HAPPY 44TH, MC Lyte (born Lana Michele Moorer; October 11, 1970) [3] is an American rapper who first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full album with 1988s critically acclaimed Lyte as a Rock. [4] She has long been considered one of hip-hops pioneer feminists. [5][6][7] Lyte was born Lana Michele Moorer in 1970. [3] Raised in Brooklyn,Lyte began rhyming at the age of 12. One long standing misconception is that Lyte is the younger sister of Milk D and DJ Giz, Audio Two. She actually first met the hip hop duo when the group was searching for a female artist for their new label. [8] Lyte recorded her first song, I Cram to Understand U (Sam), in 1986. Lyte had originally written the song in 1984. The song, about a relationship that fell apart due to the protagonists lovers crack addiction, was released on First Priority Music, run by Nat Robinson the father of the members of Audio Two. Soon after, with the help of Sylvia Rhone,the label formed a distribution deal with Atlantic Records. In 1987, when she was just 17, Lyte began schooling other MCs in the art of rhyme; since that time, she has improved upon (and proven the greatness of) her musical prowess, with a total of ten albums released to her credit. [9] In September of the following year, she released her first album, Lyte as a Rock,noted for such hits as Paper Thin and the battle rap 10% Dis, a response from then-Hurby Azor associate, Antoinette. Both rappers released battle records against each other. Lyte followed her debut with 1989s Eyes on This,which spawned the hits Cha Cha Cha and Cappucino. Both albums were notable for Lytes uncensored lyrical matter. She sweetened up a little on 1991s Act Like You Know,noted for its new jack swing sound and the hit single Poor Georgie. Lytes fourth album, 1993s Aint No Other,became her first to reach gold status and was notable for her first top 40 pop hit, Ruffneck. An inspiring 1993 classic anthem, Ruffneck, was eventually nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Single, and in fact, made MC Lyte the first female solo rapper ever nominated for a Grammy. [9] She later went on to become a featured artist on hits by Janet Jackson [10] and Brandy. [11] Two years afterward, Lytes fifth album, Bad As I Wanna B,featured production from Jermaine Dupri and Sean Combs, and featured the hits Keep on, Keepin On and Cold Rock a Party, which featured then up-and-coming rapper, songwriter and producer Missy Elliott. This album was her first with East West Records America and became successful after the aforementioned singles became big hits with Keep on, Keepin On peaking at the top ten and Cold Rock a Party peaking at number eleven. It was her second gold album. Her 1998 follow-up, Seven & Seven, however, wasnt as successful and she left East West America by the end of the decade. Lyte released the independently produced record The Undaground Heat,featuring Jamie Foxx,in 2003, which was notable for the song Ride Wit Me. The single was nominated for both a Grammy and a BET award. [citation needed] In 2005, she released two songs produced by Richard Wolfie Wolf called Can I Get It Now and Dont Walk Away (with Meechie), both available at the iTunes Store. In 2007, she released a song called Mad at Me available at the iTunes Store. In 2008, she released two songs called Juke Joint (on both UK & US) & Get Lyte (exclusive to US) available at the iTunes Store. In 2009, she released a song at the iTunes Store called Brooklyn. MC Lytes song My Main Aim is the title song of the video game NBA Live 2005 by EA Sports. In 2013, MC Lyte released the song Craven, produced by Loudbox Entertainment with a video directed by Ron Yuan. Lyte has been featured on television as herself on such shows as MTV Unplugged,In Living Color,Moesha, Cousin Skeeter,New York Undercover, My Wife and Kids,and Sisters in the Name of Rap. She also acted on TV in such shows as In the House,Get Real, Half & Half,and The District. Her first acting role was in 1991, an off-Broadway theater play titled Club Twelve,a hip-hop twist on Twelfth Night alongside Wyclef Jean,Lauryn Hill,and Lisa Nicole Carson. After she made her film debut in the 1993 movie titled Fly by Night,starring alongside Jeffrey Sams,Ron Brice, and Steve Gomer, she also starred other films, such as A Luv Tale (1999), Train Ride (2000), Civil Brand (2002) and Playas Ball (2003). She guest starred with Tyler the Creator and Childish Gambino on Regular Show. In June 2006, MC Lyte was interviewed for the documentary The Rap Report, Part 2, also featuring Chuck D of Public Enemy. MC Lyte talked about her career in rap music and she also discusses what it was like during the beginnings of hip hop. She also performs a concert of her most famous hits. The DVD is available at historyonvideo.net. The program is produced by RexBarnett. In February 2006, her diary, as well as a turntable,records,and other assorted ephemera from the early days of hip hop, were donated to the Smithsonian Institution. [12] This collection, entitled Hip-Hop Won’t Stop: The Beat, the Rhymes, the Life is a program to assemble objects of historical relevance to the hip hop genre from its inception. [13] In 2007, Lyte joined the cast of MTVs Celebrity Rap Superstar [14] and coached Shar Jackson to a hip hop emcee victory in a mere eight weeks. During that same time, Lyte hit the road in between shooting and joined the Roots for a nationwide VH1 House of Blues Tour. Business and commerce MC Lyte opened Shaitel, a Los Angeles boutique that specialized in accessories from belts to sunglasses. We sell a mixture of new and vintage [items], she explained. We also have a few signature pieces that are done just for the store. We boast to bring a little New York flavor out here to California. [15] In 1997, MC Lyte launched Sunni Gyrl, Inc., [16] a global entertainment firm that specializes in artist management and development, production, and creative services and consulting. Voiceover In 1996, MC Lyte began what is now a very successful voiceover career. She has voiced campaigns with several corporate brands. She also voiced a short-lived BET show called The Boot [17] and she served a voice for the branding of the Starz network, Tide,AT&T,the National Urban League and many other entities. She has served as the voice announcing the BET Awards Show for the past six years. DJ MC Lyte MC Lyte served as the DJ of choice at Michael Jordans 50th Birthday Celebration, at his 2013 wedding reception, at Jay Lenos farewell party, and a host of other prominent social and corporate events. Speaker MC Lyte has spoken at colleges and universities, for organizations around the globe, and with notable people like Iyanla Vanzant,Russell Simmons,and Soledad OBrien bringing a message of empowerment from her book Unstoppable: Igniting the Power Within to Achieve Your Greatest Potential. She also partnered with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund on the iLEAD international tour [18] in South Africa to empower the continents youth and up and coming leaders. Leadership and philanthropy MC Lyte served as the President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Recording Academy (the Grammy organization) from 2011 to 2013. She is the first African American to serve in this role and she is also the CEO of Sunni Gyrl, Inc., an entertainment and production firm, and the founder of Hip Hop Sisters Foundation, [19] which has presented two $100,000 scholarships to college students each year since its inception, [20] and she is an honorary member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority. Awards In October 2006, MC Lyte was one of the honored artists on VH1s annual award show Hip Hop Honors. [21] She was joined by fellow female MCs Da Brat,Remy Ma,and Lil Kim as they performed some of her tracks, such as Cha Cha Cha, Lyte as a Rock, Paper-Thin, and Ruffneck. In 2013, MC Lyte received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 Hip Hop Inaugural Ball, and she also received the BET I Am Hip Hop Icon Lifetime Achievement Award, [22] making her the first female solo hip hop artist to receive the honor from the network.
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 20:48:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015