The trailer has been released for the Roxanne Shanté biopic, Roxanne Roxanne, which will be released on Netflix.
The film, set in the 1980s, tells the story of a 14-year-old rap prodigy from New York City’s Queensbridge Projects named Lolita Shante Gooden, who would go onto become the famed rapper hip hop fans know her as: Roxanne Shanté.
The cast is led by Chanté Adams (a relative newcomer who is starring as the title character), Mahershala Ali, Nia Long, Elvis Nolasco, Kevin Phillips, and Shenell Edmonds.
Produced by Forest Whitaker and his producing partner, Nina Yang Bongiovi (they also produced Fruitvale Station and Dope), it made its world premiere at Sundance last year, where Adams won the festival’s Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance.
The film is produced by Forest Whitaker Whitaker/Bongiovi-produced film (along with “Dope” and “Fruitvale Station” to name 2 previous others) that I’m sure will be snatched up soon after its Sundance premiere; if it hasn’t already been.
In an interview Mahershala Ali gave to The Daily Beast in August 2016, the actor shared that “Roxanne, Roxanne” will defy expectations of what audiences have come to expect what rap biopics are supposed to be: “Usually when you look at hip-hop films and biopics you think, this is a story of this album, or how so and so came up in the business… But it explores why she kind of disappeared and got derailed, to some degree. I believe that’s going to be a film that really grabs people as well, because it’s very nuanced compared to a lot of music biopics.”
The real Roxanne Shanté is listed as an executive producer.
Watch the trailer below:
