speeddemon531's Full Review: The Very Best of M.C. Lyte [PA] by MC Lyte
In a world of name brand and sex-obsessed female MC's, MC Lyte stands out as an anomaly in a sea of flesh-obsessed femcees. Lyte was not only the first female rapper to gain any sort of mainstream attention, she managed to do it without focusing any attention on her T&A. She managed to record hits for almost a decade straight until the new breed of female rapper made Lyte's commercial success a thing of the past. This compilation collects the best moments from her six studio albums.
MC Lyte, born Lana Moorer, had connections from the get-go. Her dad, Nat Robinson, was the head of the First Priority music label, and her brothers were MC's Milk and Gizmo (Audio Two), who had a humongous New York hit in 1987 with Top Billin'. Lyte's clever wordplay and husky, streetwise voice got First Priority a distribution deal with Atlantic Records, who released her debut, Lyte As A Rock, in 1988.
Lyte's music mixed perceptive social commentary with scathing diss records-most of which commented on her archrivals, femcees Roxanne Shante and Antoinette. The rugged 10% Dis (later borrowed in part by new-school female rappers Lil' Kim & Foxy Brown for, respectively, Mobb Deep's "Quiet Storm" remix and Foxy's own "10% Dis", aimed at Queen Latifah) and Shut The Eff Up (Hoe) marked the first time female rappers went at it.
However, Lyte wasn't all about cutting her rivals down to size. I Cram 2 Understand U (Sam) was a riveting tale of a crack-addicted boyfriend , and was one of the first songs to come out of hip hop's late-80's/early 90's socially conscious phase. A good deal of Lyte's records featured a fierce anti-drug message, which continued with singles like the clever narratives Cappucino (which uses coffee as a metaphor for drugs), Poor Georgie and the somber Eyes Are The Soul, recorded with a full band.
Lyte's hardcore image began to soften with each passing album, and although the quality of her music never wavered, some of her fan base got worried around the time of 1991's Act Like You Know, which featured production by BBD boardsmen Wolf & Epic (Epic later became a member of Crazy Town), and "softer" songs like When In Love, which featured R&B elements (which, at that time, were a big no-no).
Lyte came back hard two years later with the Teddy Riley-produced Ruffneck, which wound up becoming the first Top 40 pop hit for a solo female rapper, not to mention the first Gold single by a female MC. However, hip-hop tastes were changing, and Lyte had to morph again to change with the times.
By 1996, the "jiggy" era was in full swing, and Lyte again decided to soften her image, not only to attain commercial success but also to soften rumors that she was a lesbian. After an opening slot on Janet Jackson's "janet" tour, Lyte came back in 1996 with the Jermaine Dupri-produced, Xscape-assisted Keep On Keepin' On. This almost-ballad used a generous portion of Michael Jackson's Liberian Girl, and went on to become a Top Ten pop hit. Expectations were raised for her soon-to-come fifth album Bad As I Wanna B.
However, when the album was released, sales were only moderate. Enter Sean "Puffy" Combs to save the day. His remix of Cold Rock A Party featured a can't miss Diana Ross Upside Down sample, as well as a cameo by then-rising star ,Missy Elliott. It worked in the short term-Cold Rock A Party went gold. But there were no further singles were released, and Lyte's next album Seven & Seven, despite appearances by LL Cool J, Missy and an early production job for the Neptunes, was a stiff. Lyte was released from her record contract, and headed west, where she looked for work as an actress.
The music on this set is excellent. Even when Lyte went through her "softer" phase, she remained a clever lyricist (even though Ruffneck is a classic example of "trying too hard"), and the production-provided by Audio Two and King of Chill at the start of her career before she went on to "name value" producers, is excellent. My only regret is that they could've included a couple of songs and collaborations that would've spiced the album up a little more (her Sinead O' Connor collabo on the remix to (I Want Your) Hands On Me, the hip-house remix of Lyte As A Rock, and KRS-ONE's Anita Baker-sampling, mellow refashioning of I Go On should've all been included).
Though full mainstream success always seemed half an inch in front of MC Lyte,, her contribution to the world of hip-hop can not be denied. She was the first popular female MC to prove that she could stand on her own with the guys. Before her, female MC's were practically nonexistent, and the only one who really made any noise was producer's pet Roxanne Shante (whose rhymes were written primarily by Big Daddy Kane). MC Lyte (along with Queen Latifah, who arrived almost a year later), almost singlehandedly blazed the trail for the woman in rap, and this collection pretty much contains the blueprint that Eve, Foxy and Kim have used for their own success.
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