MC Lyte - Cha Cha Cha

MC Lyte was a female trailblazer in hip hop and is the answer to a trivia question: who is the first solo female artist to release a rap record? (Answer: MC Lyte - Lyte As a Rock, 1988).

Born in Brooklyn, NY as Lana Moorer, MC Lyte began rapping at 12, and recorded her first song at 14.  Lyte's first album came out when she was 17; though it was not a huge commercial hit, it did establish her as an important rising hip hop artist.

Lyte's second album (1989's Eyes on This) did better, reaching #86 on the album charts, and peaking at #6 on the rap album charts.  "Cha Cha Cha" did not land on the singles charts, but was a #1 song on the rap charts for two weeks.

MC Lyte would go on to have further successes in the 1990s, and would expanding into acting, business ventures, philanthropy, and political causes over time.

Cool trivia fact: the video for "Cha Cha Cha" was directed by Tamra Davis, who has directed a bunch of movies, TV shows, and music videos.  Davis was married to Mike D of the Beastie Boys for years, although they are now legally separated.