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- [Narrator] There are some artists
that apply pressure 24/7/365,
consistently proving why they're deserving of our attention.
Their talent might keep us grooving on the dance floor,
smiling at the big screen,
or enjoying them from our front row seats
while they positively impact pop culture.
No matter where they are, these artists bless us
with their gifts and get us right.
Lana Michele Moorer, better known as MC Lyte,
is a hip hop icon, and is noted as one
of the pioneers of hip hop.
Lyte's flows and innovative style gained her notoriety
as the first female MC to release a full-length album,
"Lyte as a Rock", in 1988.
Her sophomore album, "Eyes on This",
featured Lyte's first hit single, "Cha Cha Cha".
Lyte's song spent 18 weeks at number one
on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles Chart,
forcing the hip hop community to pay attention.
MC Lyte had something to say,
and her lyrical flow was solid.
She is regarded as one of the first female MCs
to tackle feminism on wax,
using her voice to shed light on the disrespect
towards women in hip hop at the time.
In addition to being a hip hop pioneer,
she has also ushered in many hip hop firsts.
MC Lyte is the first hip hop artist
to perform at Carnegie Hall,
the first female to perform hip hop in the White House,
first African American female to serve as the president
of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Recording Academy,
the first female solo rapper ever nominated for a Grammy,
and the first to ever receive a gold single.
All hail to the queen.
In celebration of her many accomplishments,
MC Lyte was recognized for her 30-plus year career
with the I Am Hip Hop Icon Lifetime Achievement
during the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards.
MC Lyte is the epitome of booked and busy.
MC Lyte has influenced a whole generation
of musical artists.
With collaborations with artists including Sinead O'Connor,
Brandy, Xscape, Mary J Blige,
Moby, and will.i.am., Lyte's art crossed genres
with multiple hits.
In addition to her career as an MC,
she's added writer, DJ, voiceover artist and actress
to her credits, with roles across film and television.
She's appeared in "New York Undercover", "Power",
"Queen of the South", "Girls Trip"
and "S.W.A.T", to name a few.
Literally a legend, MC Lyte was cemented in history in 2006,
when she donated her diary, a turntable, records
and other items from her early career to the Smithsonian
for Hip-Hop Won't Stop: The Beat, the Rhymes, the Life,
a hip hop exhibition honoring the genre.
As if Lyte hadn't already done enough for the culture,
she's an author, motivational speaker and philanthropist.
Her charity, Hip Hop Sisters Foundation, has raised
and donated over $1 million in scholarships.
In 2021, Lyte applied her creativity,
both in front of and behind the camera,
as actress, creator and executive producer
of the sitcom "Partners in Rhyme".
Then in 2022,
MC Lyte won a Global Citizens Film Festival Award
for her directorial debut
on the short film "Break Up in Love".
Realizing she had something powerful
to say at the tender age of 12,
MC Lyte set out on a mission to change hip hop,
and has opened doors for female MCs and musicians to follow.
Not limited to sharing her talent in just music,
MC Lyte is a trailblazer,
who's left an incomparable mark across media
and deserves all the props possible.
Nothing about this legend
and her accomplishments are paper thin.
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