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MC Lyte

MC LyteAKA Lana Michele Moorer

Born: 11-Oct-1971
Birthplace: Queens, NY

Gender: Female
Race or Ethnicity: Black
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Rapper

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Groundbreaking female rapper

One of the first widely-known female performers to overcome the sexism prevalent in the early years of hip-hop, MC Lyte began to develop her talents at the age of 12 and had a recording career underway by her teens. Her uncompromising style was already evident by her first single, I Cram To Understand U (Sam), an underground hit describing the poisoning of a relationship by crack addiction. The single led to a deal with the First Priority label, who released her debut effort Lyte as a Rock in 1988; the tracks on the record featured a variety of well-rounded but doomed characters and dealt unflinchingly with the many pitfalls of urban life.

Her exploration of these themes continued the following year with the album Eyes on This, which featured the #1 rap single Cha Cha Cha. A shift towards a more pop/soul approach was evident with the next record Act Like You Know (1991) due to the enlistment of Bell Biv DeVoe's production team, while a return to a harsher style was made with 1993's Ain't No Other, earning Lyte both a Grammy nomination and her first gold single for Ruffneck (a response to criticisms directed at her in the song Gangsta Bitch). During this time Lyte created her own management organization, Dupe The Moon Productions.

During a two year hiatus from recording MC Lyte turned her attention to social issues, contributing her time to Rock the Vote and various anti-violence organizations as well as charity events in support of AIDS patients. In 1996 she switched to the Elekta/Asylum label and resumed her career with the album Bad as I Wanna B, which featured yet another gold single -- the duet with Missy Elliott Cold Rock a Party. The next effort, Seven by Seven, received a critical cold shoulder and shortly afterwards Lyte parted ways with her record label. She then moved to Los Angeles and spent a period focusing on an acting career, making appearances in televison series such as New York Undercover, Moesha and For Your Love, in addition to numerous voice-over jobs for commercials. In 2003 she joined up with iMusic and released Da Undaground Heat Vol. 1, an arrangement giving her extensive control over her recorded output.

Father: Nat Robinson (music executive)
Brother: DJ Gizmo Dee (musician)
Brother: Milk (musician)

    Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Honorary

    TELEVISION
    Star Search Judge

    FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
    Girls Trip (21-Jul-2017)
    Patti Cake$ (23-Jan-2017)
    Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (25-Jan-2015) · Herself
    Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap (21-Jan-2012) · Herself
    Civil Brand (26-May-2002) · Cervantes
    An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (29-Sep-1997)

Official Website:
http://www.mc-lyte.com/


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