MC Lyte on the 50th anniversary of hip-hop: ‘Look where we are. I am just so elated’

By Michelle Watson, CNN

(CNN) — MC Lyte, one of hip-hop’s pioneer emcees, tells CNN she’s “elated” with how far hip-hop has come since its inception back in 1973.

“Look where we are. I am just so elated, excited, it’s almost as though hip-hop, of all generations, have gotten like a dose of rejuvenation. We have been so busy this year,” MC Lyte said in an interview on CNN Tonight with Sara Sidner on Friday.

MC Lyte said she visited the place where hip-hop is widely considered to have been born, 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, on Thursday to ring in the 50th anniversary.

“We had a vigil for hip-hop and brought in the midnight hour there at the birthplace of hip-hop – how else can you bring it in?,” MC Lyte said.

On August 9, Netflix released a series, “Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop,” dedicated to highlighting women rappers throughout the years, of which MC Lyte is an executive producer, according to IMDb.

During her interview, MC Lyte said she salutes “all of the women in any field within hip-hop,” because women rappers still face adversity today.

Missy Elliot, for example, was only just inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in May, becoming the first woman rapper to receive that acknowledgment after an over 30-year career.

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CNN’s Leah Asmelash contributed to this report.