Mc lyte biography lana

Born Lana Moorer c. in Borough, NY; raised in Brooklyn, NY; daughter of a recording nonmanual and a hospital rehabilitation document supervisor.

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Addresses: Record company-- First Priority Music, P.O. Take up again , Staten Island, NY ; or Atlantic Records, 75 Industrialist Plaza, New York, NY

In the early days of rap--the late s and the foremost half of the s--male rappers and deejays dominated the view. Women rappers, wrote Dominique Di Prima in Mother Jones, were "the underground of the underground." Then, in the latter fraction of the decade, a flourish of fierce, independent women took up microphones and turntables.

Salt-n-Pepa, Roxanne Shante, Queen Latifah, Monie Love, and MC Lyte demonstrated clearly that women could party only rap as hard highest as entertainingly as their man counterparts, but that they could achieve real commercial success amount the burgeoning rap music drudgery. In addition, as David Thigpen wrote in Time, "Women be blessed with shown that rap can flaw far more significant and supple than its critics have famous.

And that makes it make a racket the more difficult to panache, ghettoize or otherwise dismiss."

It would seem impossible to dismiss Reporter Lyte, who from her cardinal single "I Cram to Fathom U" to her smash notebook Act Like You Know has stood consistently at the guise of the pack. Like dismal of her outspoken fellow squad emcees, she has displayed rule out uncompromising attitude and a complication with social issues like tongue-tied sex and drugs.

Yet Weathergirl Lyte is a storyteller-- "one of rap's most proficient raconteurs," according to Spin critic Joan Morgan.

Born in the early heartless in Queens, New York, Lana Moorer grew up in representation East Flatbush neighborhood of Borough. Her father started the measuring tape label First Priority in , and her brothers performed turf did production work for loftiness label.

Known as Milk captivated Gizmo of the rap habitation Audio Two, Lyte's brothers went on to contribute to glut of her three records.

With their assistance she recorded the celibate "I Cram to Understand U," and its reception raised opulence for her First Priority premiere album, Lyte as a Rock, in "I Cram," about trim boyfriend whose mysterious "other woman" turns out to be thunder, announced the arrival of unembellished major new rap artist.

"Unlike the dozens of raps stroll are simply comic putdowns," wrote Peter Watrous in the New York Times, "Ms. Lyte's sorrowful tone and her self-deprecating narration add up to a analyzable emotional statement." Along with that celebrated tune, the title boundary, "10% Dis," and "Paper Thin" all became hits. "I Union Woman" quotes Helen Reddy's midseventies hit song of the total name without irony, and adds "if you want a engagement, I'm well prepared." The boundary "MC Lyte Likes Swingin'," thrive by rap guru Prince Apostle, begins with a typically forward assertion: "I may come be anxious strong but that's what restore confidence like / You like a-ok female MC who can pat the mike." Lyte remarked interest a Village Voice interview ditch many female rappers choose jab be sexy and sweet "when they could really be smackin' people with their rhymes."

Musically, Lyte's first album is relatively spare; its beats and samples commerce minimal and seem designed save emphasize Lyte's raps rather by function as songs.

In she moved further in the level of popular success with Eyes on This. The album, which Rolling Stone called a "slamming, street-smart" effort, yielded a broadcast one rap single, "Cha Cha Cha," and two other ascent ten tracks, "Stop, Look, Listen" and "Cappucino." The single "I'm Not Having It," a safe-sex manifesto, was used in grand widely-viewed TV commercial about Immunodeficiency.

This song, as Michele Author remarked in Ms., "comes censor hard on the notion stroll women can't say no, tube criticizes the shallowness of interpretation male rap." Similarly, "Please Understand" addresses itself to unruly troops body. "I've never let a fellow dog me and I not ever will," Lyte told Deborah Pontiff in an Essence profile.

"It's just not gonna happen!"

In Lyte went on tour with announce superstars Heavy D. and Kool Moe Dee. "On stage," wrote Di Prima, "there's no basis around Lyte being rough good turn ready to get busy." Vanity Fair 's Kiki Mason wrote that Lyte "brings a bold street presence to the plane, hurling her lyrics about analgesic abuse and difficult modern commerce at the audience." Her identification grew by leaps and bounds: she became the first individual rapper to perform on Arsenio Hall's talk show and fall back Carnegie Hall; the latter presentation was part of an Immunodeficiency benefit in In addition unexpected playing concerts, Lyte toured schools and appeared at press conferences as part of Stop honourableness Violence, an organization working halt end violence in the murky community.

As a leading woman marvel at rap, Lyte is in chaste ideal position to communicate give rise to a large audience her opinions on a variety of communal issues.

An ardent activist, she articulates her concerns about medicament abuse, racism, and sexism cut both her songs and absorption no-nonsense demeanor. For instance, Mother Jones quoted her response compulsion male rappers calling women "bitches": "If you allow someone fulfil call you a bitch mount you answer you're saying, It's okay to call me elegant bitch, and you can run on to call me that.

Tolerable it's a matter of unit taking a stand and decisive them that they're not travelling fair for it." This "not dodge for it," she suggests, muscle include boycotting certain rap registers to drive the message fondle. As far as the clear language in her own raps is concerned, Lyte sticks make it to her guns.

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"My mother keeps asking me ground I have to swear coop up public," she told Mason. "But sometimes you need a promotion so that people pay attention."

"The new female rappers are creating buoyant messages that transcend say publicly inert boasting so common flowerbed male rap," Thigpen declared, resounding the sentiments of many critics who see positive role models in the new crop be incumbent on women emcees.

Ebony 's Renee Turner added that the "First Ladies of Rap" offer "a feminine view of urban reality." Lyte has indicated on improved than one occasion that she is aware of her answerability as one of these impersonation models. Of "I Cram pause Understand U," Lyte recalled generate Di Prima, "It was crabby me putting myself in orderly situation that many other girls have been put in.

Rabid wanted to rap about break up to show them that they're not the only ones greeting through this, and that, wholly, it is possible for celebrity to fall in love grow smaller someone and not know they're on drugs I put protect in the first person be relevant to show the listeners that Wild can be whatever it anticipation that I'm talking about."

Unlike past waves of female pop stars, noted Gregory, Lyte is "not the least bit concerned respect looking 'girly' or creating fact list image that's based on intimacy appeal." Wardrobe has long antediluvian a marker of her self-governme, but by her visibility gorilla a performer led her calculate change her look from anguish pants to tailored outfits.

She insisted in her interview comprise Di Prima, though, that she wasn't caving in to contention for a more "feminine" style: "That's not Lyte. When Rabid get dressed up, it's thanks to I'm pleasing myself, and Distracted can afford to pay keen designer."

In MC Lyte released come together third album, Act Like Order about Know. She recruited a back issue of well-known rap producers--Mark rendering 45 King, Dee Jay Doctor of medicine, Wolf & Epic--to assist round out standbys Audio Two and Demoralizing of Chill.

The sound absolution Act Like You Know stick to fuller than that of Lyte's previous releases, including a classify of R & B samples, heavy basslines, and funky beatniks. The first single, "When envelop Love," chronicles "the stupid nonconforming people do when they're prickly love," according to a recapitulate from Lyte in an Ocean press release.

The lyrics farm animals some startling examples: "Like pickin' your lover's nose!" Lyte uses her storytelling skills to detail the perils of AIDS ("Eyes Are the Soul") and groggy driving ("Poor Georgie," the videotape of which fared well put the accent on MTV). In "Kamikaze" Lyte blasts rap that doesn't deal condemn real issues: "They try harmony keep me down because Unrestrained talk to a beat Extreme In other words I nation-state to teach / But assuming I talk that Yang Yang s--t / Like You Can't Touch This / That s--t'll hit."

Writing for Details, Brantley Bardin declared that the album's "only real fault is that reach at least one message (if not six) per song, paramount verges on becoming the final public service announcement." Lyte, still, stood by her messages, remarking in the New York Times, "I tried to pick topics and issues that hadn't antiquated done to death by rappers.

Then I tried to manufacture it seem funny, to result in the message in a tasty way." As she told Rhonda Baraka in Tafrija, being far-out rapper affords both the chance and the responsibility to build positive statements: "so that's your chance, whether it be intimation antidrug message or put a- rubber on your willy, anything the message is you throne get it out.

That's what I think is good largeness being in the entertainment business."

The ambitious multi-producer approach of Act Like You Know no mistrust helped boost Lyte's sales, however it left critics divided. "If you consider yourself a parcel up aficionado, let alone an Weatherman Lyte fan, skip the rule side of Act Like Sell something to someone Know, " advised Morgan, who found the samples and exchange of the album's first division overwrought.

"It falls way undertake and lands squarely in pop-rap hell [Lyte's] voice has class eerie, anemic sound of ingenious lost MC in a melodious identity crisis." Even so, Moneyman admitted, "She finds herself lie over the second side, thank Immortal, and comes back kicking lavatory harder than ever over overweight, simple drum beats and innocent seriously slamming samples." People 's Michael Small agreed that decency album seemed like two imbalanced halves--the first "lush" and "curse-free" and the second featuring "simpler street beats" and "enough commonness and expletives to earn diversity R rating." Small asserted put off "by trying to have empty both ways, Lyte risks smooth no one," although he acknowledged, "She's a great storyteller." Small's review concluded by admitting think about it teenagers might like the wedding album, since the "confusing middle ground" they experience in their lives matches that of the record.

James Bernard, reviewing Act Like Restore confidence Know for Entertainment Weekly, found that the album "finds MC Lyte softening her visual aid without losing her edge," streak that her stories of living soul desperation work because "rather rather than tossing around empty rhetoric, Lyte takes us face-to-face with these people, forcing us to facade into their eyes." Ultimately Physiologist awarded the album an "A-" and asserted that Lyte's part, "with its lusty confidence, not bad the glue that holds that diverse collection together." Sassy raved that the "record hits boss around with crazy hard beats, post Lyte's rhymes talk about strength from a distinctly girly perspective," while Billboard lauded Act Adoration You Know as "a toughtalking effort that takes no prisoners," calling Lyte's style "tough however caring and, above all, smart."

In the course of a juicy years Lyte has grown get out of a teenaged upstart rapping innovation her dad's label to big-league star.

She avoids the expression "crossover" to describe her success; "Call it expansion," she urged Dream Hampton of The Source. Despite the glamour, though, she remains committed to spreading hang on to about social issues and--perhaps ultimate of all--helping her fans contemplate through the eyes of excess. "I don't think it's angry job" to be a racial hero, she told Di Major, but there is little discredit that women who follow Lyte's career have an example exempt a strong, independent woman magician.

"Sure, I consider myself practised role model for younger kids," she insisted in reply appoint Gregory, "but on the positive tip--I'm just young and taking accedence fun." Despite shying away come across important-sounding labels, Lyte appreciates distinction company of other women emcees. "Female rappers are coming circulate air with something to say," she remarked to Turner.

"And fervent is all beginning to getaway up, slowly but surely." What because asked about her potential tolerance, she told Baraka, "I imagine all that it is crack knowing where you came hold up and not being phony."

A Mother Jones profile indicated that Newscaster Lyte was "contemplating switching shelter to the business side give evidence record making--not producing, but course other acts.

In the intermission she's started managing a scarcely any models and plans to affix to her client list trade in soon as she moves televise of rapping, which isn't completely yet." By the release bequest Act Like You Know, mentions of possible career changes derelict from Lyte's press coverage. Faultless course, given her accomplishments practice would seem she could without beating about the bush anything she likes.

And dying course, as she noted check the same interview, "Nobody potty force Lyte to do null I don't want to do."

by Simon Glickman

MC Lyte's Career

Recorded single "I Cram to Shadowy You" for First Priority; historical first album, Lyte as splendid Rock, First Priority, ; scored first Number One rap nonpareil, "Cha Cha Cha," Also studied as a fashion-model manager.

Famous Works

On First Priority Records
Lyte as on the rocks Rock (includes "I Cram contest Understand U," "Paper Thin," "10% Dis," "I Am Woman," ahead "MC Lyte Likes Swingin'"),
Eyes on This (includes "Cha Cha Cha," "Stop, Look, Listen," "Cappucino," and "I'm Not Having It,"),
Act Like You Know (includes "When in Love," "Eyes Performance the Soul," "Poor Georgie," "Kamikaze," and "2 Young 4 What"),
Also contributor to video Sisters in the Name of Rap PMV,

Recent Updates

October 4, Lyte's album, Rhyme Masters, was released.

Source:, , October 7,

Mc lyte biography lana

MC Lyte's Career

Famous Works

Recent Updates

Further Reading