Rap’s First Lady

MC Lyte: “10% Dis”
From: Lyte As A Rock, [First Priority Music, 1988]

MC Lyte: “Cappucino”
From: Eyes On This, [First Priority Music, 1989]

MC Lyte: “Poor Georgie”
From: Act Like You Know, [First Priority Music, 1991]

Firstly, MC Lyte is my first rap celebrity crush. Secondly, MC Lyte is rap’s first lady. Thirdly, MC Lyte still does it for me, period. It’s no secret the rap industry has slighted women for years with little change. There are no major labels with a female calling the shots and today’s successful female rappers are, for the most part, a sexual gimmick. Beyond industry politics is Lyte, a solid woman, a role model and a concious rapper-concious sans “I heart hip-hop” T-shirts, Lord knows I hate those-but Lyte’s longevity is what impressed me the most. Rappers falloff like junkies and to grow old, and stay relevant in rap means to expand rapper skill sets. In February, Lyte donated her diary to the Smithsonian Institution to help preserve the legacy of Boogie Down Bronx’s role in rap history. And, in August she joined Queen Latifah and others in L.A. for the second Hip-Hop Leadership Camp. There is no mistaking Lyte’s role in rap is that of an ambassador.

In the `88, Lyte and Antoinette, a female rapper from Queens, tore pieces out of each other creating a classic cat fight. Antoniette’s “I Got An Attitude” uses a production similar to “Top Billin’” and Lyte lashed out at her with “10% Dis”. Audio Two produced “10% Dis” and he uses the same drums from “Top Billin’” for this production. Ironically, Antoniette came out with “Lights Out, Party’s Over”, a response to “10% Dis” that uses “Top Billin’” drums again! Quite frankly, this was the start of The Honeydrippers’ “Impeach The President” sample craze that spread all the way to an ugly Shaggy production.

Lyte’s ablity to use ghetto scenarios to create a vivid story through wit in her lyrics is heard on “Cappucino”. A lot of people have problems with violence, drugs and sex in rap music; personally, rap with those characteristics is like a Honda with an annoying muffler, we love it, hate it and love it again. “Cappucino” and “Poor Georgie” raise issues that are common enough to trigger awareness in hope of change, which is a reflection of their time. Somewhere during the rap industry’s evolution responsibility was pawned for contracts, of course this is not a newsflash, but 70 years from now rap purists will be extinct-whatever, the ozone layer will be kaput too.