MC Lyte Speaks On Tyler The Creator’s Jab

In Tyler The Creator’s track “Rella,” the Odd Future frontman raps “Let’s get it poppin’ like MC Lyte around some dykes.” Not the nicest thing to say about someone. When Lyte sat down for an interview with Hip-Hop DX, the rap veteran spoke on the subject and how she felt about it. Read what her response was below.

DX: This next question I just have to forewarn is a much, much heavier one. It’s about another relative new-jack, this one male: Tyler, The Creator from Odd Future. For the first leak from Odd Future’s new album, “Rella,” Tyler rhymes, “Let’s get it poppin’ like MC Lyte around some dykes.”

MC Lyte: Right, I heard about this.

DX: Were you personally offended by the 21-year-old’s alluding to the rumors?

MC Lyte: Yeah, I definitely was insulted. First off, it’s totally new school. [Tyler, The Creator] has yet to understand [that] although he can have quite a bit of followers and fans, it does take a moment from one’s entry in the business for them to really understand what it is that we do for other people. And how we inspire them, and how we influence them, and how we can literally make or break another human being’s day. And with all that I’ve done throughout my years in inspiring generations of people, I think it very irresponsible of him.

With saying that, we do have a generation that is quite irresponsible when it comes to what it is that they’ll say [and] their behavior. [But still], it took me by surprise. One, because I know of people who know him and kind of hold him in high esteem. [But] from that action alone, I don’t know that I feel it worthy for me to address it in any other format, outside of this. But, yeah, I thought it was very careless.

DX: Well this isn’t in Tyler’s defense but I just wanna note that Odd Future has an openly lesbian member, Syd The Kyd, and Tyler has previously stated that he’s not homophobic. So I think your name kinda just got used as the butt of a joke – that it wasn’t an attack, just tactless.

MC Lyte: Well, the point is just ‘cause words rhyme or sound alike doesn’t mean I need to be your stomping ground. So I do have to take it personally, unfortunately whether he meant it personally or not. I’m sure there was a more tactful way, if in fact skilled, you can deliver a rhyme on your own account and not involve me in the shenanigans.

And I am aware of that member of their group, and kudos to her. But … why didn’t he say her? [Laughs] Like, don’t use me! But, it is what it is. I’ve actually had worse said about me, so … my intelligence was insulted more than my feelings were actually hurt.