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MC Lyte - TV
By Rych McCain International/Nationally Syndicated Entertainment Columnist
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MC Lyte
Hip Hop’s Pioneer
Feminist Is Still On It!
 |
| MC Lyte |
She
has the title of “Hip Hop’s Pioneer
Feminist” bestowed upon her and rightfully so. Before her there was no
female MC’s in the rap game. MC Lyte started rapping at age 12 and by the time
she was a teen she released her first rap single “I Cram To Understand You” on the First Priority label. That led to
a distribution deal with Atlantic Records and the rest as they say is history.
Lyte’s biggest album was the gold certified “Ain’t
No Other” which featured the smash hit single “Ruffneck” which got her a Grammy nomination and a top spot on the
Billboard Pop charts. Lyte blazed a path that opened the door for other female
MC’s to follow like Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott and later Lil Kym, Foxy Brown
and now Niki Minaj.
Lyte’s 25 year career span which also
include acting roles on TV and film, voice over work, a national radio show
titled “Café Mocha” on Terrestrial
Radio and Sirus XM as well as social and charity with projects such as the
famed single “Stop The Violence,” “Rock
The Vote” and Aids benefits; are now the subject of the Centric TV
Network’s celebrity documentary show “Being”
which has begun its third season. The show airs on Saturdays at 9ET. Check
your local listings. Lyte opens up about her career in a way her fans will
love. The network sponsored a press party for two of this season’s stars Faith
Evans and Lyte at the Xen Club in the valley.
We were able to catch Lyte on the red carpet. When asked what her episode will entail? Lyte
smiles and says, “I don’t know. They are still putting it together so I’ll be
just as surprised as anyone else.”
What is Lyte’s opinion on how far women
have come in hip hop since she stared the ball rolling in the late 80’s? She
says, “Oh man, I’m just delighted to see that we’re still working, participating,
on the top of the charts; it’s a lot to be thankful for.” When she entered the
rap game it was a man’s domain. How did she deal with that? Lyte finds this particular
question somewhat amusing explaining, “You know what, I never even considered
it in that fashion. I just came to do a job and at the same time I had a whole
lot of fun. And still, the only reason why I stay in entertainment is because
it is enjoyable.” After she became well established in the biz, was there
pressure to bring other women into the game or was it every lady for herself?
Lyte explains, “I think when you are young it really is every man for himself
and every lady for herself but once you gain a certain amount of consciousness
it’s like oh, OK yes; that feels natural to now want to help others to be where
you are or be where you’ve been.”
What about the feminine aspect of the game
back then? Did you have to be hard or could you have just been a regular lady?
Lyte illuminates, “I think you could have been anyway
you wanted to. That’s the
lovely thing about the era from which I came. Record labels really didn’t tell
you what to do or how to be or how to dress or what kind of records to record.
You kind of just did what felt most natural and because it was such a
phenomenon they let you do what you wanted to do. That set of executives
weren’t in the business of telling you what to do. They were just in the
business of creating a way for you to be heard.”
Lyte still has her clothing shop in the
San Fernando Valley and her foundation Hip Hop Sisters.Org is still awarding
two ($100,000) full scholarships per year to young ladies via the University of
Wisconsin-Madison and her new book is coming out on her life’s story.
©
2014 Rych McCain Media/Syndication TM
(You
DID Hear It From Me!)
Twitter@rychmccain and Facebook (Like Me)!
