Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better recognized by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper-songwriter, actress, television announcer, and businesswoman. Regarded as a pioneer in the field of female rap, MC Lyte initially gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first female rapper to release a full solo album with 1988's critically acclaimed Lyte as a Rock. The album spawned the singles "10% Dis" and "Paper Thin".
In 1989, she joined the supergroup Stop the Violence Movement, and appeared on the single "Self Destruction", which was the inaugural number-one single on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. That same year, she released her second album Eyes on This, which became one of the first albums by a female solo rapper to chart on the Billboard 200. That album included the single "Cha Cha Cha". In 1991, MC Lyte released the hit single "Poor Georgie", which marked her first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100. Her 1993 single "Ruffneck", made her the first solo woman rapper to achieve a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
In 1994, she collaborated with Janet Jackson on the song "You Want This", and was featured alongside Queen Latifah and Yo-Yo on the remix track "I Wanna Be Down" by Brandy. Her 1996 single "Keep On, Keepin' On" featuring Xscape, reached the top ten on Billboard Hot 100. She then collaborated with Missy Elliott on the hit song "Cold Rock a Party", which was her fifth number-one song on the Hot Rap Singles chart. In 2004, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Rap Solo Performance for the track "Ride Wit Me".
Throughout her ongoing career, MC Lyte had collaborations with mainstream artists such as Sinéad O'Connor, Will Smith, Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, Moby, Aerosmith, Beyoncé and will.i.am, and has been cited as an influence to many women in hip hop. In 2023, Billboard & Vibe ranked her as one of the 50 greatest rappers. She has received the "I Am Hip Hop" Icon Lifetime Achievement from the BET Hip Hop Awards, and was honored at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors. In October 2014, Lyte become the first female artist to perform Hip Hop at the White House. In September 2016, she was awarded with the W. E. B. Du Bois Medal, Harvard University's highest honor in the field of African and African-American studies. In addition to her current career as a rapper, she has worked in parallel as voiceover talent for various events, writer, DJ and has starred in various roles in film and television. In 2022, has her directional debut with the short film Break Up In Love. Lyte has worked with several charities, including her own foundation, Hip Hop Sisters.
