MC Lyte
Reviewed on this page:
Lyte As A Rock - Eyes On
This - Act Like You Know - Ain't No Other - Bad As I Wanna B - Seven & Seven -
Da Undaground Heat, Vol. 1
MC Lyte was the first female rapper commonly acknowledged to be as
hard as the men: she loves to curse, and she's got that fierce
working-class Brooklyn voice and no-bullshit demeanor. But she's
also written some of the most fearlessly honest and introspective
lyrics in modern music, putting a generation of weepy Joni Mitchell imitators to shame. Lyte doesn't
write music or produce, and the quality of the backing tracks
has varied widely, even within each album. Her late 90s albums were very disappointing saleswise, though they
were at least as strong as her first records, and she didn't release a followup until May 2003. (DBW)
 Lyte As A Rock (1988)
Lyte's first single "I Cram To Understand U" was the conflicted
love song of the year, a brilliant rap story, and one of the few
anti-drug songs that doesn't come off like a sermon, because it's
so painfully real. The backing track is minimal, and the production
is amateurish, but her raw talent makes the cut essential. The rest
of the album doesn't live up to that standard, but "Don't Cry Big
Girls" is close, there are lots of good rhymes ("MC Lyte Likes
Swinging"), and she cleverly cuts both unfaithful men ("Paper
Thin") and plagiarizing rappers ("10% Dis") down to size. (DBW)
 Eyes On This (1989)
The music gets a lot more fleshed out and danceable here, as she
kept the best producer from the first album (Audio Two) and also
hooked up with King Of Chill, Pee MD and Marley Marl, who all kick
in some solid backing tracks. Lyrically, there's none of the
vulnerable confession from the first album (although at least two
tracks sample "Cram"), but there are some nice anti-drug stories
(the hit "Not Wit' A Dealer"), her first shaggy-dog rhyme
("Cappucino"), and another attack on a female rapper ("Shut The Eff
Up! [Hoe]"). (DBW)
 Act Like You Know (1991)
She covers as much ground as possible on the 19 tracks here: there
are several crossover tunes, melodic and even featuring some real
instruments (including Reggie
McBride on bass), that are mostly effective, with excellent
lyrics ("When In Love" is a dry-eyed look at the extremes love
drives us too; "Eyes Are The Soul" is a meditation on difficult
choices; "Poor Georgie" is another love affair with an unhappy
ending). Once again, drug addiction is a central theme through much
of the material. There's also a gorgeous slow number explaining her
preference for younger men ("2 Young 4 What").
Queen Latifah producer Mark the 45 King
contributes some harder-hitting numbers: "Like A Virgin," a
tale of Lyte's first time with 45's trademark sax samples;
straight-out bragging on "Big Bad Sister"; another shaggy-dog story
("Absolutely Positively... Practical Jokes"). (DBW)
 Ain't No Other (1993)
By the time Lyte made this, the backlash had started against
hip-hop/pop hybrids, and the focus shifted to "realness." So Lyte
dumped the softer stylings of the previous album; unfortunately she
also dropped the lyrical subtlety and inventiveness. The gold
single "Ruffneck" is enjoyable, and the music is harsh - not a
melody to be heard anywhere - but often works. There are a lot of
old-style bragging tracks, and she also pushes foul-mouthed rhyming
to an extreme ("Fuck That Motherfucking Bullshit"), and throws in
an attack on fellow rapper Roxanne Shanté that's unbelievably
crude ("Steady Fucking"). (DBW)
Bad As I Wanna B (1996)
Lyte coproduced with Jermaine Dupri,
and there are no throwaway tracks, segues or shaggy dogs to be found.
It's remarkably consistent in tone; she's tough and serious on the
bragging numbers ("Have U Ever," "Cold Rock A Party"), lyrical and
unsentimental on the love songs ("Keep On, Keepin' On" with Xscape,
"Everyday"). "Druglord Superstar" is one more tale of dumping a
drug dealer boyfriend, harsher than earlier work but no less
sincere. Dupri's grooves are tuneful but unobtrusive - mostly he's
just laying a background for Lyte to do her thing. It's not her
most personal or original work (lyrics borrow from both Run-DMC and Grandmaster Flash) but it's
consistently rewarding. (DBW)
Seven & Seven (1998)
The opposite of the previous album in almost every way: there are a ton
of producers; the subject matter and musical backing are all over the
map; link tracks and interludes are back; and a number of guest
rappers turn up. Missy Elliott
continues to amaze, producing two guitar-based tracks, "In My Business"
and "Too Fly," that don't sound like anything she or Lyte had ever done
before, but somehow are perfectly fitting. The Neptunes contribute
several enjoyable numbers with what sound like live instruments: "It's
All Yours" (a love song with a chorus sung by Gina Thompson), "Closer,"
"I Can't Make A Mistake." But the backbone of the record is 70s
samples: "Oogie Boogie" samples the similarly-titled disco tune; "Put It
On You" uses "Fame"; "Playgirls Play" is built
on "Do It (Till You're Satisfied)"; "Give Me What I Want" relies on "Nasty Girl." But it never sounds
routine, because the samples aren't run into the ground, and Lyte's
delivery is so sharp, with strings of clever rhymes that are often
highly sexual ("Woo Woo"). She also includes several minimal numbers
(produced by Milk) along the lines of her 80s work ("King Of Rock"
samples both Run-DMC and her own "Cram To Understand U"), and an
album-closing gospel-infused song about death and redemption (gee,
that's original). (DBW)
Da Undaground Heat, Vol. 1 (MC Lyte Is Lytro: 2003)
I've hung tough with Lyte as she's fallen off most everyone's radar, but while she shows flashes of talent
here, it's a big drop off from her earlier work.
The single "Ride Wit Me" (no relation to the Nelly hit) is terrific, with
greasy synth bass set against a bright arpeggiated piano line as Lyte asserts her continuing relevance.
But things go downhill in a hurry: most of the backing tracks are routine, with an overreliance on the synth's "Orchestra
Hit" setting ("U Got It");
there are too many between-song phone messages ("Phone Check 3");
and the West Side Story sample on "Boy Like That" is one of the few moments of humor.
There is one fine, tender love song, "Where Home Is" with Jamie Foxx.
Produced by Gerard Harmon and Keith Wilkins.
(DBW)
Wilson, shut the fuck up.
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