MC Lyte

Raspy, cutting, and authoritative, the pioneering MC Lyte has one of the most distinctive voices in hip-hop and wields an enduring influence on the culture that extends from Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott to Rapsody and Doechii. While Lyte wrote her debut single, “I Cram to Understand U (Sam)” (1987), at the age of 12, she displayed rare maturity as a lyricist with a fictitious narrative about a boyfriend whose crack addiction ruined their relationship. Lyte was still in her teens when she released the first rap album by a solo female, Lyte as a Rock (1988), followed by Eyes on This (1989), both artistically significant albums of hip-hop’s golden age with additional classics such as “10% Dis,” “Paper Thin,” “Lyte as a Rock,” “Cha Cha Cha,” and “Cappucino.” At the same time, she became a valued collaborator, as heard on Sinéad O’Connor’s “I Want Your (Hands on Me)” and the Stop the Violence Movement’s “Self-Destruction.” Lyte easily adapted to the increasingly aggressive sound of contemporary rap in the early ’90s with “Ruffneck” (1993), her first of three gold-certified, Top 40 pop singles, and her first of two Grammy-nominated recordings. Following four albums with First Priority/Atlantic, Lyte issued a pair of late-‘90s LPs through Elektra, a period in which she hit the Top Ten with “Keep On Keeping On” and nearly did it again with “Cold Rock a Party” (both 1996). Lyte recorded less frequently over the next couple decades, though she remained active as a performer and juggled an assortment of pursuits including acting, voiceover work, and DJ’ing. She independently released her star-studded ninth album, the aptly titled 1 of 1, in 2024. Born in Queens and raised in Brooklyn’s East Flatbush neighborhood, MC Lyte (Lana Michele Moorer) wrote her first rhymes at the age of 12 and recorded them two years later with production from childhood friends Milk Dee and Gizmo, aka Audio Two. It wasn’t until another two years later — in 1987 — that the track, “I Cram to Understand U (Sam),” was released on First Priority Music, the Atlantic-distributed label operated by Milk and Giz’s father, Nat Robinson, Sr. Lyte as a Rock, Lyte’s full-length debut, arrived in April 1988, and peaked at number 50 during its 16 weeks on Billboard’s Top Black Albums chart. The set contained “Cram” and three more classic singles: additional Audio Two productions “10% Dis” and “Lyte as a Rock,” and one handled by King of Chill, “Paper Thin.” Around the same time, Sinéad O’Connor — a fan drawn to the frankness of “Lyte as a Rock” B-side “Shut the Eff Up (Hoe)!” — issued a single version of “I Want Your (Hands on Me)” with Lyte’s first guest verse. Collaborative work continued with KRS-One’s Stop the Violence Movement, whose “Self-Destruction” crowned Billboard’s first Hot Rap Songs chart in March 1989, and Positive K, with whom Lyte recorded “I’m Not Havin’ It,” a charting single off The First Priority Music Family: Basement Flavor. Lyte was also featured on “Dr. Soul,” a number ten Black Singles hit from Foster & McElroy, former Club Nouveau members turned ascendant production team. With considerable momentum behind her, Lyte returned in October 1989 with Eyes on This. Made with Audio Two and King of Chill, along with Marley Marl, PMD, and Grand Puba, the LP was led by “Cha Cha Cha” — Lyte’s second trip to the top of Hot Rap Songs — followed by Top Ten entries “Stop, Look, Listen” and “Cappucino.” Eyes on This peaked at number six on Top Black Albums and crossed into the all-genre Billboard 200 at number 86. Having been one of the core artists featured on Yo! MTV Raps, Lyte was a natural choice to take part in Yo! MTV Raps Unplugged, for which she performed an acoustic version of “Cappucino.” For her third album, Act Like You Know, Lyte opted to hone a sound that was generally slicker and more R&B-flavored than her first two. The rapper still involved Audio Two and King of Chill, along with stylistic peer the 45 King, but enlisted Wolf & Epic for five tracks and the likes of Pal Joey and DJ Doc for others. Issued in September 1991, Act Like You Know peaked at number 14 on the R&B chart (number 102 on the Billboard 200), promoted with the hits “When in Love” (number three rap, number 14 R&B) and “Poor Georgie” (number one rap, number 11 R&B). The latter was a cautionary tale based musically on Toto and Cheryl Lynn’s “Georgy Porgy.” Between albums, Lyte appeared on the Jam & Lewis-produced Mo’ Money soundtrack with “Ice Cream Dream,” which narrowly missed the rap Top Ten. Ain’t No Other closed out Lyte’s First Priority/Atlantic phase in June 1993 and landed at number 16 R&B, number 90 pop. The tougher sound of the rapper’s fourth album was epitomized by “Ruffneck,” her third solo number one on the rap chart, first Top 40 pop hit, and also her first RIAA-certified gold single. Additionally, “Ruffneck” was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Rap Solo Performance. Lyte’s steady featured roles were highlighted by another Jam & Lewis production, Janet Jackson’s “You Want This” — a Top Ten hit on the pop, R&B, and dance charts. Lyte had even greater success with her first single for Elektra, the Sunset Park soundtrack contribution “Keep On Keeping On.” Produced by Jermaine Dupri and featuring Xscape, the song went to number ten on the Hot 100 with higher showings on the R&B, rap, and dance charts, and went gold. It helped Lyte achieve her highest Billboard 200 showing with Bad as I Wanna B, which landed in August 1996 at number 59. “Keep On Keeping On” was at the top of its track list, and it was further promoted with a Missy Elliott-assisted remix of the Rashad “Ringo” Smith-produced “Cold Rock a Party” — a number 11 pop hit, Lyte’s fourth solo number one on the rap chart, and another gold seller. After this and handful of one-off collaborations and soundtrack appearances, Lyte returned almost exactly two years after the release of Bad as I Wanna B with Seven & Seven. Its singles were most successful in the U.K., where the early Neptunes effort “It’s All Yours” cracked the Top 40. Other tracks were produced by the likes of Milk Dee, Missy Elliott, Poke & Tone, and L.E.S. Although it took several years for her next LP to materialize, Lyte kept busy with verses on tracks headlined by Bob Marley, Will Smith, Common, Moby, and Erick Sermon, among others. Moreover, by the end of the ’90s, Lyte had acted in a couple films, appeared as herself on episodes of shows such as New York Undercover, Moesha, and All That, and began a recurring role on the sitcom For Your Love. More small roles preceded the independently released Da Underground Heat, Vol. 1, a mixtape-style project hosted by Jamie Foxx, that appeared in March 2003. The track that caught on most was “Ride wit Me,” which was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Female Rap Solo Performance. Later that year, Lyte was featured beside Missy Elliott and Free on Beyoncé’s title song for the soundtrack of The Fighting Temptations. Over the next decade-plus, Lyte released numerous standalone singles, expanded her secondary discography as a featured artist — in support of will.i.am, Teena Marie, Jay-Z, and many more — and recorded a self-titled EP as one-third of the group Almost September. In 2014, she became the first woman to perform hip-hop at the White House. The following April, 12 years after the release of her previous full-length, Lyte issued her eighth album, Legend, on her own Sunni Gyrl label. Common, Coko, and Faith Evans were among the featured guests. Although she was active as a performer, DJ, and actress, Lyte didn’t release another new album until September 2024, when she offered 1 of 1, an uplifting and highly collaborative set of material with appearances from Stevie Wonder, Big Daddy Kane, Queen Latifah, Q-Tip, and Mary Mary. ~ Andy Kellman