MC Lyte

One of hip-hop's first female emcees, MC Lyte hit the scene with a bang on her 1988 debut. Joined by skilled co-conspirators Audio Two and Prince Paul, Lyte comes out swinging, with bold, headstrong rhymes laid over sparse, hard-hitting beats. Includes several classics, including "10% Dis," "Paper Thin," and "I Cram To Understand U."

Unlike so many of her femme-metal counterparts, she knows how to talk tough without yielding to the stupid temptations of macho. But as nobody's girl, she spreads 10 tracks among four producer-DJs, who chill too close to the max as she attempts to carry the music with her bare rap. Even their weirdest hooks are understated by half, and Lyte's quotes (not samples) from "I'm in the Mood for Love," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "I Am Woman," and "Hit the Road Jack" aren't loud enough to compensate. Minimal isn't the only way she can go, as Sinead O'Connor fans know. Are they in for an unpleasant surprise. (Grade - B)