Rockaway
JOURNAL Since 1883
www.liherald.com
FEBRUARY 12 - 18, 2026
$1.00
Roxanne Shanté in Far Rockaway April 7 In the 1980s, the Queensbridge Houses complex was the epicenter of Battle Rap with participants exchanging insults and boasts in rhyme in front of animated crowds. Nobody was better than Lolita Shanté Gooden — even at age 10 with ponytails and braces. In 1985, the 14-year-old hit it big with Roxanne’s Revenge and the stage name Roxanne Shanté. This sparked a long, varied career that achieved immortality last year, when she won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Now, the living legend is back in her home borough as part of Books & Bars, a multi-month program at Queens Public Library. From February to May, she’ll make monthly appearances at different branches to talk about the music industry and how youngsters can build a career while protecting their art. She’ll also extol the many benefits of libraries. And as part of the fun, those who think they have some game can step to the mic and spit 90-second verses about the last books they borrowed from QPL and get feedback from Shanté. Tuesday, March 3 at 4 p.m. Elmhurst Branch, 86-07 Broadway Tuesday, April 7 at 3 p.m. Far Rockaway Branch, 16-37 Central Ave. Thursday, May 7 at 3:30 p.m. Long Island City Branch, 37-44 21st Street Born on March 8, 1969, Shanté got her start with the Juice Crew, a Queensbridge-based hip hop collective spearheaded by radio personalities Mr. Magic and Marley Marl and aligned with the Cold Chillin’ record label. Other members who made it big include Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie and MC Shan. Fearless and with a gift for rhyming on the spot, she produced diss tracks mocking rivals and collaborated on other songs that were so successful that she basically retired from the music industry at age 25. She moved to New Jersey to live the suburban life while occasionally appearing in commercials and films and founding a nonprofit. She’s still in the public eye today, hosting some events and making guest appearances at others.
Courtesy Queens Tourism Council
There will be concerts through June at the New York Irish Center in Long Island City. Crossroads Concert Series St. Patrick’s Day is a little more than a month away, but you can became to feel the green with some Traditional Gaelic music mixed with sounds from around the world, as the New York Irish Center for the Crossroads Concert Series 2026 takes place over the next six months. General admission is $25. Supported by The Irish Institute of New York and truly back by popular demand, the second annual Crossroads Concert Series will present six all-new fusion concerts this year. All the concerts begin at 7 p.m. Feb. 26: Irish & Classical Turkish Eren Erdogan (kaval), Taulant Mehmeti (çifteli/guitar), Nzih Antakli (darbuka, riqq, bendir), Eileen Goodman (flute/tin whistle), Dylan James (banjo/ fiddle/ dance), and Colin Harte (vocals, piano, bodhrán).
March 26: Irish & Sene-Gambian A return to West Africa but a departure from the percussion of past concerts with Salieu Suso (kora), Ebrima Jassey (balafon), a djembe percussionist, Eilidh McRae (Celtic harp), Dylan James (banjo/fiddle/dance), and Colin Harte (vocals, piano, bodhrán). April 16: Irish & Moroccan Gnawa Atlas Phoenix (Moroccan gimbri), two qraqeb percussionists (TBD), PJ Doran (piano accordion), Dylan James (banjo/fiddle/ dance), and Colin Harte (vocals, piano, bodhrán). May 28: Irish & Puerto Rican Bomba Jorge Vazquez (congas, vocals), PJ Doran (piano accordion), Bernadette Fee (fiddle/ dance), and Colin Harte (vocals, piano, bodhrán). June 11: Irish & Albanian Fusion Taulant Mehmeti (çifteli/guitar),
Nezih Antakli (darbuka, riqq, bendir), Tom Fitzgerald (fiddle/dance), Dylan James (banjo/fiddle/ dance), and Colin Harte (vocals, piano, bodhrán). The New York Irish Center is located at 10-40 Jackson Ave. in Long Island City. The storefront venue is about 300 feet from the eastern most entrance/exit to the Vernon Blvd-Jackson Av subway station on the 7-line. –Jeffrey Bessen