhymes
And prove they are fresh
Hey, you, new dude.
- Shante, can I kick my rhyme to you?
- I'm in a rush. Next time.
Yeah, you. You see a lady
carrying bags, you help her.
- Your mother didn't teach you no manners?
- My bad.
You gotta pay some dues around here.
You gotta put in work if you wanna get to my
level. -Take my bags. - Let me kick my rhyme to you.
Yo, kid, if you wanted to rhyme,
you would've started already.
But fuck it. Rap.
Yo... Yo...
What's your name?
- Nasir.
- Nasir.
If you don't have your rap together
the next time I see you,
I'm gonna fuck you up.
I'm dead serious, too.
Take your ass to school.
Why you over there, Ranita?
Just about to walk to school.
- We can get you a ride.
- No, I'll walk.
- First big tour, huh?
- Yeah, I know.
Wish you could have found a way to come.
I don't.
You was my first DJ and hype man.
Feels like they waiting on you.
Come here.
Why you so sad, Ranita?
It's not like I'm not coming back.
I don't wanna go either.
The first record was "Roxanne's Revenge."
I did it to prove a point.
To prove to him that I could rap.
The way it was done was, she was
doing laundry, washing drawers.
I told her to forget about the laundry,
come up, do this record.
- So, she came up...
- You had to tell them the laundry story?
Just gonna bring up I was doing laundry?
- He always telling the laundry story.
- It's the truth.
She was doing laundry,
I told her to come up and do this record.
Marley, I wasn't washing drawers.
It was my mother's laundry.
Yo, if it wasn't for me, Shaunie,
you'd still be washing panties.
Whatever. I still did
our biggest record in one take.
Boom. I made a record and did laundry
at the same time.
See what I've been telling you?
Gotta embrace and be nice
when they're yelling,
"Roxanne, I wanna be your man."
Let their imagination work.
Feed them.
Hmm? Be a fantasy to them.
Yeah, they can be your man.
Like this dude right here. Feed his ass. Look,
it's all a part of being Roxanne Shante, okay?
Look, Shaunie, you a phenomenon now.
You coming, Roxanne?
Got you.
I own, like, ten of these types
of garages.
We get cars left and right.
- So, you big-timing, then?
- That's right.
These Southern boys get money, too.
- Gimme a minute, playboy.
- All right.
I wanna show you
what we call Southern hospitality.
I saved this one for you.
Seriously? We just met, Doug.
I don't know about all that.
I don't care.
You Roxanne Shante, baby.
You bigtime. You deserve it.
It's nothing for me.
I'm just enjoying this time with you.
Let me spend the money.
So, do you want it?
Of course.
We got a connect at the DMV.
Should we put the car in your name?
- I don't think it can go in my name.
- Who's name, then?
It can go in my manager's name.
Let's do one more.
You like jewelry?
You shouldn't be taking gifts from people.
- What?
- You heard me.
You shouldn't be taking gifts.
You know what they want.
Ain't nobody giving nothing.
Mind your business.
- You doing some ho shit, Shaunie.
- Fuck you, Marley.
- Y'all two chill out?
- No, Ray. She acting like a ho.
- You just mad 'cause you can't fuck me.
- Whoa, what the fuck is going on here?
We brothers and sisters.
What is y'all on?
Word up.
She really feeling herself right now.
Don't nobody want your young ass.
You know what? Give me this shit.
Get off me.
Fuck you. I don't give a fuck
about that shit anyway.
Give it to one of your girlfriends,
broke-ass house DJ.
- I fucking made you.
- Make another.
You just jealous. You wanna be in my spot.
What's up, Shaunie?
What's the deal with y'all?
- Fuck him.
- Yo, and another thing?
I ain't DJ-ing your shit no more.
Ever again.
Find somebody else. We done.
Yeah, you jealous.
- Yo, he got all my records.
- Yo, wait.
You have to kill him
to get those records from him.
- He dead, then.
- Chill, Shaunie. You ain't got to do that.
I'll beat-box the show for you.
- Beat-box?
- [Biz] Yeah.
- The entire show?
- Yeah, that's what I do.
Watch. They gonna love us.
- I'll see you soon.
- Go back to school, little girl.
Hey, baby girl.
- Blackout, it's cool. I know him.
- She in good hands, big man.
[chuckles]
That's your new bodyguard? What happened
to the other big motherfucker?
- What you doing here?
- I needed some shit.
Plus, you know, I had to come
check on my Shante.
Roxanne, Roxanne. Mm.
I wanna be your man.
- It takes a lot to be my man.
- Get your bitch-ass out of here, man.
- What the fuck, Cross?
- My bad, yo.
I just ain't seen you in a minute.
See if I bruised those freckles.
I gotta go do this show.
I'll be right here.
Let's do this.
[Shan] You getting close to him, Shaunie?
- This ain't good.
- Don't need to hear this right now, Shan.
- You ready, Biz?
- [Biz] All day.
[crowd cheering]
We came here tonight to get started
To cold act ill or get retarded
[Biz beat-boxing]
I'm Shante and I rhyme to death
Just rap so fresh
Till I get outta breath
Now this is something
That we do have to do
And this is a team
That I must introduce
I'm Shante, he's Biz Markie
We rap so fresh
That they think it's three
Three of us who rap together
Strong as a bond
That's tougher than leather
My name is Shante, and yes
I'm top choice
And you can tell
By the sound of my voice
That the way that I rap
That I am the best
Higher than the rest
Plus, considered fresh
Threw on my FILAs and my FILA suit
Stepped out my house
I just knew I was cute
Bumped into Biz, he had on FILAs, too
I said, "Yo, Biz Markie,
What you wanna do?"
He stepped out the house chilling
Yes, you know
Went outside
It's kind of cold, you know
So, I threw on the bomber
So I could get loose
Matter of fact, it was my black Goose
- Get off me, man...
- Ow.
You hit me in the my mouth, you asshole.
I told you I was sorry.
Let me see, let me see.
You all good.
My bad, yo.
Just get a little possessive over you.
I don't want nobody to fuck this up.
I told you, it's just part of my job.
I don't even like it when they do that.
I understand.
Hey. Sorry.
Yo, Shaunie.
Man, our tour money is gone.
- What?
- I put my bags down in the bathroom.
When I came out the stall,
a couple of my bags were gone,
and the money was in one of them.
This just happened.
You call the police?
Tell the hotel people?
I had a lot of other shit in them bags.
I can't call the cops. It's gone.
So, you telling me
all our tour money is gone?
Most of it. I had already given
Marley and Sparky their cut,
and I was about to bring you yours,
and I come out the bathroom,
and my bags are gone.
Fuck, man.
- Why you doing her like this?
- Like what?
- What?
- I looked around, okay? It's gone.
There's nothing I can do.
- That's how it is, Ray?
- [Ray] Back up.
Marley?
- Man, fuck this. Give me my money.
- Chill.
Let go, Sparky.
Fuck this rap shit. I need my money.
- It ain't worth it, Shante.
- Let go, Sparky.
Fuck all y'all. If Antwan was here,
he'd beat the shit out of you.
- [Marley] Antwan ain't gonna do shit.
- Fuck this.
Ain't no fucking money
in this shit anyway.
That's right. Fuck them.
You don't need them, Shaunie.
You got this without them, all right?
All right? Here.
I know what we out here doing
and saying about each other.
But we still sisters
at the end of the day.
Yo, nigga. You think I'm playing, huh?
You ran off with my fucking package.
You better hit this motherfucker back.
[woman] You ready to order?
Still looking.
Give us five more minutes.
I'll take a beer. Whatever you got.
[woman] We got High Life.
How about you, miss?
You look like you need a drink.
I bring you the beer, okay?
I'll come back.
What you staring at?
You looking at me the whole time.
Trying to figure out who you are
and why you in my motherfucking face.
This your new boyfriend, Shante?
Huh? What is this shit?
You wanna be grown so bad,
you got yourself an old man?
[laughing]
You a nasty motherfucker.
- Mommy, can you stop? What do you want...?
- Stop? I keep trying to tell you.
You stir up enough shit, eventually,
shit's gonna splash you on your ass.
And I see this piece of shit
is all over you.
Do you know how old she is?
She's 16.
- You look like you damn near my age.
- You sounding like a scorned woman.
Somebody must have hurt you real bad.
Hate every man walking.
You don't want her to be happy?
You want her to be miserable like you?
Just a trifling motherfucker.
Shante, you fucking this nigga?
- You fucking him?
- I ain't got time for this.
Yeah. Take your punk ass
out the restaurant.
- Cross, wait.
- Don't you be running after no man.
I'm moving to Jersey with you.
- Go back there with your crazy-ass momma.
- No.
You ain't ready for all this, Shante.
Go.
[R&B playing over speakers]
[moaning]
[shouting]
[baby crying]
[screaming]
You'll learn how to control your mouth,
or I'll keep beating your ass.
Keep disrespecting me,
keep doing that shit.
Get the fuck up.
I ain't playing with you. Get up.
Fuck out of my house. [baby crying]
Get the fuck out.
Get the... What's wrong with you? Huh?
- You fucking crazy?
- Fuck you, motherfucker! I hate you!
[woman] Come on, Roxanne.
I know you can give me a smile.
I can't.
[woman] Come on.
But you're too pretty to not be smiling.
I can't move my fucking jaw.
Take the damn picture.
[woman] It's beautiful.
See? That wasn't so painful, was it?
- Let's get some more inside the building?
- No, I'm good. Thanks, though.
[Ray] What's been up, Shaunie?
We've been looking for you.
Heard you in Newark
with a family and everything.
Congrats on your son.
Yo, check it. I got some good news.
Cold Chillin' got a deal with Warner Bros.
They don't wanna do it without you.
They wanna push you.
Ray, it's been four years,
and I ain't got no damn album.
Tell me why.
'Cause you don't wanna pay me.
That's what we gonna do, Shaunie.
Get that first album out,
and then take you out on tour.
For real.
Look. I'm sorry, Shaunie. That's just how
I thought shit was supposed to be.
I promise. Not this time.
We've all learned.
Fuck you. Fuck rap.
I ain't making no money rapping.
Really. Fuck Roxanne Shante.
Because of her,
I'm getting my ass beat every day.
Think about this, Shaunie.
Act right, Shaunie.
[Latifa] How do I look?
[Shante] You look good.
- You used to hate the clothes I got you.
- Yeah, them church clothes.
Shaunie, I can't believe
you wanna cut all this beautiful hair.
I have to, 'Nessa. Roxanne Shante gotta go.
She is the ponytail and I need a change.
I hate to cut it.
Hey, Ms. Peggy.
Hey, 'Nessa. Hi, Mommy.
Hey, Shante.
Your old man kicked you out,
and you're running back home?
I brought the girls clothes,
and was gonna take them to get ice cream.
Well, they can't go.
No ice cream before dinner.
[Latifa] Mommy.
Why are you getting your hair fried?
You got my house smelling
like you been ironing dirty jeans.
Why don't you go
to the beauty salon, superstar?
[knocking on door]
[Cross] Shante.
Why are you coming in here?
Why you all tensed up?
Are you gonna act like that now?
Can I finish my bath?
I only hit you 'cause I love you.
You know that, right?
If I didn't care, I wouldn't do that.
[groans]
[Cross sniffling]
Come on.
I love you, you know?
It looks good on you.
[gasps, then breathing heavily]
Get a video recorder,
large-screen TV,
video camera,
even an audio-video component system.
Get it all on sale now, during Crazy D's
greatest TV and video sale ever.
Remember, we are not undersold,
we will not be undersold,
we cannot be undersold. And we mean it.
So, get anything and everything
in CD and video. Get it now...
It's a lot going on, Cross.
The record label want me back.
Well, go back, then.
And my sisters need me.
It's just a lot, and I can't...
I can't.
I just...
I think it's quits.
It's quits.
Fuck you think this is?
This is some grown-up shit,
Ms. Roxanne Shante. Ain't no quits.
[subway train roaring]
[shouting]
[sobbing]
[Mitchell]
How are those ribs feeling today?
You did fracture three of them,
so you're gonna be in pain for a while.
Get some rest and we should be able
to release you tomorrow morning.
We talked to your father.
He going to sign the release forms.
You talked to my father?
Yeah, Mr. James Cross.
He was here with your little brother?
You didn't see them?
[Fastima] Shante.
[Mitchell] Careful, okay? Be careful.
Ms. Gooden, do you need anything else?
No.
- Thank you, nurse.
- You're welcome.
All right now, girls. Come on.
Sit down. Sit down.
Give your sister some room to breathe.
What the hell happened to you, Shante?
I just wanted to be a kid, Mommy.
That's all.
I watched my whole life change that day.
I lost you.
I lost my friend.
I lost my mommy.
When you took that drink...
it all fell on me.
[crying]
I'm so sorry, baby.
I'm so sorry.
[Ranita] So, you mean
you haven't seen Chucky in two weeks?
That motherfucker.
Look, Shante, you gotta talk to him.
You gotta get Chucky back.
You don't miss your son?
Of course I miss my baby.
Then you gotta talk to him.
Well... at least let me talk to him.
Dial the number.
- [Cross over phone] Hello?
- Yo, nigga. Where's Chucky?
- Put Shante on the phone.
- She don't wanna talk to you.
Put Shante on the phone
or I'm hanging up.
[sighs]
You gotta talk to him.
Come home, Shante.
Say it.
I hit you 'cause I love you.
Now, bring your ass back home.
I just want Kareem.
You just want Kareem? Really?
That's all you want?
- After all the shit I did for your ass?
- Cross, just stop.
- I ain't coming back.
- No, bitch, ain't no stopping this.
You want your son back?
You're gonna listen to me, goddamn it.
I gave you the world, Shante.
And now you don't wanna act right.
I should've beat your ass worse.
You shut your mouth,
we wouldn't even be in this situation.
You know what? Fuck it.
About through with your ass anyway.
You want him back? Ten Gs.
You got 10 thou?
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Now, bring your ass back home.
You know, Shante,
you people never cease to amaze me.
I... [chuckles]
I can't help you buy your baby back.
You can't buy and sell people.
What is wrong with you?
This is like modern-day slavery.
The chutzpah of this motherfucker.
Wants to sell his own kid for $10,000.
And you sit here wanting me
to give you fucking paperwork
to solidify the sale?
It's un-fucking-believable.
Fuck.
I can't believe I'm gonna help you with
this shit. And you better not tell a soul.
You ain't even gotta pay me back.
I owe you one.
Again, my bad about that, Shante.
Yo, let me know
where you gonna meet up with dude.
You know I can get that 10 back
and it'll be all yours. For real.
You meet him, give him the bread,
and then you move out with the baby.
And we move in.
It'll be just another nigga dead.
People die around here all the time.
Won't nobody think twice about him.
You won't ever have
to worry about him again.
I can't do that.
You sure, Shante?
What's the shit you want me to sign?
You always gonna be my woman.
Remember that.
Chuck.
It's a big house in Newark.
Oh, baby. It is so good them girls
are moving out there with you.
- Mm-hm.
- Yeah, Ms. Peggy told me. She was...
The way she was smiling? I ain't seen her
grinning like that for years.
Yeah. And my first album about to drop.
- It's looking good, Ms. Denise.
- Congrats.
Girl, I am so proud of you.
Making all of us out here look good.
This cutie-pie here.
We about to get ice cream and check out
the Park Jam if you wanna come.
Oh, no, girl.
My back has been giving me problems.
But I'm still hanging in there.
Like a loose tooth.
I'll cook some food.
That's what I'll do.
You want some of that?
That's good, right? [chuckles]
You better not walk past me
and not say nothing.
- Peace, Shante.
- Peace?
You done grew up on me.
- You got an MC name?
- Nas.
All right, Nas.
Bust your rhyme.
You remember what I told you
if you ain't know your shit.
- Hi, Ms. Denise.
- You gonna get fucked up.
- Let me hear it.
- Take your ass back upstairs.
- [Shante] Go ahead.
- Nobody got time for this.
- [Shante] You thought I was playing?
- Look at your girl.
- Look at that. She just like you.
- Hey, Mommy. Come check this kid out.
He say he can rap.
He gotta prove it, though.
You trying to battle rap my girl, Nasir?
The Queensbridge Champ
since she was 9? She ain't never lost.
How much money you got?
She don't rap for free.
I'm older now, devoted
Ready to hold it down
New kings of Queens it seems
That they stole the crown
Got props for watching cops in vans
Holding rocks in their hands
Trying to be Roxanne's man
Pent it for my brothers
Submitted in the jungle
Group they summer youth checks
Put it in the bundle with that crumble
Ready to serve
Not just merging these words
I'm firm 'cause I learned
From the best girl in town
And I vowed to make these Jects
World renowned
And if they ever make a record
Diss me I go wild like
R-O-X-A-N-N-E
Yeah.
- That was good.
- Thanks.
Good job.
Take your ass to school.
[laughing]
The reason it's important
for a man to know more about a woman
is 'cause then he knows
the things that she likes done,
and the things he should do
to keep her happy,
'cause that's what we're trying to do.
Get more back into the family thing.
And you can't have a family if you don't
know what it takes to have one.
The reason why I feel
we lost the family thing is because...
And, fellas, please don't get mad at me.
Please. Please don't.
...men weren't living up
to their responsibilities.
I don't know if I should say this.
[chuckles]
They weren't. I say that because
fellas got more into hanging out.
They didn't wanna be home, flowers...
Nobody was buying flowers anymore.
You had to die to get flowers.
[Roxanne Shante's "Pay Back" playing]
Well, Mother's back
Yes, the queen is home
You best believe to get off my throne
All you other MCs
I will demolish
Just for me
You can wax and polish my chin
Because I don't care
To talk back to me
You know you wouldn't dare
I gave you a chance
To see who you could be
And now I see that you can't be me
Two of y'all
Matter of fact, even four
Now I think it's gonna take much more
Of you to do what I do
And this is the reason
Why I'm telling you
When Shante's in the place
Give up the mic
'Cause to rhyme on the mic
Is what I like
To do as a fact
And you know that's true
That's the reason why I'm here
Telling me to you
Because Mother's home
That's what I say
And the reason why I say it
In the very nasty way
Is because I gave y'all girls a chance
And you can't even make
The people dance
Girls, you know I feel ashamed
When you're ever on-stage
Don't mention my name
Don't let them know
That you learned from me
The S-H-A and the N-T-E
I gave you a chance
Just to get it together
I am leather You're nothing but pleather
I gave you a chance to show your style
But now I am back and I will get wild
Shante
I take up for y'all
Everywhere I go
I talk about y'all girls
At every show
You don't appreciate the things
That I do for you
Well, now it's over
Your turn is through
I gave you a chance
To see if you could rhyme
But now I see you're on my yacht
You try to imitate everything I say
Well, you can't be me
'Cause this is one Shante
One Shante
And I'm that girl
Rocking and shocking around the world
I'm known everywhere that I go
They break they necks To come to my show
To see me diss dumb girls like you
I gave you a chance
But now youse through
You try it again
I'm telling you now
I'm letting you know
If you can't roll down
Don't even bother picking up a mic
'Cause you know just
Yes, what I'm like
When I get loose or I get mad
You know, yes, girls
That you are had
I took my chance
I took a rest
Just to see if y'all girls
Yes, could be friends
But now I turn on the radio
And I listen to your rhymes
Then I say: "So?"
So what, girls, y'all try real hard
Listen to your rhyme
I say "Oh, my God"
They made girls who are such a shame
I worked so hard
To get y'all in the game of rap
And I tried very well
Now, I see I'll take you to hell
Straight through hell
Out the other side
Get on my back
I'll give you a ride
You never had a ride like this before
You never, ever pick up a mic anymore
Now I must see that I'm coming home
So, please, y'all jesters
Get off my throne
The royalty has just arrived
Back in the place
When I stepped inside
You best believe the things I say
Don't you know youse not Shante?
The S-H-A and the N-T-E
Five-foot-four or five-foot-three
I really could not tell you exact
But exactly, girls, you are wack
Shante
Well, Mother's back
Yes, the queen is home
You best believe to get off my throne
All you other MCs
I will demolish
Just for me
You can wax and polish my chin
Because I don't care
To talk back to me
You know you wouldn't dare
I gave you a chance
To see who you could be
And now I see that you can't be me
Two of y'all
Matter of fact, even four
Now I think it's gonna take much more
Of you to do what I do
And this is the reason
Why I'm telling you
When Shante's in the place
Give up the mic
'Cause to rhyme on the mic Is what I like
To do as a fact And you know that's true
That's the reason why I'm here
Telling it to you
'Cause Mother's home
That's what I say
And the reason why I say it
In a very nasty way
playing over speakers]
Keep it funky now
What'd I tell you about sucking your
thumb, huh? You'll mess up your teeth.
Look at your lips. You wearing
my red lipstick. You think you grown?
Nobody in the house wears
red lipstick besides me. Let's go.
Where are we going?
To the Park Jam.
Just follow the music, Ms. Peggy.
The champ is here. The champ is here.
- The champ is here!
- Okay, Ranita.
Enough with all that yelling.
We get the point.
Well, excuse me.
[man 1] There you go. That's right.
Hey, hey, hey!
Oh, shit. They're here.
The Queensbridge Battle Rap Champ
has arrived. Let's get it on!
[crowd cheering]
Everybody to the DJ booth.
Come on.
Let's get it on. The Queensbridge
Battle Rap Champ has arrived. Let's go.
[Ranita]
The champ is here. The champ is here.
The champ is here. The champ is here.
- [woman] Oh, you don't know...
- [man 2] That's right.
- Yo, what is this shit?
- Didn't I tell you the champ was here?
Bro, I ain't battling no little girl.
- You can't be serious.
- You asked for the Queensbridge champion.
All right, who's going first?
Remember, this is hip-hop, breaking,
MC-ing, graffiti and DJ-ing.
Why do we do it? Peace, love, unity
and to safely have fun, all right?
Now, let's get this battle started!
[man 3] My man got this.
Can I curse?
I don't care what you do
as long as you win that $50.
Yo
[Mike James Kirkland's
"What Have We Done" playing]
What have we done?
- [Fastima] It's the way I like it.
- [Shante laughing]
Go, Fast. Go, Fast.
Go, Fast.
Stop, you're gonna cut me with your teeth.
So what? I'm getting in my kisses.
[laughing]
Shante. Come on. If you're gonna
do this, go take that in your room,
and tell Latifa to come out here
and let's get dinner going. It's ready.
What have we done?
[giggles]
Watch this.
Shante, stop.
Mommy want you.
What have we done?
What have we done?
[laughing]
Mommy, I picked out my room.
You did? Well, let me see.
- I like this room with the window.
- Mm-hm.
And I really, really, really want it.
You have to fight that out with
your sisters. What do you think?
[laughing]
You can have what you want.
- Go wash your hands.
- Okay.
Ho-oh!
What's all this, baby?
We're celebrating.
Celebrating what?
Life.
- New beginnings, honey.
- All right.
- [laughing]
- Alrighty, then. Come on.
Tell me you love me.
- You know how I feel...
- I wanna hear you say it.
- Tell me you love me.
- Know what? I'll tell you this.
- [grunting]
- [laughing]
Come on. Come on, come on, come on.
[grunting]
We're dancing.
Let me see what you got.
Let me see if you still got it.
[Shante] All right, Fastima,
five more minutes.
Can't be late your first day of school.
Man, y'all are lucky.
- Are you getting your own room, too?
- No.
But it don't matter.
I'm happy we have a backyard,
so she can stop playing
on dirty-ass mattresses.
Yeah, that's true.
Anyway...
you see them new Sergio Valente
jelly bean jackets?
- Mm-mm.
- Fresh to death.
[Ranita] I gotta get me one.
[Shante] Yeah, and the jeans, too.
So, when you, uh, grab yours,
make sure you grab me one, too.
[both laughing]
[Ronald] Well, you ain't shit, Shante.
[Shante] Excuse you?
I ain't battling you again, Ronald.
Yeah, she already dusted your ass,
you need to kill that noise.
- Nobody talking to your big-head ass.
- [Ranita] Watch your mouth.
I'm the dopest rapper in the Bridge.
No, the world.
I've been practicing. I'm ready now.
You need to practice some more.
[laughing]
- All right, Fast. Time's up, come on.
- I got 50 I could beat you.
Fifty? That's it? She ain't took
a battle for less than 100 in years.
- Get your broke ass out of here.
- Seventy-five.
- A hundred. Can't hear?
- I don't have 100.
You don't have a battle neither.
We Audi 5000, homeboy.
Move.
Y'all a bunch of ugly chicks.
Mad 'cause nobody wants y'all.
Take them slanted eyes
back to the projects.
- Want me to put your head to bed?
- Word up.
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Say something else.
Come on.
[school bell rings]
Good morning, class. We have
a new student joining us this semester.
Welcome Ms. Lolita Gooden.
Y'all can call me Shante.
[Ronald groans]
[Lester] Young man.
- Do you want some problems?
- He already know he don't.
[students groaning]
So, tell us a little bit
about yourself, Shante.
Uh...
I'm from Queensbridge,
but I went to school in Woodside.
[Lester] Woodside? You know,
Woodside is a really good school.
Not to say that 802 isn't. But it...
Understand what I'm saying?
Yeah. I had to transfer,
'cause I needed to be closer to home.
My little sister started school,
and I gotta pick her up.
You know, grown people stuff.
Oh.
All right. Uh, well, once again,
welcome to 802.
You can have a seat.
Now, I have strong rules.
One of them is keep your area clean.
Don't lose it.
I'll hang it in my new room.
- You gotta color inside the lines, Fast.
- Mommy said I don't.
[The Harvey Allison Experience's "This Is
Our Love Story" playing over speakers]
How it was when we first met
I said I know you...
- Who knew what I was thinking?
- Mm.
You know Gina's kids, Sharonda and Nicole?
Ah.
What do you think about bringing them
to that house we're gonna get?
[both laughing]
- Yeah, baby. They could come.
- Why are you laughing?
Because, baby. I mean,
you know, that's why I dig you, girl.
You always thinking about everybody else.
But we ain't gonna be able
to get that house right now.
I got something for you.
And we gonna get that house.
[both laughing]
- Baby, is this what I think it is?
- You have to open it and see.
- And this is all for the down payment?
- Yes.
- Where'd you get this?
- I saved it.
- Peggy.
- I saved a little bit every day.
I will do anything for my babies.
Oh, babe. You know what?
We getting that house.
Are we?
We getting that house, girl.
- We getting that house? [laughing]
- Getting that fucking house. Come here.
You should be sleep. You a big girl now.
You gotta get up for school.
You should do the same.
You gotta go to school, too.
Go to sleep.
So, you telling us
you a Guardian what today?
You need to go ahead
and take that shit back to the store.
You can't stop crime
with a T-shirt and a hat.
- Anything else you want?
- You gonna get your ass hurt.
He already look hurt.
[all laughing]
Don't look for me
when you get robbed on the train.
- Whatever.
- Aw... Here we go, man.
Kill that noise. Sucker.
- [Ranita] Whatever.
- [Shan] He's a sucker.
Hey. Pick out what you want, man.
Aw. Look at Lil Cross. Cutie pie.
Looking just like his daddy.
[pager beeping]
Who blowing you up? Your girlfriend?
No.
But, yo, can you help him
pick out some candy?
- I gotta make this call quick.
- Wait. How much you paying?
[chuckles]
You can have whatever this is. Hey.
I'll be right back, all right?
You want a bite?
You know you definitely buying
my licorice, right?
[laughs]
All right.
Where your daddy at?
Should've never took him.
He gave me $15.
I ain't know he was gonna take this long.
- Anybody know what time it is?
- Yeah.
Yeah.
Check it.
Listen.
[rapping] Thought you was dapper
Now you the rappin' babysitter
Should've told him
Don't try to play me, you crazy nigga
Guess that's what happens When your heart swoon
Leave the crew And open up Shante's Romper Room
Look like you're in business black
And all you need is some diapers
And Similac, ha
Come on, little man.
Got you some candy?
You owe me more money.
You took all day.
- I was gone five minutes.
- Five minutes too long.
- We could've left him here.
- Mm.
[chuckles]
Who you think you are?
[both] Hmm?
You funny as hell, Bee.
Project kids be hustling.
Come on, man.
Drop that beat. [laughs]
I hear you out here fucking
with my door, Shante.
What do you want?
I wanna come in.
What time does this key lock my door?
You wanna be playing with ho's,
keep your ass out there,
but stop knocking on my door.
Hey, hey, hey. Come on, now, Peggy.
Let her back in.
No, Dave.
If she wants to hang it on the streets,
let her stay her ass out there.
My door locks at nine o'clock.
And that goes for anybody.
Peggy.
That goes for anybody.
[Dave] Come on.
- Thanks, Dave.
- Yeah.
[singing] We movin'
Everybody, we movin'
We movin', we movin'
[Peggy] Fast.
Knock it off. Go sit down somewhere.
[Fastima] Everybody, we movin'
We movin', we movin'
[line beeping]
Neek, got your stuff packed?
- Yeah, I been packed.
- Okay.
Shante! Latifa!
Bring yourself out here.
Dave will be here any second.
- [Shante] We been ready.
- Hurry up.
Mom, when we finished moving,
you gonna see me battle?
I'll see you battle, but right now,
battle your ass to the front door.
We gotta go.
Girls. Girls. What are you doing?
This is a happy day.
You should not be angry.
I'm not angry, but do you ever close
your mouth? Give your mouth a break.
Finally.
What's up, y'all?
[groans]
I just came to see if y'all left yet.
Not yet. But the truck's on its way.
He was supposed to be here hours ago.
You're not telling me
what I think you're telling me.
I'm not telling you anything.
[Supreme Jubilees'
"It'll All Be Over" playing over speakers]
Why?
We gonna get it back. I promise.
That was everything I have.
Twenty thousand dollars.
Why would he take that away
from my babies?
You know how long it took me
to save that money?
How many toilets I cleaned?
How many asses I wiped?
Why, Gina?
- Every time I try to leave...
- Here.
Go ahead and have a drink.
No, that ain't gonna get me out of here.
It'll take your mind off it for now.
It'll all be over
It'll all be over
And we won't have to cry no more
And we won't have to cry no more
[sighs]
Shante. Get your thumb out your mouth.
Know how much I paid
for them braces?
You gonna put your thumb
in your mouth and ruin your teeth?
She the only one
in the projects with braces.
Come here, little girl. Come here.
- Let me see if they even work.
- All right, Ms. Peggy.
- Shante, go.
- No. Let's see if they working.
[Gina] All right.
Okay? It's okay.
- Take the girls in your room, Shante.
- Come on. It'll all be over
And we won't have to cry no more
Ms. Peggy, it's okay.
Girl, it's okay. You can let it out now.
I'm all right.
We gonna be fine.
It'll all be over
Move. Get off my bed.
I don't want you here.
No.
- Move.
- No.
- Move, little girl.
- This is my bed, too.
[Fastima] Stop, that hurts.
You don't know how to comb my hair.
[Shante] Stop moving.
[Fastima] Ow.
Stop! I want Mommy to comb my hair!
Mommy's sleep. We can't wake her.
Stop!
Go ahead.
What you all doing? You two
should be out the door. Time for school.
Come on, Neek. I need your help.
Okay.
Mommy, are you up?
I need my hair combed.
Shante don't know what she doing.
Mommy?
Come on, wake up.
Dudes ain't shit, Shante.
They really ain't shit.
Like, straight up wack.
Did they even find him yet?
He gone, Ranita.
- Motherfucker.
- [Ronald] You ain't shit, Shante.
It's time I cleaned your clock
You a dusty nigga
Swing all you want
But if you touch me, nigga
I won't rest
Till you in a grave or hearse
You a second-rate man
This is ladies first
I'm Shante You couldn't play me out You
the type to take the food Out a baby mouth
You worthless, always perpetratin'
I keep a cross medallion
You probably work with Satan
Don't trust you
As far as I can throw you
You ain't shit around the way
I fly global
Another hard rap
You all in my bra strap
You step to me
all you'll get is a hard slap
if you ever had a thought in your mind
That I was wack
You must be buggin' out
high off crack
Tryin' to stay strong
But everything you say weak
I kill a track and all you is
Is a deadbeat
I'm the best
I don't care what the rest think
And I ain't rhymin' no more
'Cause your breath stink
[crowd groaning]
Gimme, gimme, gimme, all your little bank.
- We kicking ass, and taking numbers.
- Right. That's my girl, Shaunie.
She killed them. He wasn't ready.
[Jake] That's cool, but when you going
to the store for me?
I need some new clothes.
You got dough?
There was something in there.
- Wasn't nothing in it.
- Show me.
It wasn't nothing in there.
Say something else
and see what happens to your ass.
When was the last time
you took your ass to school?
I don't want no fucking social worker
showing up at my goddamn house anymore,
you understand me?
I want better for you,
and I'm tired of this shit.
And if you don't like it,
you can see your ass to my front door.
I'm doing this for us, Mommy.
We need money.
I don't give a shit about no money.
I want you to go to school.
[Lester] You have 30 minutes.
So, good luck, my young geniuses.
Mr. Lester, I need a test.
Oh. I forgot you were here, Ms. Gooden.
- Can I see you in the hallway?
- I can't take the test?
How can you? You're never here.
Hallway, please, now.
- Yeah, I know what a PINS warrant is.
- You must not know.
They came up here looking for you.
They asked me to turn you in
when I see you.
So, what's up? What's going on?
Nothing.
Listen, I know the streets are calling,
but you must find a way to rise above it.
And you know what? You can.
Because you are
tremendously smart, Shante.
Hey, Ms. Peggy.
Hey, Ms. Denise.
Where you all off to?
Waiting for they daddy.
He's supposed to take them for ice cream,
but you know how that go.
Don't worry, baby.
I'll keep an eye on them.
Hey, girls!
You looking beautiful.
Looking like Easter Sunday out here.
[laughing]
I don't know why
we gotta wear these dresses.
Because I said so.
- What up, Shante?
- What up, Tone?
Hey, yo, y'all out here looking crazy.
Hey, I got this young dude
in Jamaica trying to battle you.
What? You don't mess
with rap shit no more?
I don't battle for less than 250.
I don't waste my time.
- Oh, so you about your dough, now, huh?
- Been about it.
All right. Two-fifty ain't shit.
We gonna see what's up.
- But otherwise, everything good?
- Yeah.
Don't we look good? [chuckles]
All right, Shante.
- If you need to go to the bathroom, go.
- I don't have to go.
Fast, just go and use the bathroom.
- I'll go with you.
- No.
Come on, girl.
Stop. I'm not going.
Why don't you wanna go in?
You scared you gonna miss him?
Get up.
Get up, Fast. We not going in the house.
Neek, LaLa. We need to crowd around her.
Come on. Spread out your dresses.
Fast, come in the middle of us.
You can go right here.
What she need to do
is just get in the house.
Don't get it on my feet.
Ah.
I feel like a whole new woman.
[Denise] Just a damn shame.
These babies learning
how to be disappointed by men
at such an early age.
It's gonna happen sooner or later.
Shante!
There's some beans and cornbread
on the stove if y'all hungry.
Baby, just sit down.
Or go on back to your place.
I'll look after them.
I want y'all to take this as a lesson.
You don't ever wait for no motherfucker.
This is what happens when you think
they love you and you find out they don't.
Trifling-ass motherfucker.
Come on, Shante.
Come on inside and get something to eat.
Give me my baby, Shante.
Don't be giving me no attitude,
'cause I ain't him.
[R&B music playing over speaker]
[humming]
- You ain't gonna eat nothing?
- No.
You know what time my door closes.
Mommy.
[humming]
Get on my fucking nerves, man.
I'm out here fucking trying.
Karate Bob in the place to be.
All right. For this, it's gonna be 500.
- Go on ahead and do that for 250.
- Two-fifty?
For six cashmere sweaters?
- Mm-mm. It costs 1000 in-store.
- Two-fifty, Shante.
It's only gonna take you 30 minutes,
there and back.
Two hundred and 50 bills
for 30 minutes of work?
You can't beat that.
Miss? Miss?
Hey! Come back here!
[panting]
Fuck you! I'm done!
Hey, yo, I'm for real
about that 50 a week.
- Don't be coming up short.
- I won't.
Here.
Put your money in this, all right?
This what you put it in every week.
And I'm serious about coming up
short, Shante. I'm counting that shit.
Tone. [chuckles]
Thank you.
It's all good, Shante.
We family.
That's why I'm inviting you into my spot.
Ah.
Man, these lights be tripping and shit.
So... how you gonna pay this rent, huh?
You still be boosting?
Man, you old-school hustling.
Let them bums do that shit.
We out here heavy, right?
You need to get down.
I told you to be there in a minute.
Hey, yo.
Shante. What's up?
That phone do something to you?
No, it's broken.
I got you. Use my cellular if you want.
- Yo, how you work this thing?
- Dial the number and press the red button.
- [Neek over phone] Hello?
- Neek Neek. What's up? Shante. Hey, where are you?
I can't tell you.
- But what's up? How are things?
- When you coming back home?
I ain't coming back, Neek. Not to live.
- But I'm gonna bring some money, though.
- Mommy. She's been drinking a lot.
I wanna leave, Shante.
I wanna live with you.
Can you come get us?
Everything copasetic?
Yo, Shante.
The fuck?
[knocking on door]
What you want? [man] A dart.
[sighs]
[man using door as drum]
I'm not rapping.
The fuck you think this is,
a free concert?
- Hi, I'm VJ Ralph McDaniels.
- And I'm the Vid Kid.
- We've been receiving letters and calls
- Crazy mail.
about people telling us they don't know
what time the Box comes on.
They don't know what time
Video Music Box comes on?
- Tell them what time it is.
- Monday through Friday, 3:30...
[Tone] Hey, yo, Shante.
- I came to grab something, all right?
- All right.
Money for rent is in the jar.
It's piling up,
waiting for you to take it.
Let it pile.
- You got some more Kool-Aid?
- Yeah. It's in the fridge.
Word.
Yo, Shante, what you got on, yo?
You can't be walking around like that.
Need some pajamas on around this joint.
All these dudes here. You can't be
walking around like that. Straight up.
What you mean? I always wear this.
No, Bee.
What? Ever since I moved in here,
I wear the same pajamas.
No, yo.
Hey, yo, yo, where you going?
Stop it, Tone.
- What is you doing?
- What you doing?
Come on. Stop tripping, yo.
- No, Tone.
- Shut up.
- Chill out.
- No! Tone, quit...!
- Stop fighting, yo.
- No, don't.
Shut up.
Stop!
- Come on.
- Don't.
[whimpering]
- You gotta go, yo.
- What?
You gotta go.
- Get the fuck out.
- No.
- You better leave...
- I don't got nowhere to go, Tone.
I don't give a fuck.
- Now, come on, yo. Let's go.
- All right. I'll do it.
I'm sorry, I'll do it.
Come on, I'll do it. I can't leave.
Out there in the world thinking you grown,
and you're back now?
You tell me one good reason why
I should let your ass back in my house.
Because you my daughter?
[Shante] Y'all got any more clothes?
I ain't picking that up.
What you think this is?
- I'm telling Mommy you ain't cleaning.
- Oh, really?
How are you gonna make it out to tell her?
I missed you, old mean butt.
[Marley] Hey, yo!
Yo, yo, Shante!
Yo, you still rhyme?
- Yeah.
- I got this beat I want you to rhyme over.
- I ain't got time, I got laundry to do.
- One verse. It ain't gonna take long.
- What you gonna give me for doing this?
- I ain't got no money to give you.
You still work
at the Sergio Valente factory?
I want jeans for me and my sisters.
I want Western Sergios.
All right, I can get those.
- You coming up?
- Yeah.
I need to put this in the laundry.
My mother been on me.
- I gotta get it done.
- All right. Hurry up, though.
- I only got ten minutes. Put on the beat.
- One second.
- I need four pair of them Western Sergio.
- All right, I got you.
Yo, you heard that song by UTFO,
"Roxanne, Roxanne"?
- Yeah.
- Can you get down to that?
All right, we'll see.
Marley, what you doing?
You wasting my time.
You gotta put the headphones on
to hear the beat, Shante.
I'm about to play it back.
[UTFO's "Roxanne, Roxanne"
instrumental playing]
Well, my name is Roxanne
A- don't you know
I just a-cold rock a party
And I do this show
You see I met these three guys
You know it's true
A-let me tell you
And explain them all to you
Shante, where you going?
We gotta play it back and listen.
I'm done. I don't wanna hear
my mother talking shit.
[phone ringing]
- Hello?
- [girl 1] You on the radio. Oh, my God.
[girl 2] Oh, my God, Shante! Oh, my...!
[phone ringing]
[girl 3] Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
You're on the radio!
Stop calling.
You're gonna get me in trouble.
[chuckles]
[whispering] I wonder what I sound like.
You're Shante? We heard you on the radio.
You sounded dope.
All right, back up, back up.
She's a superstar now.
Okay. Come on.
Move it, move it. Move.
No, she ain't signing.
It's crazy how Shante
is all over the newspaper.
Newspaper? What newspaper?
Oh, you don't know?
Well, what happened now?
- What trouble did she get herself into?
- I think she should tell you.
Goddamn, Shante is always getting herself
into some mess.
- Thank you.
- Don't have no kids, Raoul.
Shante.
I heard you was in the newspaper.
What did you do now?
You can't keep yourself
out of trouble, can you?
- They been playing my song on the radio.
- What song?
["Roxanne's Revenge" playing on radio]
My name is Roxanne
And they call me Shante
But every time-a I say
A rhyme-a just-a like-a this-a
So, that's where
all this rapping shit is going.
Okay, well, I like it.
But who is Roxanne? That ain't your name.
I ain't name you Roxanne.
Is that your name?
I don't think that's your name.
I didn't name you no damn Roxanne, now.
[crowd cheering]
If you're tryin' to be cute
And tryin' to be fine
You need to cut it out
'Cause it's all in your mind
Tryin' to be like me
Yeah, is very hard
You think you are God
But you do eat lard
Tryin' to be cute
And you're tryin' to be fly
Don't you know...
Show me your teeth.
We need to check for braces.
No, no. See, look, on the flyer,
they said anybody could get in.
They got 2500 for the winner.
We here to win that.
Nope. She won't show her teeth.
I told you, we can't let the girl
with the braces battle.
All these "rapper chicks" that's making
diss records about me?
What we at now, like, 50 or something?
That's crazy.
Fifty diss records about me
for this one song.
They should be thanking me,
sending me gifts for Mother's Day,
'cause I birthed they asses.
No ands, no buts, or suppose
No coke up your nose
No dope in your vein
And then it won't cause no kind of pain
But yet, and still
You're trying to be fly
I ask you a question, I wanna know why
Why'd ya have to make a record 'bout me
The R-O-X-A-N-N-E?
And you know it like a poet,
this is Magic 106FM, WHBI.
It's called "Roxanne Speaks Out."
Hope you got it on tape,
you may never hear it again.
Coming up on ten minutes
before the 2:00 hour in the a. m.
[Nu Shooz's "I Can't Wait"
playing over speakers]
Good?
We good?
- Everybody good?
- Yeah.
Right on.
You need something, let me know.
Sparky Dee, Sparky Dee, Sparky Dee.
What you gonna do about "Sparky's Turn"?
She cold got busy...
Man, get out of here,
I told you, I'm done talking to you.
Oh, you don't like to hear this?
I can turn it off if you want me to.
Yo, come...
Shan, I don't even know
why you bother to argue with fools.
Ain't that right, Ranita?
[Cross] Everyone all right over here?
Oh. [chuckles]
Look at you, Shante. Looking all grown-up.
- I'm glad everything working out for you.
- Thank you.
Need something to drink? I got you.
When you got free time,
let me take you out. Me and you.
- Treat you to your success.
- [John] Let's go.
Leave that little girl alone.
She ain't gonna be little forever.
Ain't that right, Shante?
I ain't little now.
Shaunie.
You ready to go?
Yup. She's ready, I'm ready.
I got school tomorrow. Let's go.
- I could take you home, Shante.
- She already got a ride.
It's all good, big man.
Good job getting him out of here.
You don't know me, homeboy.
It's all good, homeboy.
I'm just saying.
Shante gonna need some protection.
She a big superstar now.
[laughing]
All right.
If y'all need something, I'm around.
You know I love you
Even when you don't try
Yo, Shaunie.
I need to holla at you.
A hundred dollars? That's it?
That's all this rap shit pay?
I battled three times tonight.
- I make more than this on the street, Ray.
- Come on, Shaunie. We only made $500.
We owe 100 for the limo,
and the rest we split with everybody.
Look. This is how it works.
It don't matter whose show it is.
If everybody's working,
everybody gets paid the same.
We gotta take care of the family.
I'm gonna book you mad shows.
You gonna eat out here, I promise.
Check out what I got for you.
- You know I don't drink, Ray.
- Just open it.
You know we use these bags for everything.
Damn.
This is dope.
"Roxanne Shante."
Say it loud.
Thanks, Ray.
I got you.
The champ is here. The champ is here.
We used to get busy.
You should've seen us, Antwan.
Killing them.
Well, you still killing them now.
Yo, and keep killing them.
All right, yeah. Ain't nobody
fucking with you while I'm around.
Like tonight? Yo, I don't play with nobody
putting their hands on you.
I'm always gonna be right there, ready.
I know you will.
Yo, Shaunie.
- You know you about to take over, right?
- Of course she is.
This ain't nothing new.
I been telling them the champ is here.
Y'all crazy.
No.
- We just love you, Shaunie.
- Yeah.
Aw.
I love y'all, too.
Hey. You like the way I say that?
No.
- The champ is here. The champ is here.
- [laughing]
The champ is here.
Boogie down Bronx,
how y'all feeling tonight?
Let's hear you make some noise!
[crowd cheering]
This is my DJ, Marley Marl,
with the funky mixes.
We about to kick a new track for y'all.
A subject I know all about.
[rapping] It's a story I came to say
Tell you just about those runaways
How you run away
And you leave home
Just thinking you're grown
Wanna be on your own
I'm here to stop you
Right in your tracks
I am your conscience
For you to turn back
I came to tell you what it's about
How you should stay in
And you shouldn't go out
I don't wanna tell you yes
How the story goes
In case you didn't get the knowledge
And you don't know
I wanna tell you just how it is
Out there in the streets
And all the other biz
This is what happens straight to you
And don't stop me until I'm through
First you run away to a city, yes
Saying I'm gonna live and be super fresh
It don't work that way, don't you see?
So, come on, listen straight to me
I'm your conscience and your guide
Saying don't run away
Straight from the inside
Don't run away
- What?
- Word. He got locked up last night.
Antwan beat the shit out of somebody
that owed him money.
- Last night?
- Yup.
[boy] Great show, Roxanne.
- It was dope.
- Thanks.
[boy] Can I get your autograph?
- Can we get him out?
- I don't know. It ain't looking too good.
[boy] You forgot to answer the question.
[chuckles]
Look what he asked me.
Like we in school or something.
And you checked "no"? Shaunie, you cold.
You cold.
Here you go. I don't need no man,
and you too young for me.
But we the same age.
Exactly.
I shouldn't even be here.
[elevator door opens]
After you.
Before we go in, I need you
to put on this bandana.
I ain't putting that on. For what?
Just put it on.
I already told you,
I shouldn't even be here.
Shante, stop acting so tough.
- Let me do something for you.
- You ain't gotta do nothing for me.
This is so damn stupid.
You gotta cut me some slack. I'm gonna
do some white folk shit for once.
Hold out your hands.
- What's this?
- What does it feel like?
Is this mink?
Who you think I am?
It looks a little big.
I'm pretty sure it fits.
- Why you get me this big-ass coat?
- That ain't for you. That's mine.
You like it?
[laughing]
Cross, why you playing with me?
Just wanted to match your fly...
when I take you out tonight.
I don't know about this.
People gonna think we a couple.
Ain't nobody ever gave me
nothing like this.
Here, let's get it right on you.
Cute.
I like your freckles.
I ain't ready for all that.
Me neither.
[The Georgettes' "Would You Rather"
playing over speakers]
Would you rather
That I never fell in love
Pull over right up there.
Right in front of this car.
I wouldn't be
Too much for you to see
Just how in love with me
Pop the trunk button.
Be right back.
Happy we would be
[inaudible dialogue]
You can run along Everything all right?
We don't gotta go out.
No. Just a little tired.
Let's go.
This is why I do this.
[The Egyptian Lover's "Egypt, Egypt"
playing over speakers]
[singing] Roxanne, Roxanne
I wanna be your man
Homeboy, you see who the fuck she with?
It's nothing like that.
I'm just singing a song.
Come on, Cross.
[laughing]
You're beautiful.
You cute, too.
Pretty eyes.
Every girl in here gonna be all on you.
It's obvious who I'm here with tonight.
Why you messing with me, Cross?
You know how old I am?
Good.
I don't trust shit
moving out here, Shante.
There's something about you.
I want family.
A family bond. I need that in my life.
Let me give that to you.
Give what to me?
Love, Shante. You ever feel that?
Hmm?
[chuckles]
Get it right, baby, Roxanne Shante
Hi, Roxanne, and how do you do? My
name is Sparky Dee I'm pleased to meet you
Let me tell you something, girl
That you should know
I'm Sparky Dee and I'm running this show
You got braces in your mouth...
I'm telling y'all, this is huge.
We gonna get paid. Mm.
Check it. We take them out on tour
like prize fighters.
Make it a big event every night.
Roxanne Shante vs. Sparky Dee.
Round One.
This will be epic. I mean, you ain't never
seen anything like this before.
And they're ripping each other apart.
Fans gonna love this.
A right guard? A wrong turn?
This is something that you must learn
Because you took it too far
Yeah, that's right
Now it's my turn, yes, to get on the mic
To prove to you that I'm the best
When I say my rhymes
And prove they are fresh
Hey, you, new dude.
- Shante, can I kick my rhyme to you?
- I'm in a rush. Next time.
Yeah, you. You see a lady
carrying bags, you help her.
- Your mother didn't teach you no manners?
- My bad.
You gotta pay some dues around here.
You gotta put in work if you wanna get to my
level. -Take my bags. - Let me kick my rhyme to you.
Yo, kid, if you wanted to rhyme,
you would've started already.
But fuck it. Rap.
Yo... Yo...
What's your name?
- Nasir.
- Nasir.
If you don't have your rap together
the next time I see you,
I'm gonna fuck you up.
I'm dead serious, too.
Take your ass to school.
Why you over there, Ranita?
Just about to walk to school.
- We can get you a ride.
- No, I'll walk.
- First big tour, huh?
- Yeah, I know.
Wish you could have found a way to come.
I don't.
You was my first DJ and hype man.
Feels like they waiting on you.
Come here.
Why you so sad, Ranita?
It's not like I'm not coming back.
I don't wanna go either.
The first record was "Roxanne's Revenge."
I did it to prove a point.
To prove to him that I could rap.
The way it was done was, she was
doing laundry, washing drawers.
I told her to forget about the laundry,
come up, do this record.
- So, she came up...
- You had to tell them the laundry story?
Just gonna bring up I was doing laundry?
- He always telling the laundry story.
- It's the truth.
She was doing laundry,
I told her to come up and do this record.
Marley, I wasn't washing drawers.
It was my mother's laundry.
Yo, if it wasn't for me, Shaunie,
you'd still be washing panties.
Whatever. I still did
our biggest record in one take.
Boom. I made a record and did laundry
at the same time.
See what I've been telling you?
Gotta embrace and be nice
when they're yelling,
"Roxanne, I wanna be your man."
Let their imagination work.
Feed them.
Hmm? Be a fantasy to them.
Yeah, they can be your man.
Like this dude right here. Feed his ass. Look,
it's all a part of being Roxanne Shante, okay?
Look, Shaunie, you a phenomenon now.
You coming, Roxanne?
Got you.
I own, like, ten of these types
of garages.
We get cars left and right.
- So, you big-timing, then?
- That's right.
These Southern boys get money, too.
- Gimme a minute, playboy.
- All right.
I wanna show you
what we call Southern hospitality.
I saved this one for you.
Seriously? We just met, Doug.
I don't know about all that.
I don't care.
You Roxanne Shante, baby.
You bigtime. You deserve it.
It's nothing for me.
I'm just enjoying this time with you.
Let me spend the money.
So, do you want it?
Of course.
We got a connect at the DMV.
Should we put the car in your name?
- I don't think it can go in my name.
- Who's name, then?
It can go in my manager's name.
Let's do one more.
You like jewelry?
You shouldn't be taking gifts from people.
- What?
- You heard me.
You shouldn't be taking gifts.
You know what they want.
Ain't nobody giving nothing.
Mind your business.
- You doing some ho shit, Shaunie.
- Fuck you, Marley.
- Y'all two chill out?
- No, Ray. She acting like a ho.
- You just mad 'cause you can't fuck me.
- Whoa, what the fuck is going on here?
We brothers and sisters.
What is y'all on?
Word up.
She really feeling herself right now.
Don't nobody want your young ass.
You know what? Give me this shit.
Get off me.
Fuck you. I don't give a fuck
about that shit anyway.
Give it to one of your girlfriends,
broke-ass house DJ.
- I fucking made you.
- Make another.
You just jealous. You wanna be in my spot.
What's up, Shaunie?
What's the deal with y'all?
- Fuck him.
- Yo, and another thing?
I ain't DJ-ing your shit no more.
Ever again.
Find somebody else. We done.
Yeah, you jealous.
- Yo, he got all my records.
- Yo, wait.
You have to kill him
to get those records from him.
- He dead, then.
- Chill, Shaunie. You ain't got to do that.
I'll beat-box the show for you.
- Beat-box?
- [Biz] Yeah.
- The entire show?
- Yeah, that's what I do.
Watch. They gonna love us.
- I'll see you soon.
- Go back to school, little girl.
Hey, baby girl.
- Blackout, it's cool. I know him.
- She in good hands, big man.
[chuckles]
That's your new bodyguard? What happened
to the other big motherfucker?
- What you doing here?
- I needed some shit.
Plus, you know, I had to come
check on my Shante.
Roxanne, Roxanne. Mm.
I wanna be your man.
- It takes a lot to be my man.
- Get your bitch-ass out of here, man.
- What the fuck, Cross?
- My bad, yo.
I just ain't seen you in a minute.
See if I bruised those freckles.
I gotta go do this show.
I'll be right here.
Let's do this.
[Shan] You getting close to him, Shaunie?
- This ain't good.
- Don't need to hear this right now, Shan.
- You ready, Biz?
- [Biz] All day.
[crowd cheering]
We came here tonight to get started
To cold act ill or get retarded
[Biz beat-boxing]
I'm Shante and I rhyme to death
Just rap so fresh
Till I get outta breath
Now this is something
That we do have to do
And this is a team
That I must introduce
I'm Shante, he's Biz Markie
We rap so fresh
That they think it's three
Three of us who rap together
Strong as a bond
That's tougher than leather
My name is Shante, and yes
I'm top choice
And you can tell
By the sound of my voice
That the way that I rap
That I am the best
Higher than the rest
Plus, considered fresh
Threw on my FILAs and my FILA suit
Stepped out my house
I just knew I was cute
Bumped into Biz, he had on FILAs, too
I said, "Yo, Biz Markie,
What you wanna do?"
He stepped out the house chilling
Yes, you know
Went outside
It's kind of cold, you know
So, I threw on the bomber
So I could get loose
Matter of fact, it was my black Goose
- Get off me, man...
- Ow.
You hit me in the my mouth, you asshole.
I told you I was sorry.
Let me see, let me see.
You all good.
My bad, yo.
Just get a little possessive over you.
I don't want nobody to fuck this up.
I told you, it's just part of my job.
I don't even like it when they do that.
I understand.
Hey. Sorry.
Yo, Shaunie.
Man, our tour money is gone.
- What?
- I put my bags down in the bathroom.
When I came out the stall,
a couple of my bags were gone,
and the money was in one of them.
This just happened.
You call the police?
Tell the hotel people?
I had a lot of other shit in them bags.
I can't call the cops. It's gone.
So, you telling me
all our tour money is gone?
Most of it. I had already given
Marley and Sparky their cut,
and I was about to bring you yours,
and I come out the bathroom,
and my bags are gone.
Fuck, man.
- Why you doing her like this?
- Like what?
- What?
- I looked around, okay? It's gone.
There's nothing I can do.
- That's how it is, Ray?
- [Ray] Back up.
Marley?
- Man, fuck this. Give me my money.
- Chill.
Let go, Sparky.
Fuck this rap shit. I need my money.
- It ain't worth it, Shante.
- Let go, Sparky.
Fuck all y'all. If Antwan was here,
he'd beat the shit out of you.
- [Marley] Antwan ain't gonna do shit.
- Fuck this.
Ain't no fucking money
in this shit anyway.
That's right. Fuck them.
You don't need them, Shaunie.
You got this without them, all right?
All right? Here.
I know what we out here doing
and saying about each other.
But we still sisters
at the end of the day.
Yo, nigga. You think I'm playing, huh?
You ran off with my fucking package.
You better hit this motherfucker back.
[woman] You ready to order?
Still looking.
Give us five more minutes.
I'll take a beer. Whatever you got.
[woman] We got High Life.
How about you, miss?
You look like you need a drink.
I bring you the beer, okay?
I'll come back.
What you staring at?
You looking at me the whole time.
Trying to figure out who you are
and why you in my motherfucking face.
This your new boyfriend, Shante?
Huh? What is this shit?
You wanna be grown so bad,
you got yourself an old man?
[laughing]
You a nasty motherfucker.
- Mommy, can you stop? What do you want...?
- Stop? I keep trying to tell you.
You stir up enough shit, eventually,
shit's gonna splash you on your ass.
And I see this piece of shit
is all over you.
Do you know how old she is?
She's 16.
- You look like you damn near my age.
- You sounding like a scorned woman.
Somebody must have hurt you real bad.
Hate every man walking.
You don't want her to be happy?
You want her to be miserable like you?
Just a trifling motherfucker.
Shante, you fucking this nigga?
- You fucking him?
- I ain't got time for this.
Yeah. Take your punk ass
out the restaurant.
- Cross, wait.
- Don't you be running after no man.
I'm moving to Jersey with you.
- Go back there with your crazy-ass momma.
- No.
You ain't ready for all this, Shante.
Go.
[R&B playing over speakers]
[moaning]
[shouting]
[baby crying]
[screaming]
You'll learn how to control your mouth,
or I'll keep beating your ass.
Keep disrespecting me,
keep doing that shit.
Get the fuck up.
I ain't playing with you. Get up.
Fuck out of my house. [baby crying]
Get the fuck out.
Get the... What's wrong with you? Huh?
- You fucking crazy?
- Fuck you, motherfucker! I hate you!
[woman] Come on, Roxanne.
I know you can give me a smile.
I can't.
[woman] Come on.
But you're too pretty to not be smiling.
I can't move my fucking jaw.
Take the damn picture.
[woman] It's beautiful.
See? That wasn't so painful, was it?
- Let's get some more inside the building?
- No, I'm good. Thanks, though.
[Ray] What's been up, Shaunie?
We've been looking for you.
Heard you in Newark
with a family and everything.
Congrats on your son.
Yo, check it. I got some good news.
Cold Chillin' got a deal with Warner Bros.
They don't wanna do it without you.
They wanna push you.
Ray, it's been four years,
and I ain't got no damn album.
Tell me why.
'Cause you don't wanna pay me.
That's what we gonna do, Shaunie.
Get that first album out,
and then take you out on tour.
For real.
Look. I'm sorry, Shaunie. That's just how
I thought shit was supposed to be.
I promise. Not this time.
We've all learned.
Fuck you. Fuck rap.
I ain't making no money rapping.
Really. Fuck Roxanne Shante.
Because of her,
I'm getting my ass beat every day.
Think about this, Shaunie.
Act right, Shaunie.
[Latifa] How do I look?
[Shante] You look good.
- You used to hate the clothes I got you.
- Yeah, them church clothes.
Shaunie, I can't believe
you wanna cut all this beautiful hair.
I have to, 'Nessa. Roxanne Shante gotta go.
She is the ponytail and I need a change.
I hate to cut it.
Hey, Ms. Peggy.
Hey, 'Nessa. Hi, Mommy.
Hey, Shante.
Your old man kicked you out,
and you're running back home?
I brought the girls clothes,
and was gonna take them to get ice cream.
Well, they can't go.
No ice cream before dinner.
[Latifa] Mommy.
Why are you getting your hair fried?
You got my house smelling
like you been ironing dirty jeans.
Why don't you go
to the beauty salon, superstar?
[knocking on door]
[Cross] Shante.
Why are you coming in here?
Why you all tensed up?
Are you gonna act like that now?
Can I finish my bath?
I only hit you 'cause I love you.
You know that, right?
If I didn't care, I wouldn't do that.
[groans]
[Cross sniffling]
Come on.
I love you, you know?
It looks good on you.
[gasps, then breathing heavily]
Get a video recorder,
large-screen TV,
video camera,
even an audio-video component system.
Get it all on sale now, during Crazy D's
greatest TV and video sale ever.
Remember, we are not undersold,
we will not be undersold,
we cannot be undersold. And we mean it.
So, get anything and everything
in CD and video. Get it now...
It's a lot going on, Cross.
The record label want me back.
Well, go back, then.
And my sisters need me.
It's just a lot, and I can't...
I can't.
I just...
I think it's quits.
It's quits.
Fuck you think this is?
This is some grown-up shit,
Ms. Roxanne Shante. Ain't no quits.
[subway train roaring]
[shouting]
[sobbing]
[Mitchell]
How are those ribs feeling today?
You did fracture three of them,
so you're gonna be in pain for a while.
Get some rest and we should be able
to release you tomorrow morning.
We talked to your father.
He going to sign the release forms.
You talked to my father?
Yeah, Mr. James Cross.
He was here with your little brother?
You didn't see them?
[Fastima] Shante.
[Mitchell] Careful, okay? Be careful.
Ms. Gooden, do you need anything else?
No.
- Thank you, nurse.
- You're welcome.
All right now, girls. Come on.
Sit down. Sit down.
Give your sister some room to breathe.
What the hell happened to you, Shante?
I just wanted to be a kid, Mommy.
That's all.
I watched my whole life change that day.
I lost you.
I lost my friend.
I lost my mommy.
When you took that drink...
it all fell on me.
[crying]
I'm so sorry, baby.
I'm so sorry.
[Ranita] So, you mean
you haven't seen Chucky in two weeks?
That motherfucker.
Look, Shante, you gotta talk to him.
You gotta get Chucky back.
You don't miss your son?
Of course I miss my baby.
Then you gotta talk to him.
Well... at least let me talk to him.
Dial the number.
- [Cross over phone] Hello?
- Yo, nigga. Where's Chucky?
- Put Shante on the phone.
- She don't wanna talk to you.
Put Shante on the phone
or I'm hanging up.
[sighs]
You gotta talk to him.
Come home, Shante.
Say it.
I hit you 'cause I love you.
Now, bring your ass back home.
I just want Kareem.
You just want Kareem? Really?
That's all you want?
- After all the shit I did for your ass?
- Cross, just stop.
- I ain't coming back.
- No, bitch, ain't no stopping this.
You want your son back?
You're gonna listen to me, goddamn it.
I gave you the world, Shante.
And now you don't wanna act right.
I should've beat your ass worse.
You shut your mouth,
we wouldn't even be in this situation.
You know what? Fuck it.
About through with your ass anyway.
You want him back? Ten Gs.
You got 10 thou?
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Now, bring your ass back home.
You know, Shante,
you people never cease to amaze me.
I... [chuckles]
I can't help you buy your baby back.
You can't buy and sell people.
What is wrong with you?
This is like modern-day slavery.
The chutzpah of this motherfucker.
Wants to sell his own kid for $10,000.
And you sit here wanting me
to give you fucking paperwork
to solidify the sale?
It's un-fucking-believable.
Fuck.
I can't believe I'm gonna help you with
this shit. And you better not tell a soul.
You ain't even gotta pay me back.
I owe you one.
Again, my bad about that, Shante.
Yo, let me know
where you gonna meet up with dude.
You know I can get that 10 back
and it'll be all yours. For real.
You meet him, give him the bread,
and then you move out with the baby.
And we move in.
It'll be just another nigga dead.
People die around here all the time.
Won't nobody think twice about him.
You won't ever have
to worry about him again.
I can't do that.
You sure, Shante?
What's the shit you want me to sign?
You always gonna be my woman.
Remember that.
Chuck.
It's a big house in Newark.
Oh, baby. It is so good them girls
are moving out there with you.
- Mm-hm.
- Yeah, Ms. Peggy told me. She was...
The way she was smiling? I ain't seen her
grinning like that for years.
Yeah. And my first album about to drop.
- It's looking good, Ms. Denise.
- Congrats.
Girl, I am so proud of you.
Making all of us out here look good.
This cutie-pie here.
We about to get ice cream and check out
the Park Jam if you wanna come.
Oh, no, girl.
My back has been giving me problems.
But I'm still hanging in there.
Like a loose tooth.
I'll cook some food.
That's what I'll do.
You want some of that?
That's good, right? [chuckles]
You better not walk past me
and not say nothing.
- Peace, Shante.
- Peace?
You done grew up on me.
- You got an MC name?
- Nas.
All right, Nas.
Bust your rhyme.
You remember what I told you
if you ain't know your shit.
- Hi, Ms. Denise.
- You gonna get fucked up.
- Let me hear it.
- Take your ass back upstairs.
- [Shante] Go ahead.
- Nobody got time for this.
- [Shante] You thought I was playing?
- Look at your girl.
- Look at that. She just like you.
- Hey, Mommy. Come check this kid out.
He say he can rap.
He gotta prove it, though.
You trying to battle rap my girl, Nasir?
The Queensbridge Champ
since she was 9? She ain't never lost.
How much money you got?
She don't rap for free.
I'm older now, devoted
Ready to hold it down
New kings of Queens it seems
That they stole the crown
Got props for watching cops in vans
Holding rocks in their hands
Trying to be Roxanne's man
Pent it for my brothers
Submitted in the jungle
Group they summer youth checks
Put it in the bundle with that crumble
Ready to serve
Not just merging these words
I'm firm 'cause I learned
From the best girl in town
And I vowed to make these Jects
World renowned
And if they ever make a record
Diss me I go wild like
R-O-X-A-N-N-E
Yeah.
- That was good.
- Thanks.
Good job.
Take your ass to school.
[laughing]
The reason it's important
for a man to know more about a woman
is 'cause then he knows
the things that she likes done,
and the things he should do
to keep her happy,
'cause that's what we're trying to do.
Get more back into the family thing.
And you can't have a family if you don't
know what it takes to have one.
The reason why I feel
we lost the family thing is because...
And, fellas, please don't get mad at me.
Please. Please don't.
...men weren't living up
to their responsibilities.
I don't know if I should say this.
[chuckles]
They weren't. I say that because
fellas got more into hanging out.
They didn't wanna be home, flowers...
Nobody was buying flowers anymore.
You had to die to get flowers.
[Roxanne Shante's "Pay Back" playing]
Well, Mother's back
Yes, the queen is home
You best believe to get off my throne
All you other MCs
I will demolish
Just for me
You can wax and polish my chin
Because I don't care
To talk back to me
You know you wouldn't dare
I gave you a chance
To see who you could be
And now I see that you can't be me
Two of y'all
Matter of fact, even four
Now I think it's gonna take much more
Of you to do what I do
And this is the reason
Why I'm telling you
When Shante's in the place
Give up the mic
'Cause to rhyme on the mic
Is what I like
To do as a fact
And you know that's true
That's the reason why I'm here
Telling me to you
Because Mother's home
That's what I say
And the reason why I say it
In the very nasty way
Is because I gave y'all girls a chance
And you can't even make
The people dance
Girls, you know I feel ashamed
When you're ever on-stage
Don't mention my name
Don't let them know
That you learned from me
The S-H-A and the N-T-E
I gave you a chance
Just to get it together
I am leather You're nothing but pleather
I gave you a chance to show your style
But now I am back and I will get wild
Shante
I take up for y'all
Everywhere I go
I talk about y'all girls
At every show
You don't appreciate the things
That I do for you
Well, now it's over
Your turn is through
I gave you a chance
To see if you could rhyme
But now I see you're on my yacht
You try to imitate everything I say
Well, you can't be me
'Cause this is one Shante
One Shante
And I'm that girl
Rocking and shocking around the world
I'm known everywhere that I go
They break they necks To come to my show
To see me diss dumb girls like you
I gave you a chance
But now youse through
You try it again
I'm telling you now
I'm letting you know
If you can't roll down
Don't even bother picking up a mic
'Cause you know just
Yes, what I'm like
When I get loose or I get mad
You know, yes, girls
That you are had
I took my chance
I took a rest
Just to see if y'all girls
Yes, could be friends
But now I turn on the radio
And I listen to your rhymes
Then I say: "So?"
So what, girls, y'all try real hard
Listen to your rhyme
I say "Oh, my God"
They made girls who are such a shame
I worked so hard
To get y'all in the game of rap
And I tried very well
Now, I see I'll take you to hell
Straight through hell
Out the other side
Get on my back
I'll give you a ride
You never had a ride like this before
You never, ever pick up a mic anymore
Now I must see that I'm coming home
So, please, y'all jesters
Get off my throne
The royalty has just arrived
Back in the place
When I stepped inside
You best believe the things I say
Don't you know youse not Shante?
The S-H-A and the N-T-E
Five-foot-four or five-foot-three
I really could not tell you exact
But exactly, girls, you are wack
Shante
Well, Mother's back
Yes, the queen is home
You best believe to get off my throne
All you other MCs
I will demolish
Just for me
You can wax and polish my chin
Because I don't care
To talk back to me
You know you wouldn't dare
I gave you a chance
To see who you could be
And now I see that you can't be me
Two of y'all
Matter of fact, even four
Now I think it's gonna take much more
Of you to do what I do
And this is the reason
Why I'm telling you
When Shante's in the place
Give up the mic
'Cause to rhyme on the mic Is what I like
To do as a fact And you know that's true
That's the reason why I'm here
Telling it to you
'Cause Mother's home
That's what I say
And the reason why I say it
In a very nasty way