Monday, September 8, 2014

MC Lyte - TV


(C) 2014 by Rych McCain, All Rights Reserved. No part of this column may be reprinted, re-posted or duplicated without written permission from Rych McCain Media/Syndication. Violation is subject to applicable laws.


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 “CafĂ© 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 
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