MC Lyte Reveals How Friendship With Big Daddy Kane Led To Legendary Collaboration
MC Lyte recruited fellow Hip-Hop legends Big Daddy Kane and Salt of Salt-n-Pepa for the new single “Woman” produced by Warryn Campbell. The rap pioneer discussed the Raheem DeVaughn-assisted song’s creation in an interview with AllHipHop’s Chuck Creekmur.
“Big Daddy Kane and Raheem DeVaughn, who does the hook, were in town in Los Angeles and we’re friends,” MC Lyte told AllHipHop. “So, I’m talking to Kane. I’m like, ‘Where are you?’ He said, ‘Oh, I’m here.’ I’m like, ‘Come by the studio.’ Same thing with Raheem. And so, I gotta tell you – Warryn’s studio isn’t close. You got to kind of go all the way out to get to the studio. So, you really mean to be there. You have to be intentional about it. And so we were able to get in the studio, listen to a couple of tracks, and we did two other songs as well.”
MC Lyte praised Campbell, a Grammy Award-winning producer, for being the perfect collaborator for this stage of her career The two bonded after the death of Heavy D.
“Warryn and I formed a brother-sister relationship once Heavy passed,” MC Lyte said. “Heavy was sort of our connection. And whenever I would visit Heavy in the studio, who else would be there? Warryn. And then also Warren was on the A&R team at Elektra EastWest when I was with a major record label. And so we formed a bond. I’m also a member of his church, California Worship Center.”
She continued, “Being in a studio with him has been such an invigorating process because the only thing that’s necessary for me to bring to the table is truth. And I don’t have to put on airs. I’m not the same girl who rapped ‘Ruffneck.’ And so, I don’t like going into [the] studio with producers who expect the same of me, which can sort of keep you in this cycle of trying to do something that was. So, anyway, it’s a pleasure to work with him in the studio.”
MC Lyte’s “Woman” dropped on Friday (March 22). The anthem was released to celebrate Women’s History Month.