MC Lyte and the State of Lady MCs

“The dopeness I write, I guarantee delight. To the hip-hop mania, the Uptown brainiac; in full effect, MC Lyte is back!  ~ MC Lyte [“Cha Cha Cha” Eyes on This]

For the first time since 2013, I attended the National Society of Black Engineers’ (NSBE) National Convention.  This year’s edition was held in Pittsburgh, PA.  And I was overjoyed to go.  NSBE Conference is a combination of workshops, training seminars, competitions, volunteer opportunities, social outings, expos, and more dedicated to the technical, social, and professional empowerment of –principally, black–engineers.

One of the highlights of this year’s conference was attending an Empowerment Workshop hosted by the great MC Lyte.  Now if you do not know about MC Lyte…let me school you real quick.  For my money she is the best lady MC ever.  No disrespect to Lauryn, Latifah, Digga, or Nicki, but, I believe, Lyte still holds that crown.  She brought the storytelling.   She could ignite the party, and she could diss the living h#ll out of you.

My personal favorite track is “Poor Georgie .”  Lyte takes an old school nursery rhyme and flips it into a tale about a young man’s downward spiral of unsafe promiscuity, alcohol, and over-flexing.

“George was clean, no drugs and such
But once in a while, he’d drink too much
Hangin in a club where they play rockers
Him and his friend, drinkin vodka
I was lookin for him, and I found him there
With his clothes messed up and his (fucked) up hair
I told him he was messin up he wouldn’t go far
He got mad and asked his friend for the keys to the car
I said, “Don’t drive, use your head
Drive while you’re drunk and you’ll kill yourself dead”

…

“Thoughts flashed through his head, there they stuck
Till Georgie Porgie, crashed into a truck
I wished I woulda told him how I liked him so much
How he made me feel with the slightest touch
Now he’s gone and I can’t tell him nothin
Wish he was here so I could say somethin
The story is not to say that I’m in sorrow
Just to say no one is promised tomorrow”

Lyte came at an interesting time.  Pioneers like Roxanne Shante and Salt n Pepa had seemingly crashed the glass ceiling for lady MCs.  They proved the ladies could rock the mic, sell out the shows, and set trends just like their male counterparts.  Due to their (and SEVERAL others’) sacrifices, the lady MC-trifecta  of  Queen Latifah, Yo-Yo, and MC Lyte attracted deserved attention from fans and labels.  Latifah (and Monie Love) represented the conscious (yet playful) side of hip-hop.  Yo-Yo (through her association with Ice Cube and the Lench Mob) represented the streets.  Lyte, however, was the round-the-way girl that rapped in the park.  She could get deep or gutter when she wanted to, but Lyte represented the proud, nerdy black girls that never backed down from a challenge.

Peep R&B songtress Brandy’s  classic posse cut “I Wanna Be Down (remix)” that features Lyte, Latifah, and Yo-Yo.  The 4 of them KILL it.

When given the opportunity to ask Lyte a question during her seminar, I asked her to trace her “Lyrical Tree.”  I wanted to know who she credits the most for inspiring her rhyme style and who she feels she has inspired.  I expected her to name Roxanne Shante as her number one influence, but, to my surprise, she quickly named Salt from Salt n Pepa.  She responded that her lyrical mentees are Lil Kim and Missy.  I told her I would work to analyze the correlations between all of those artists’ styles.

As happy as I was to talk to Lyte, later I found myself a bit disappointed while thinking of the current state of the lady MC.  It seems like every year we get a bit excited about a new lady MC that’s going to change the game.  A couple of years ago, it was Dej Loaf.  Then it was Tink. Then it was Young MA.  Recently, Cardi B has been dubbed the next sure thing.  However (as of this date) neither Dej, Tink, nor Young MA have released albums.  Now Cardi is scheduled to release her debut this week, so good luck to her on that.  And, though I’m not the biggest fan of her work, I hope the album is successful.

We need a lady MC to be successful for the good of hip-hop.  And, no, I have not forgotten about Nicki Minaj or Iggy Azalea.  Nicki is definitely the most popular lady MC of the last decade, but, in my opinion, she hasn’t served her queendom well.  She has done very little to support other lady MCs.  I grew up in the time of femcee unity. They wanted to see each other win.  They believed in gender empowerment and helping each other up.  Nicki, right or wrong, has been only concerned with being the only woman in the spot.  Not to attack her rise but she has repeatedly disregarded other female MCs and has willingly served as an appendage for her male label mates and counterparts.  As for Iggy, she just wasn’t that talented.  She was a gimmick MC at best.

Not too long ago, you could look forward to a seductive track from Kim, a gangsta track from Fox, an eclectic song from Missy, a party track from Trina, a poignant piece from Lauryn, and an introspective track from Eve in the same sitting  .  And if you were REALLY up on your game, you’d be bumping the latest Rah Digga and Bahamadia too.

Thanks to the pioneers like Lyte for paving the way, but it’s time to lay down some fresh asphalt for the latest crop of lady MCs out there.

Going to end this post with one of the most underrated posse cuts EVER, “Freedom (Rap Version)” from the Panther soundtrack.  Latifah, Yo-Yo, Left-Eye (RIP), Lyte, Nefertiti, Me’shell Ndegéocello, Salt-n-Pepa, and Patra all bring it on this track.

~W. Mack