Roxanne Shante’s Doctored Up Doctorate…
In 2009, pioneering female emcee Roxanne Shante claimed that she had obtained a Ph.D. from Cornell University at the expense of Warner Bros. as a part of some forgotten clause in her 30 year old recording contract. “This is a story that needs to be told,” said Shante. “I’m an example that you can be a teenage mom, come from the projects and be raised by a single parent and still come out of it a doctor.”
A Slate magazine investigation later revealed that Roxanne’s revenge on her record label was totally false. Warner Bros denied ever putting up the bread for the rapper’s education and Cornell said they had no record of her ever attending. She later apologized in at letter to her fans.
