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“Who’s phony, who’s fake” are the lyrics to a popular song (“Who’s Real”) by Jadakiss and East Atlanta’s OJ Da Juiceman, with the answer being more tricky to answer than most would care to know. Roxxane Shante has represented what it meant to be real. The legendary female lyricist and rap pioneer made headlines when she revealed her story to the media, highlighting the highs and lows of the music business, eventually telling of her fight against evil record executives that granted her the freedom to be who she wanted to be, a doctor and hero to the people of her community.

An amicable goal that came to fruition when she convinced Warner Music, a label that accused of “cheating with the contracts, stealing and telling lies,” to pay what they owed: a college education. Warner allegedly ended up forking over more than $200,000 to pay for Shante’s education, allowing the maker of “Roxxane’s Revenge” to pursue an undergraduate degree from Marymount Manhattan College as well as receive a Ph.D in psychology from Cornell University. All the education according to her allowed her to open an “unconventional therapy practice” that centers on helping Black Americans.

From the hood to the high life, all paid for by a “sleazy” record label, should make for a compelling, feel good story right? It should, but in this case, the feeling is a fallacy as everything that Shante has said and “done” regarding the incident that changed her life is nothing more than a complete, total, and utter lie accompanied by slanderous falsehoods and misinformation.

According to spokespeople at Warner Music Group, there was never a contract between Lolita Shante Gooden nor were they obligated to pay for her education, a claim that finds strength in the fact that there is no evidence that claims otherwise. A record search through the National Student Clearinghouse also showed that the rapper never set foot on Cornell’s Graduate Department. Another search revealed an even more startling fact, Gooden never graduated from Marymount Manhattan College, with records showing that she dropped out after only three months of attending classes.

“She was only here for three months in 1995. She did not graduate from Marymount Manhattan,” said Manny Romero, director of Communications for the college.

Shante, whom maintains that she is a “Dr.” even after a recent admission that she never received a Ph.D, justified the situation with Marymount by saying that she “made a mistake on an application” by listing her old name and that was the reason for the information found in THE NSC’s records.

“Who’s real? Who’s not??” Roxanne Shante is definitely more fake than an authentic Fendi purse from a swap meet on Crenshaw and the miniature version of the “new” Playstation 5 that is sold exclusively in Little Chinatown!

There is but marginal shame in an uneducated, single mother looking to revisit a miniscule 22 ½ second of fame that highlights a excitingly drab yet extraordinarily average life, but why lie about it? Simpleton. . .Point for UTFO, victor in the “Roxxane Battles” by default.