MC Lyte

This morning I woke up with a rare blast from the past floating through my mind. It was the snippet from self destruction that I repeated ad nauseum as a teenager. "Funky freshed dressed to impress, ready to party....." Now, those of you in the know recognize the MC Lyte joint, the most classic phrase in the song, in my opinion anyway. I used to love MC Lyte. Lyte as a Rock played on my bedroom tape cassette over and over until the film snapped. It was required listening while we ladies prepared for whatever party or social function, preening to capture the attention of the bboy, hip hop lovin boys....

MC Lyte is still doin her thing. Not at the Queen Latifah level, but certainly still in the game. I was very disappointed when BET had its little ode to hip hop on the awards (was it last year?) and only let her spit a verse. Like she was an afterthought or something, instead of the very definition of b-girl for a generation that wasn't cutesy cutesy, but down for a people, African Bombada, lovin music girls. Baggy jeans, big gold hoop earrings, nameplate, your man's chain, if you had game and flava, stacked hair cut, etc...You know 'round the way girls - which we very much were. And knowing all the lyrics to Lyte was a prerequisite to stylin. Yeah, Salt n Peppa had their place too, as did Roxanne, but Lyte deserves a top spot.

So, I was boppin around hummin, "to get inside you paid a whole ten dollars..." Got to the metro this morning and, true story, Lyte was on the newspaper cover. To receive VHI honors. Its about damn time. So, this post is to MC Lyte, the original b-girl, who inspired flyness, uniqueness and rawness, without strippin and without compromise.....