MC Lyte


Lana Michele Moorer, better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper.
Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full album with 1988's critically acclaimed Lyte as a Rock. She released a total of 8 solo studio albums and an EP with Almost September.
With songs like Cha Cha Cha, Paper Thin, Ruffneck and Poor Georgie she has influenced the work of later female rap figures such as Lil Kim, Da Brat, Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill and Eve, among others. She has also collaborated with artists like Sinéad O'Connor, Janet Jackson, Brandy, Xscape, P. Diddy, Will Smith and Beyoncé.
MC Lyte has won a Soul Train Lady of Soul, garnered two Grammy Awards nominations, and was recognized for her career with the VH-1 Hip Hop Honors and BET Hip Hop Awards "I Am Hip Hop" Icon Lifetime Achievement. Also About.com was ranked 26 on their list of the 50 best MCs of our timeand 6 in the Greatest Rappers Ever survey organized by NME.

Early life

Lana Michele Moorer was raised in Brooklyn, New York City. She began rapping at the age of 12. MC Lyte's original stage name was Sparkle. She began recording her first track at age 14, although it took two years before it was able to be released.
She regards Milk Dee and DJ Giz, the hip hop duo Audio Two, as "totally like brothers", because the three grew up together. Audio Two's father, Nat Robinson, started a label for them called First Priority. After making the label, Robinson cut a deal with Atlantic with one condition, that Lyte would get a record contract with Atlantic as well.

Musical career

At age 17 in 1988, she released her single debut, I Cram to Understand U, about drug addiction and its impact on relationships, being one of the first songs written for the crack era. As she has stated, she was 12 years old at the time of writing. Also featured in the remix and music video of "I Want Your " by Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor, which debuted in May 1988 on MTV.
In September 1988, she released her first album, Lyte as a Rock, with which she becomes the first female solo rapper to release a full album. In addition to the aforementioned "I Cram to Understand U ", the album was highlighted by songs like "Paper Thin", its title track, and the diss track "10% Dis", a response to then-Hurby Azor associate Antoinette. Despite not having a great commercial performance, it is considered one of the best and most important rap albums, both in the 80s and in history.
Less than a year and a half later, Lyte followed her debut album with the 1989's album Eyes on This. This album, like its predecessor, received a great critical reception and is recognized as a Hip Hop classic. In this album, songs like the hit single Cha Cha Cha, the socially conscious "Capuccino" and a new diss track to her rival Antoniette, "Shut the Eff Up! " stand out. At the beginning of that same year, Lyte joined Stop the Violence Movement with Boogie Down Productions, Public Enemy and Heavy D, among others. Together they released the single "Self Destruction", in response to violence in the hip hop and African American communities. The song debuted at No. 1 on the first week of Billboard's Hot Rap Songs existence and the proceeds were donated to the National Urban League.
In 1990 she became the first rap artist to perform at the Carnegie Hall.
On May 1, 1991, Lyte performs on "Yo! Unplugged Rap", the first MTV Unplugged to feature rap artists, alongside A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and LL Cool J. In September 1991 Lyte releases her third album, Act Like You Know, where it goes to a new jack swing sound. Even though singles "Poor Georgie" and "When in Love" peaked at # 1 and # 3 on the Hot Rap Singles respectively, the album fell in the charts, only peaking at #102 on the Billboard 200 and #14 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and reviews were generally mixed. That year she also participated in the socially conscious single "Heal Yourself" by the collective "HEAL Human Education Against Lies", which also included Big Daddy Kane, Boogie Down Productions, Run-DMC, Queen Latifah and LL Cool J.
For 1992 she begins work on her next album, titled Ain't No Other, which is released on June 22, 1993. On this album she returns to a more hardcore sound and has better performance, both critical and commercial. Thanks to the single "Ruffneck",, which sells half a million copies, she becomes the first female rapper to achieve gold certification as a solo artist, in addition to earning a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Rap Solo Performance category.
For the next few years, Lyte collaborates on pop star hits like Janet Jackson's You Want This and Brandy's I Wanna Be Down alongside Queen Latifah and Yo-Yo. She also participates in the rap version of Freedom, which was part of the soundtrack for the movie Panther and there were also Meshell Ndegeocello, Patra, Yo-Yo, Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa and Left Eye Lopes of TLC.
In August 1996, after signing with Elektra Records affiliate East West and more than three years after her last job, Lyte released the fifth album of her career, Bad as I Wanna B. With a sound more oriented to R&B and dance music, it would be far from the critical recognition of her first albums, although it became one of the most commercially successful.
On this album they would stand out mainly for having the two most commercially successful singles of their career: "Keep On Keepin' On", along with the R&B group Xscape and the Puff Daddy remix of his song "Cold Rock a Party",, in which Missy Elliott participates. With both she would achieve gold certifications in the US market, and for "Keep On Keepin 'On" she also won a Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards in the category of best R&B, Soul or Rap video.
Her 1998 follow-up album, Seven & Seven, it received both lackluster commercial and critical reception, after which Lyte leaves East West Records.
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.
MC Lyte's song "My Main Aim" was the title song of the basketball video game NBA Live 2005 by EA Sports. In 2005, she released two songs produced by Richard "Wolfie" Wolf called "Can I Get It Now" and "Don't Walk Away". In 2007, she released a song called "Mad at Me" and, in 2008, two songs called "Juke Joint" and "Get Lyte". In 2009, a song titled "Brooklyn" was released, as well as "Craven".
"Dear John" was released on September 9, 2014 and peaked on the Billboard Twitter Trending 140 chart at number three. After twelve years without an album, MC Lyte's eighth album, Legend, came out on April 18, 2015. "Ball" and "Check" are also singles from the album.

Other ventures

Acting

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, Train Ride, Civil Brand and Playa's Ball. In 2011, she guest starred in the Regular Show episode "Rap It Up", portraying a member of a hip-hop group also including characters voiced by Tyler, the Creator and Childish Gambino. Lyte signed with the production unit, Duc Tha Moon, for three years and eventually made a deal with Sirius Satellite Radio.
Lyte also made appearances on the following television shows: Lyric Cafe, Hip Hop Honors, and Black in the 80's.
In June 2006, MC Lyte was interviewed for the documentary The Rap Report, Part 2. MC Lyte talked about her career in rap music and what it was like during the beginnings of hip hop. She also performs a concert of her most famous hits. The program is produced by Rex Barnett.
In 2007, Lyte joined the cast of MTV's Celebrity Rap Superstar and coached Shar Jackson to a hip hop emcee victory in a mere eight weeks.
In 2017 Lyte played Detective Makena Daniels in the drama series Tales. Immediately following she played DEA Special Agent Katrina 'K.C.' Walsh in the Police drama S.W.A.T. and Tiffany in TV ONE production Loved to Death. Lyte has been featured on television as herself on such shows as 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, Queen of the South, and The District.
In 2020, Lyte starred in Bad Hair directed by Justin Simien, and Sylvie's Love, a period piece set in the 1960s opposite Tessa Thompson.

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 ," 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."
In 1997, MC Lyte launched Sunni Gyrl Inc., a global entertainment firm that specializes in artist management and development, production, and creative services and consulting.

Voiceover

In 1996, MC Lyte began doing voiceovers, working on a short-lived BET show called The Boot and doing some branding for the Starz network, Tide, AT&T, the National Urban League, and many others. She did the voice of Tia for the Mattel toy line Diva Starz from 2000 to 2004.

DJ MC Lyte

DJ MC Lyte served as the DJ of choice at Michael Jordan's 50th Birthday Celebration, at his 2013 wedding reception, and at Jay Leno's farewell party. Lyte has gone on to provide music for The Image Awards, Nissan, Google, Black Enterprise, and many others.

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 O'Brien 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 in South Africa to empower the continent's youth and up and coming leaders.

Leadership and philanthropy

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. 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.
MC Lyte served as the President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Recording Academy from 2011 to 2013. She was the first African American woman to serve in this role.
She is the founder of Hip Hop Sisters Foundation, which presented two $100,000 scholarships to college students each of the first two years of its inception and three $50,000 scholarships as a part of its #EducateOurMen initiative during its third year during the Soul Train Music Awards Red Carpet Preshow.

Personal life

In early 2016, she started dating Marine Corps veteran and entrepreneur John Wyche, after meeting him on Match.com. They announced their engagement in May 2017, and in August they exchanged their vows during a musical wedding in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Reggae Congo bands played as Lyte walked down the aisle, and the couple's friend Kelly Price serenaded them during the ceremony. Afterward, an intimate gathering with only close friends and family members was held.

Discography

Studio albums



YearTitleRole
1995New York UndercoverFemale Rapper
1996MoeshaSelf
1998In the HouseLu Lu
1998Cousin SkeeterSelf
1999Get RealBeth Hunter
2002The DistrictKarla
1998–2002For Your LoveLana
2003PlatinumCamille FaReal
2003Strong MedicineNikki
2004My Wife & KidsSelf
2004–2006Half & HalfKai Owens
2017TalesMakena Daniels
2018S.W.A.T.DEA Special Agent Katrina 'KC' Walsh
2017–2018Queen of the SouthThe Professor
2018PowerJelani Otombre
2019New York UndercoverLT. April Freeman

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards

MTV Video Music Award

Billboard Music Awards

BET Awards

Other accolades

During October 2006, MC Lyte was one of the honored artists on VH1's annual award show Hip Hop Honors. She was joined by fellow female MC's 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". She became the first female emcee to be inducted into the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors.
In 2013, MC Lyte received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 Hip Hop Inaugural Ball. She was the first female solo hip hop artist to receive BET's "I Am Hip Hop" Icon Lifetime Achievement Award.
In January 2019 received The Trail Blazer Award at the Trumpet Awards in Atlanta with rappers Yo Yo, Lil Mama, Da Brat, Big Tigger, and Dj K-Rock helping to celebrate with a performance.