Call Her Dr. Roxanne Shante, Ph.D.

I don't know about you, but I get tired of hearing one rap hit after another glorifying conflict between two poor people, from the same poor neighborhood, inflicting physical violence on each other in the name of "respect." In reality, achievement, service to others and living honorably is what earns respect. The first female celebrity of rap, Roxanne Shante, lives this. She earned her Ph.D. from Cornell University and made sure Warner Brothers Music paid for every penny of her education. But it wasn't easy:

The teen mother, living in the Queensbridge Houses, recalled how her life was shattered. "Everybody was cheating with the contracts, stealing and telling lies," she said. "And to find out that I was just a commodity was heartbreaking." But Shante, then 19, remembered a clause in her Warner Music recording contract: The company would fund her education for life.

She eventually cashed in, earning a Ph.D. in psychology from Cornell to the tune of $217,000 -- all covered by the label. But getting Warner Music to cough up the dough was a battle. "They kept stumbling over their words, and they didn't have an exact reason why they were telling me no," Shante said. She figured Warner considered the clause a throwaway, never believing a teen mom in public housing would attend college. The company declined to comment for this story. Source: Rapper behind 'Roxanne's Revenge' gets Warner Music to pay for Ph.D. - NY Daily News

Making a corporate behemoth do what it said it was going to do? Now, that's gangster. Today, Dr. Shante focuses her talent and skills as a psychologist on helping inner-city black folks.

Shante earned her doctorate in 2001 and launched an unconventional therapy practice focusing on urban African Americans -- a group traditionally reluctant to seek mental health help. "People put such a taboo on therapy. They feel it means they're going crazy," she explained. "No, it doesn't. It just means you need someone else to talk to." Shante often incorporates hip-hop music into her sessions, encouraging her clients to unleash their inner MC and shout out exactly what's on their mind. "They can't really let loose and enjoy life," she said. "So I just let them unlock those doors." Source: NY Daily News

Now 38, Shante offers $5,000 in college scholarships each semester to female rappers through the nonprofit Hip Hop Association. And if you are a young woman in the music industry, you can reach out to her directly via her MySpace page. Shante says, "I call it a warning service, so their dreams don't turn into nightmares."

Please share Shante's story with some young people in your life. This is what a role model looks like.

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Female Rappers: Now and Then

Female Rappers: The Way They Were
These days, there aren't many female rappers actively recording. However, throughout the late 1980s and the 1990s female rappers were all the rage on the music scene. Beyond their feminine flow and their radio radio rhyme styles, acts such as Salt-N-Pepa, Lil' Kim, Eve, YoYo and Queen Latifah have weathered many storms in the male dominated world of hip hop. From TV shows to major endorsement deals, some have even bested their male counterparts in their many career pursuits. And on the other hand, some have met career-derailing fates. BlackVoices.com invite you to take a candid look at how some of the major players are doing now, and what they were like back in the day. Check it out.

BlackVoices.com

Mel B Pictures

In this photo provided by Kraft Foods, Spice Girl "Mel B" poses for a photo wearing a T-shirt she designed based on the classic pink ribbon used for breast cancer awareness, after a fashion show and launch of "Pose for the Cure" web site to help Kraft Foods raise money for the 'Susan G. Komen for the Cure' fight against breast cancer in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008. The shirt is for sale on the web site and the net proceeds will benefit the foundation. (AP Photo/Kraft Foods, Ray Stubblebine) **NO SALES**

In this undated image released by Oxfam Tuesday Sept. 23, 2008, British singer Mel B participates in the 'In My Name' global campaign calling for action against poverty and demanding world leaders keep their promises on millennium development goals. (AP Photo/Oxfam, HO) ** NO SALES **

In this photo provided by Kraft Foods, Spice Girl Mel B, left, serves as the emcee at a fashion show and launch of "Pose for the Cure" web site to help Kraft Foods raise money for the 'Susan G. Komen for the Cure' fight against breast cancer in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008. Mel B wears a T-shirt she designed based on the classic pink ribbon used for breast cancer awareness. The shirt is for sale on the web site and the net proceeds will benefit the foundation. The woman at right is unidentified. (AP Photo/Kraft Foods, Ray Stubblebine) **NO SALES**

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: TV personality and designer Khloe Kardashian and Olympic-level swimmer and model Amanda Beard (R) pose backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )

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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Ultimo Scottish designer lingerie brand founder Michelle Mone (L) and pop singer Melanie Brown pose backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )

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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Pop singer Melanie Brown poses backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )

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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Pop singer Melanie Brown and Olympic-level swimmer and model Amanda Beard (R) pose backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )

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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Pop singer Melanie Brown and singer Aubrey O'Day (R) poses backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )

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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Pop singer Melanie Brown, Olympic-level swimmer and model Amanda Beard, singer Aubrey O'Day and TV personality and designer Khloe Kardashian pose backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )

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