MC Lyte is back with her first Music video in years. Ball features Lil Mama and AV. Directed by Ron Yuan.

“MC Lyte’s new track, “Dear John” f/ Common & 10Beats, is the anthem for #EducateOURMen, which is the signature scholarship initiative of MC Lyte’s Hip Hop Sisters Foundation, which has presented two $100,000 university scholarships during the Soul Train Music Awards Red Carpet Pre-Show each year since the organization’s founding. This year, the foundation will present dozens of scholarships earmarked to send men to HBCU’s. Russell Simmons, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jada Pinkett Smith and Faith Evans are just of the few celebrities who support the foundation’s movement (EducateOURMen.info).”

The first release from Lyte’s upcoming LP, her first studio album in eleven years, which is slated to be released later this year. “Dear John” is a fresh track with a strong urban hip-hop vibe, that will also be featured in Lyte’s upcoming episode of “Being,” which will air on Saturday, September 13, 2014 on Centric, 9pm est / 8c.

“Dear John” is the anthem for #EducateOURMen, which is the signature scholarship initiative of MC Lyte’s Hip Hop Sisters Foundation, which has presented two $100,000 university scholarships during the Soul Train Music Awards Red Carpet Pre-Show each year since the organization’s founding. This year, the foundation will present dozens of scholarships earmarked to send men of color to HBCU’s. Russell Simmons, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jada Pinkett Smith and Faith Evans are just of the few celebrities who support the foundation’s movement (www.EducateOURMen.info).

This clip is from a Tuesday in 2013…. and we’re happy about that.

It has been a few years since she released an official single, but MC Lyte is back with, “Cravin,” a new track that just screams Summertime!

“Cravin” is produced by The Natives and will appear on Lyte’s forthcoming LP; which as of now is still untitled and will be released on LoudBox Entertainment/ Sunni Gyrl, Inc.

West Coast femcee Medusa teams with MC Lyte for this new collaboration from the album Whrs The DJ Booth.

MC Lyte freaks Bob James’ “Nautilus” sample for this track from Mick Boogie’s upcoming Adidas mixtape, Brooklyn Originals.

From Gods’illa’s CPR (Clothes, Promotion, Rapping) mixtape release, hosted by Erykah Badu.

]]> http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/12/25/godsilla-you-dont-have-to-be-a-star-remix-feat-maimouna-youssef-bahamadia-monie-love-mc-lyte/feed/ 0 http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/01/12/positive-k-i-still-got-a-man-feat-mc-lyte/ http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/01/12/positive-k-i-still-got-a-man-feat-mc-lyte/#comments Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:41:32 +0000 http://www.hiphopsite.com/?p=28752 [cont.]]]>

Positive K is doing stand up now, as seen in the video above. Plus, he just knocked out a 2011 remix of his classic hit, “I Gotta Man”, with MC Lyte. Sign in if you bought Skills Dat Pay Da Bills on cassette….

LISTEN: Positive K – “I Still Got A Man” (feat. MC Lyte)

Positive K – “I Still Got A Man” (feat. MC Lyte)

MC Lyte interviewed backstage at VH1 Divas, touching upon the recent beef between Nicki Minaj and Lil Kim. It’s nice to see Lyte repping it for female emcees at this point in the game.

Hip-Hop has always been a “boy’s club” where female emcees are seen as welcomed guests rather than active participants. But it was never this bad. It never got to the point where award shows had to literally discontinue its best female artist category because there was no one to give it to. There used to be a meritocracy for females where if you could spit, you would get a chance to make music. In 1995, a certain girl from Brooklyn picked up the mic and changed the game forever. When Lil’ Kim came on the scene she forced all of Hip-Hop to address the female rapper differently. Looking back 15 years later, was her influence a good or bad thing for women in Hip-Hop?

Prior to 1995, female rappers came in all shapes and sizes. From to MC Lyte to the Lady of Rage, females had a visible and diverse presence in Hip-Hop. Groups like Salt-N-Pepa were even topping the charts. They spoke about a wide range of topics and garnished respect from their male counterparts and true Hip-Hop fans. These female rhymesters did not have to fit into the small pigeonhole of “sex object”. Sex was more of a topic of discussion rather than the focal point of their image. This is not to say that they weren’t up against sexism. It was hard to avoid seeing raunchy videos or having rappers explain how a woman should lick something. Despite the obstacles, there was at least an outlet for people if they wanted a more positive viewpoint on women.

In 1995 everything we knew about gender politics in Hip-Hop was turned on its head. Lil’ Kim burst onto the scene as a hyper-sexual vixen that was in control of her body and sexuality. It was like a revolution of sorts where men were no longer allowed to determine how a female is viewed. She literally knocked people on their asses with her hardcore lyrics. The men in her raps were just toys whose only purpose was to please her and finance her lavish lifestyle. Never having seen this before, Lil’ Kim became one of the biggest and most controversial stars in Hip-Hop. Her unapologetic rhymes and demeanor gave females in rap another voice and perhaps another avenue to express their sexuality.

Unfortunately, Kim’s impact might have been too powerful. Her debut album’s first week sales set the record for a female rapper. This had the music business salivating. This new breed of female that executives could make a killing off of replaced the multi-faceted female emcee. A woman couldn’t get a deal unless she was wearing a thong or talked about how she performed in the bedroom. This sexual empowerment that Kim started completely disappeared. The female rapper became a one-dimensional object whose role was to satisfy the fantasies of their male listeners. In many circles, Lil’ Kim was no longer being viewed as a symbol of strength but rather the embodiment of every negative stereotype. With an emphasis on the “porn star” image, having actual lyrical talent became expendable. What remained were these inept women with ghost writers being paraded around as actual artists and it completely destroyed what was left of the true female emcee.

Years went by as women who at one point would have been welcomed into Hip-Hop, found themselves on the outside looking in. The result is what we have today – nothing. No prominent, successful female rappers worth mentioning, just frustration and nostalgia. It’s probably unfair to place the entire blame on Lil’ Kim but we’re responsible for our actions even if we cannot predict the outcomes that our actions will have. Most likely she didn’t intend to have a negative impact. She was probably just being Kimberly Jones, a girl from BK trying to make it. But as artists like Nicki Minaj and Jean Grae fight tooth and nail to undo what the Queen Bee did to their image and respectability, they might have asked her back in 1995…

“Friend or Foe yo, state your biz?”