Arts & Culture - Written by The Source on Thursday, October 9, 2008 10:03 - 12 Comments

Women In Hip-Hop Stand Up!

Harlem stood up to honor MC Lyte and Roxanne Shante, among others this past weekend in the first ever Women In Hip-Hop Awards ceremony held at the Hip-Hop Culture Center in Harlem. More than worthy of the accolades they received throughout the evening, Lyte and Shante were revered as true pioneers in the game, with careers that span more than 20 years in Hip-Hop. The event sparked a great commingling of their past achievements and continued success coupled with a slew of a new generation of female emcees who felt inspired to rock the mic.

“It’s absolutely a dream come true to have an event like this that pays tribute to the women that were before me,” says Gypsy. Many of the performers showed their gratitude and spoke on behalf of all female emcees and on the plight they each face in a traditionally, male-driven industry. In the showcase hosted by Amanda Diva, artists like Atlas, Kween Kash, Likwuid Stylez and Gypsy captivated the audience with their lyrical skills, serving as proof that the efforts of past generations were not in vain.

In fact, Atlas went on to perform Shante’s “Roxanne’s Revenge” and Lyte’s “Lyte As A Rock,” blazing the honorees with an impromptu performance that was nothing short of priceless. Shante was awarded the Lady Legend Hip-Hop Award for being one of the first female emcees to debut back in the early ’80s, while MC Lyte was awarded the Renaissance Woman of Hip-Hop award for her extensive yet diverse career within the genre. Among the other honorees were Sha-Rock, Cindy Cambell, Gamillah-Lamumba Shabazz, Amanda Diva, Jazzy Joyce, Sherri Sher and Danyel Smith.

“I can tell just from the flow of this that there’s going to be a resurgence. And it’s going to be grassroots just like it was back in the day,” MC Lyte said optimistically of the future of the female emcee. Despite there being a strong presence of female emcees in the underground, yet the presence of women in the mainstream is not quite as abundant. Legends MC Lyte and Roxanne Shante couldn’t agree more that the plight of the female emcee will exist for some time to come, but from the looks of it, they’re just getting started. — Kiara Gillette

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Women in Hip Hop Honored at Harlem Ceremony « STREET KNOWLEDGE MEDIA
Oct 10, 2008 14:44

[...] Women in Hip Hop Honored at Harlem Ceremony via The Source [...]

SwaggaTyte
Oct 13, 2008 9:46

i was at this joint. they had madd male heads for the decor. like wtf!!! did they miss the women in hip-hop memo.

Gypsy Flesh
Oct 13, 2008 17:01

OMIGoodness!!!! What A Historical Day… I myself & Likwuid did the Tribute to Salt-n-Pepa & it was amazing & such a Blessing to be apart of such a Historical Day… Everybody that blessed the stage hands down did the damn thing. I am proud of ALL of my Sistas & I appreciate you guys. Especially you Likwuid, We rehearsed hard, changed our personalities a bit but in the end it was all worth it….. I will be posting hella shots & video on my blog as well as my myspace which is http://www.myspace.com/gypsyflesh... Check back in like a week where you’ll get the live footage of all the Goods… I look forward to networking with everyone… have a Safe Journey in this thing called LIFE…..PEACE!

C Babe
Oct 14, 2008 21:46

Wow! Congrats to all the ladies that were honored, I really wish that I had the opportunity to be there, sounds like it was a lot of fun.

thatchick
Oct 16, 2008 14:52

dopeness.

Clifford Marsh
Oct 24, 2008 12:13

I was an MC Lyte fanatic and I love Roxanne Shante’–especially the fact that she is now “Dr. Rox”. MC Lyte has been an household name throughout the years and Roxanne Shante’ has mentored other artists. I am so proud to have seen these women mature and grow in other avenues unparallel to hip-hop (yet, remain immersed in the culture). Accolades to both of these beautiful ladies…

Mecca
Oct 28, 2008 9:05

I performed at this event and must say that it was a dream come true!! I’d like to shout out all of the ladies that performed…everybody was dope!

BIG D
Nov 17, 2008 15:04

hip-hop is so commercial nowadays. it’s all about image. lady luck will tear alot of cat a new asshole if she was just given a shot but because her looks she can’t get on. Lyte, Shante, and Latifah are some of the greatest of all time; male or female

BIG TRIG
Nov 30, 2008 3:22

I still love listening to my old Mc Lyte albums. Lytes skills were unparalled as a female artist.

harlemprincess
Dec 1, 2008 12:10

I think that females getting honored for their accomplishments in a male dominated industry is a beautiful thing. I also wish I was in attendance for this event. I loved Mc Lyte and Roxanne Shante back in the day and I still love them now. I think the new generation of female rappers should be honored in the future just as well. Femcee Power!

DEBBIE
Dec 29, 2008 14:48

It’s great that they are honoring women in hip hop. What happened to The Real Roxanne, Lisa Lisa of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam? They were among the first. And speaking of first. I see all the rappers and hip hop artist being honored. Has anyone remembered who started out with new and innovated hip hop music. Full Force: Bow Legged Lou, Paul Anthony, B-Fine, Gerry, Shy-Shy and Curttt. HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN? Not only did they sing, they also acted, produced and wrote. These brothers did it all. Come on y’all. Honor them.

Debbie D D

NOVA
Jan 7, 2009 1:07

http://www.myspace.com/featuremusik and listen to My Sistas