Coming to Netflix this Spring is 'Roxanne Roxanne'; the story of pioneering female rapper Roxanne Shanté, and her rise to fame from humble beginnings on the harsh streets of Queens, New York. The star herself is credited as an executive producer for the movie, while her young self is played by Chanté Adams.

Roxanne Shante at Tribeca Film FestivalRoxanne Shante at Tribeca Film Festival

Roxanne Shanté (whose real name is Lolita Shanté Gooden) began rapping at the tender age of 13 and by the time she was 14, she was a part of Marley Marl and radio DJ Mr. Magic's 80s hip hop collective The Juice Crew. 

She was tearing up rap battles left, right and center until she decided to write a song called 'Roxanne's Revenge' for Marley and Magic to get back at U.T.F.O. who hadn't appeared at a scheduled concert. She claimed she was the inspiration behind the track, and her follow-up was an instant hit - even kicking off one of the most famous hip hop feuds in history: the Roxanne Wars.

'The characters and the actors that played my mom were just so dead on that I felt like I was stepping back in time', Shanté told Rolling Stone. 'Some parts of the movie, I couldn't be there when they filmed them only because I couldn't relive it again.'

From the producers of 'Fruitvale Station' and 'Dope', the movie has been written and directed by Michael Larnell and stars newcomer Chanté Adams as Roxanne Shanté. Before 'Roxanne Roxanne', Adams previously appeared in an episode of 'Redwood Time' and since then she's starred in crime drama 'Monsters and Men' and signed on to appear in the forthcoming comedy 'Good Girls Get High'.

'I was afraid (as) it was my first film', Adams told Dazed Digital. 'I didn't know how people would feel about my performance, being so new to the industry, but they welcomed me with open arms.'

Also starring in the film is 'Moonlight' actor Mahershala Ali as Roxanne's abusive older boyfriend Cross and 'Keanu' star Nia Long as her mother Peggy Gooden. It was first screened as part of the US Dramatic Competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.

'Roxanne Roxanne' hits Netflix on March 23rd 2018.