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Yesterday we ran a story about rapper Roxanne Shante, who at the age of 15 rose to rap superstardom and followed up her recording career with a hefty academic record. Best of all, the education was free, since a loophole in her Warner recording deal was that they'd pay for her schooling for life.Today, Slate.com reported that her story of attending Marymount College and then pursuing a PhD at Cornell was false, and that no such deal with Warner ever existed. Well, our reporter Lauren Fritsky went straight to the source for her take, and here's what Roxanne had to say about the article and its author:
"I'm just gonna let it go ... What he's trying to do is trying to get himself known, to get the popular sites to read after him. This is not a $5 billion Ponzi scheme. What would make someone go so hard and heavy at that?"
Shante has since said that she received a Masters, not a PhD from Cornell, though Slate's research found no evidence of either. While the story might be bogus, we still respect the way she's pulled herself up and worked to make a difference in people's lives.
Hopefully this is the first and only time a hip-hop artist exaggerates for publicity; otherwise we're going to have to scrap next week's features on Kanye talking to God and Eminem murdering Lindsay Lohan.
More interesting stuff from the Web:
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25 cheerleaders get stuck in an elevator. (Asylum.com)
Comments:
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Wednesday 02 September
By Sam I Am
But she accepts the SLATE piece with no disagreement and offers no facts to back any of this up?
No one is suggesting we still shouldn't LIKE her.
It's just crystal clear we can no longer TRUST her.
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Thursday 03 September
By mbrul
y'all just racists! just cause a black woman lies, you all going crazy. she lied, so what? whitey made her lie! and it's bush's fault too!
Thursday 03 September
By radioraheem
She did not receive her Master's, she's a cold blooded liar!
The very fact that she's lacking in the education department (by barely finishing a single semester of college), has enabled this fantastic liar to not realize she would eventually get exposed for the fraud that she is.
Amazing. She doesn't have a bachelors degree, not even an associate's degree from a community college... Mind boggling liar.
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Thursday 03 September
By Bourgie, JD
I don't know if this is grace under pressure or backpedaling 101. So a Master's instead of a Ph.D.? Then why are you letting articles call you Dr. Shante? Why are you referring to yourself as Dr. Shante on blogs and twitter? It's a bit too late to go the Dr. Dre route, I think.
I don't know why Slate chose this story to go after, but they did turn up some pretty good evidence.
I have two degrees and currently working on a third. I have all my diplomas and if someone came a knockin' I'd be able to produce them as well as get the registrar on the phone to back me up. So far, Roxanne Shante's got none of that.
We'll see....
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Thursday 03 September
By Mike Jones
Does she have any degrees or not? Is she a liar or not?
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Thursday 03 September
By Dirk
As a role model for some youth, I'd rather they misrepresent themselves about obtaining a higher education, than glorifying jail time. I say back off, she didn't do it to get a job, just got a little carried away with some bragging apparently.
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Thursday 03 September
By vrhpatricia
Actually, I think it would be a bit more understandable (although still wrong) if she lied about her degree to get a job. She is already a successful and accomplished person. She doesn't need to lie about her education to raise the value of her public esteem. She apparently feels insecure about her educational level.
Thursday 03 September
By Mike
You need proof that the Slate story is true? Here it is, from the horse's mouth:
"I'm just gonna let it go ... What he's trying to do is trying to get himself known, to get the popular sites to read after him. This is not a $5 billion Ponzi scheme. What would make someone go so hard and heavy at that?"
She's an ignoramus.
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Thursday 03 September
By Elaine
Thank you Mike, That is an "in your face" answer for all bloggers who think that it is ok for her to lie like that. Not once but twice, which makes it hard for any honest person to swallow.
Thursday 03 September
By Nigel
Damn! Just when you thought it was okay to believe again. I am proud of my degree and would be happy to show it to anyone who asked. I can't see her not being able to produce it. It's a shame.
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Thursday 03 September
By Heidi
where is Obama's birth certificate????
Sunday 06 September
By Glen
So after they found out she didn't get a Phd, she claimed it was a Masters? Then there is no record of that? When does it stop? When they find out she did not even get out of grade school? So that's what rap is. Telling lies and chasing guys. At least she is good at lying!
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Thursday 03 September
By asw
Are you surprized thast she is misrepresenting herself? Would you people just consider the source.
Atleast she is trying to show youths who listen and follow her that a college education is important.
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Thursday 03 September
By asw9999
Are you surprized thast she is misrepresenting herself? Would you people just consider the source.
Atleast she is trying to show youths who listen and follow her that a college education is important.
Reply
Thursday 03 September
By laurarvail1
Yeah a college education is important... if you actually GET ONE!
Thursday 03 September
By Mandi
There should be no reason to lie about attending a College or University since there are tons of them out there in which to get your degree. Why she felt a need to lie abut it is what I need to know. Is it because of the stigma of black music artists being under educated or without a college degree. That should stop. Plenty of white artists never did have dregrees and are quoted and loved by everyone. And they obtain honorary degrees. So why must the Black artist feel they need to try harder? If she feels a need to be a Doctor, get an Honorary degree and then Slate can write stories about those members of groups such as Beatles, The Rolling Stones, et al of those who do not and will not ever have a univeristy degree, either.
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Thursday 03 September
By debbie
So much talk about this degree, and that degree. If no evidence proves she has she any degree, why does she even discuss it? She obviously wants to get a degree, so why doesn't she just pursue it? Sad, very sad......
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Thursday 03 September
By Shane
These people who lie about academic achievement diminish all of us who actually earned our advanced degrees!!
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Sunday 27 September
By jeanie
You did not just say that. I bet your "advanced" degree is from a publicly traded company -- aka "career college" -- and isn't worth the paper on which it is printed.
So ... why DID Slate find it to be such as slow news day that it needed to pursue this story. Why not go after the guys doing the real damage out there instead of the Mexican caught on camera stealing a quarter while he is vacuuming out some fuck's car. GO FOR THE DIFFICULT STORIES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF YOU WANT JOURNALISM TO MATTER. OK? Good.
Thursday 03 September
By Show and Prove
Well if she did get a masters why does'nt she just post it on the web. Then and only then will she be able to shut him up.
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