MC Lyte was on her daily three-mile walk in Los Angeles on Monday morning when a friend told her that she’s being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside fellow hip-hop pioneers Queen Latifah and Wu-Tang Clan. “I was kind of shocked,” the 55-year-old multi-hyphenate tells Rolling Stone.
Lyte began writing lyrics at age 12 and released her debut album, Lyte as a Rock — still considered a landmark in the genre — in 1988, when she was only 17. Four decades later, she’s had too many jobs to count: rapper, actress, director, manager, executive producer, television announcer, and all-around hip-hop ambassador. For now, her main focus is on her management company and the Hip-Hop Sisters Foundation, the charity she co-founded that aims to financially empower young people and promote the image of women in hip-hop.
We spoke to a slightly fatigued but emotionally energized Lyte right after her daily walk about what the Hall of Fame induction means to her and hip-hop.
Congratulations. How do you feel right now?
There’s so much more to do, but it’s a great milestone, especially to be recognized by a group of your peers or those who exist in other genres. Starting from 16 years old rapping lyrics in a basement to now taking on one of the most esteemed acknowledgements, to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — it feels surreal.
It’s humbling and serves as a reminder to keep moving in the direction of positivity and know that I am just the conduit. God is working through me to bring the very best of whatever it is he gives me as a creative vision. I just feel like I keep getting better.
You’ve been eligible for more than a decade, but this was your first nomination. Had you thought about getting in over the years?
I recognize going to the [Cleveland] airport and [seeing] all of the displays, like [inductees] Beastie Boys and Public Enemy. But I never equated myself to the moment. And then I received a call about two years ago from Chuck D and it was like, “Have you ever thought about wanting to be inducted?” And it was the first time it became something to think about. But it almost felt so out there that I never even really considered what it would mean to be inducted. Hip-hop has come so far.
What do you think you, Latifah and Wu-Tang Clan getting in means for hip-hop culture in general?
It’s another box that hip-hop has broken out of … For the culture, it just puts us that much more ahead and speaks of our significance and what it is that hip-hop means to the world. I love the idea of being able to inspire other artists that are coming up and may feel doubt and ask, “What is it all for?” And really, you find out what it’s for through the responses and actions and accolades and acknowledgements from others. And so now I feel like it’s a testament to a career that I’ve worked almost four decades in now.
Salt-N-Pepa got in last year, and it’s you and Latifah this year. Do you think the Rock Hall is consciously trying to honor more female hip-hop pioneers after years of ignoring the genre as a whole?
Absolutely. That governing body is very important as they make the choice to bring on new people and new energy that really understands what hip-hop means to the culture and to music. It takes a shift in awareness and consciousness of what is really happening today. And so I think Latifah and I being recognized, and Salt-N-Pepa being recognized, is just a testament to the somewhat newer regime coming into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame body of voters. Many organizations that are based in overall culture are supposed to reflect the actual time we’re in and could use the benefit of restructuring. It’s just something that adds the flavor of what’s happening of the day.
It must be extra-special knowing you’re getting in with Latifah, someone you’ve known for more than three decades.
We met at our first music convention [in the late 1980s]. And I had heard about her through Posdnous of De La Soul, who played me [Latifah’s song] “Princess of the Posse.” I was just like, “Oh my goodness, this is hot.” And then I was standing in line and someone tapped me on the shoulder like, “Are you MC Lyte? I’m Queen Latifah.” We were literally inseparable that whole seminar. To find someone else that loved hip-hop as much [as me] was not really easy back then. We were just loving hip-hop and wanting to participate. That wasn’t exactly the norm for young girls in high school wanting to rap. It just feels full circle.
You also have a long history with Wu-Tang Clan.
Yeah, Milk D and Gizmo, who produced my records, lived in Staten Island, and the studio that I worked at was blocks away from where Wu-Tang all grew up and assembled. They just changed the whole trajectory of hip-hop and what was possible with the lo-fi sound. Ghostface is on my last album. I just did two songs with Method Man. RZA had a vision of bringing these guys together and creating something unstoppable. So to see not just them get their acknowledgement, but to be a part of that moment, is surreal.
Some of the people that get in are in their seventies and eighties, but you’re only in your mid-fifties. Does it feels more like a notch than a capstone?
I count this as “Wow. Keep on moving. Keep on doing what it is that you do.” It’s a high-five. It’s a pat on the back. It’s a “We see you.” As an artist, I came into this whole thing like, “I just want to go to the studio.” Then, I wanted to make a record. Then after the record, “I want people to hear it, so I want it to be on the radio and I want to do a video.” The wants and desires of what comes along with artistry grow. This particular honor allows me to see the vision of something even bigger; it’s having everything on my to-do list with my artistry knowing that it has not all been in vain. It’s the amount of people that can be touched and inspired by the work.
