MC Lyte is Solid as a Rock on New Album, ‘1 Of 1’

Lyte’s last full studio album was 2015’s Legend, but the gap between projects hasn’t meant that she’s been quiet. She dropped singles with V Bozeman and Lil Mama in 2018 and primed fans for 1 Of 1 with singles “King King” alongside Queen Latifah and “Woman” (more on that later). Teaming up with West Coast mainstay Warryn Campbell, Lyte sounds as focused and energized as she ever has on her latest; and the result is an inspired and introspective album. And she doesn’t spend time rehashing old themes or erratically chasing trends. Quite the contrary — L-Y-T-E sounds reinvigorated and confident throughout 1 Of 1. Possessing one of rap’s most recognizable voices with a wit and perspective that’s always uniquely Lyte — not to mention a reputation as a storyteller of the highest order — Lyte’s legacy as an artist has been cemented for decades. That she can deliver a strong set after ten years should surprise no one.

Also, Lyte has quietly crafted an inspired body of post-2000s work — though much of it hasn’t gotten mainstream love. “The Wonder Years,” her stellar 2007 collaboration with DJ Premier isn’t on streaming; nor is her 2018 project Legend. But the woefully underrated Almost September project is widely available — a soulful one-off that features the Brooklyn legend teaming up with singer/songwriters Jared Lee Gosselin and Whitey White. That EP now, in retrospect, looks like an early indication of where Lyte was heading musically.

The album’s lineup of guest stars is undeniably impressive — from Common to Q-Tip to Mary Mary and Stevie Wonder — there’s no missing the star power. But they’re inspired choices who are all delivering the goods here. This is feel-good music that never lets the sentimentality get too sweet, but also bears the hallmarks of a woman embracing everything life is and what she’s learned.

“My close friends would call me grandma because I'm always imparting something that can be used later,” Lyte told Grammys.com prior to the album’s release, “and I don't even know that I'm really doing it. I'm just talking. It's just the idea of never being afraid to share your weaknesses and your shortcomings. Just being an open book to help someone else get to the next step, the next phase.”

“To Rock the Mic” repurposes the hook from “Proceed” by The Roots as an anthem of endurance and perseverance; the industry gets eviscerated on the Wu-esque “Lyte Ghost Lil Mama” as Lyte bemoans her own history of label woes and Ghost gives a shout-out to pioneers like Grandmaster Flash and Kurtis Blow who never saw the kind of money the industry made from what they built. Her understated chemistry with Common shines on “Change Your Ways” — with a Stevie Wonder appearance, to boot. “Alright” is reflective without sounding bitter — another look at industry pitfalls through a lens of lived-in experience and another album highlight.

The rap industry has never cultivated longevity for its women. Even the most iconic names from Lauryn to Lil Kim to Latifah have gone long stretches without releasing music. So many of rap’s finest have short discographies and for hip-hop’s queens that can be especially true. But that has always said more about the industry than it does the talents or artistry of a Monie Love or Eve. Lyte’s quiet consistency has always garnered respect — but an album like 1 Of 1 serves as a creative crescendo for a legend whose greatness has always had a tendency to hide in plain sight.

Superproducer Easy Moe Bee makes an appearance near the album’s end, discussing Lyte’s legacy and the importance of elder statesmen and women in hip-hop.

“What Lyte did in [1989], what she did in [1995] — and beyond — she can still be that today,” the veteran hitmaker says in the clip. “[She] don’t have to have no qualms, no worries or contradictions in her mind like ‘my character then — would it fit now?’ She’s always been the same, all the way through. The question that I have is: how do we age gracefully and at the same time continue to be able to be who we were?”