Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is a Grammy-nominated American rapper, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full album with 1988’s critically acclaimed Lyte as a Rock. She released a total of eight solo studio albums (2015’s Legend being her latest) and an EP with Almost September.
With songs like “Cha Cha Cha”, “Paper Thin”, “10% Dis”, “Ruffneck” (with which she became the first female solo rapper to achieve a gold certification) and “Poor Georgie”, MC Lyte has influenced the work of later female rap figures such as Queen Latifah, Lil’ Kim, Da Brat, Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill and Eve, among others. She has also had collaborations with mainstream artists such as Sin ad O’Connor, Janet Jackson, Brandy, Boyz II Men, Xscape, Moby, will.i.am and Beyonc . In addition to her career as a rapper, she has worked in parallel as a writer, DJ, has done various voice-over work and has more than a dozen credits as an actress in film and television. Lyte also has his own foundation, Hip Hop Sisters, and has worked with several other charities.
MC Lyte was recognized for her career with the “I Am Hip Hop” Icon Lifetime Achievement from the BET Hip Hop Awards and was honored at the VH-1 Hip Hop Honors. Also About.com was ranked No. 26 on their list of the 50 Greatest MCs of Our Time (1987-2007) and No. 6 in the Greatest Rappers Ever survey organized by NME.