9 Teen Girls Who Built Hip-Hop: Roxanne Shante, J.J. Fadd, Angie Martinez & More | GRAMMY.com (2024)

More often heralded for their fandom than their artistic contributions, teenage girls have been a driving force in hip-hop since its inception. After all, it was a teen girl, Cindy Campbell, who came up with the idea to host the back-to-school fundraiser that jumpstarted hip-hop in 1973.

Though their names may not be the first to be mentioned in mainstream conversation, young women in hip-hop paved the way for teen artists such as Brandy and Monica, Aaliyah and Destiny’s Child that would shapeculture in the late '90s and early aughts. The stories of these groundbreaking young women aren't always fairy tales — some are cautionary and some tragic — but all soar as examples of making space for themselves, sometimes as "the only" in a world dominated by adult men.

The current bloom of new female rappers have learned and taken inspiration from these innovators. Rappers like Latto, who launched via the reality show "The Rap Game" at 16, and even had the foresight to turn down the contract offered to her as a reality show winner and seek a more equitable deal for herself.

As hip-hop celebrates its 50th birthday,take a moment to celebrate these often under unsung, underaged, innovators.

MC Sha-Rock

Heralded as "the mother of the mic" Sharon Green a.k.a. MC Sha-Rock spent her childhood exploring slam poetry. She was well-seasoned in the art of rhyming by the time she auditioned for the Funky Four Plus One at age 17.

Her verse in "That’s the Joint" carries a marked cadence we hear mimicked to this day. At 19, Sha-Rock introduced the world to hip-hop on "Saturday Night Live" as a guest of Blondie’s Debbie Harry.

Daisy Castro

Born of Latin break and Afro-Caribbean rhythms the dance moves that accompanied these melded beats soon became an essential element of hip-hop. The first female member of the Bronx born Rock Steady Crew, early B-girl Daisy Castro a.k.a. Baby Love was only 14 when she took to breaking, finding her petite teen frame perfect for the complicated moves.

During her three years in the Rock Steady Crew,she saw breakdancing break into the mainstream via films like Flashdance and Beat Street.

Roxanne Shanté

Fourteen-year-old Lolita Roxanne Shanté was neighbors with hip-hop luminary DJ Marley Marl, who asked her to lay down a response track while the teen was on her way to do laundry. On the fly she set the blueprint for all diss tracks to follow, laying down a verse on top of "Roxanne, Roxanne" by UTFO.

That freestyle, "Roxanne’s Revenge," brought her fame, but the scene refused to recognize her as a singular talent. In 1985 at 15, she competed head-to-head in an otherwise all-male field in a the infamous "The Battle for World Supremacy." Despite battling and defeating 12 men for the title, Roxanne was told by the judge that the burgeoning art form would not be viewed as legitimate if a 15-year-old girl won and the contest was thrown against her.

"Roxanne’s Revenge" had made its mark, however, and she inspired a generation of young female MCs.

Lisa Leone

Though she would go on to direct on the big and small screen, Lisa Leone’s career as a hip-hop photographer dates back to her teens, where she majored in photography at the High School of Art and Design. "[People] would ask me to take pictures for them (for) publicity photos," She told Dazed in 2016. "So it was kind of a natural way, being there and photographing what you loved and in front of your face every day, you know just your friends. At the time, I would never have imagined that it (would) become what it was because we were kids."

Her early work parlayed her into one of hip-hop's most respected documentarians, capturing Snoop, Biggie, Nas and others during rap's explosion in the early '90s.

J.J. Fad

With their hit single "Supersonic," J.J. Fad's success helped build Eazy E’s Ruthless Records label and fund NWA’s debut record.

Though the group started as a quintet, its incarnation as a trio with Juana Burns (MC J.B.), Dana Birks (Baby-D), and then middle-schooler Michelle Franklin (Sassy C.) they would find their musical footing.

More than a novelty J.J. Fad were serious on the mic, going on long freestyle runs, as evidenced by the live clip below (which is very worth watching till the end).

L'Trimm

High Schoolers Bunny D and Lady Tigra provided a more wholesome entry point to the notoriously raunchy Miami bass scene with their 1988 smash "Cars That Go Boom Despite releasing two more records for Altalic, they were never able to replicate the single’s success. The song would go on to be included in Rolling Stone’s Top 100 Hip Hop Songs of All Time.

The duo released three albums for Atlantic Records before disbanding in the early '90s. Lady Tigra would stick with music going on to write jingles, perform on "Yo Gabba Gabba," and become a fixture on both the New York and Miami club scenes.

Spinderella

When a classmate asked a 16-year-old Deidre Muriel Roper if she was interested in joining a female rap duo in Queens, she had already been working the turntables for two years.Inspired by her fathers extensive record collection, Dee Dee as she was then known, had become a noted DJ in Brooklyn and as DJ Spinderella, she joined forces with Salt-n-Pepa to create one of the best selling hip-hop acts of the 1990s.

While female fronted rap acts began to proliferate the mainstream, Spinderella remains one of the most prominent femme DJs in the game. She also produced several Salt-n-Pepa tracks and is, of course, is an MC in her own right.

Angie Martinez

Now considered one of hip-hop's most prominent radio hosts and interviewers, Angie Martinez got her start as a teen answering call-in lines for New York station Hot 97.

Under the mentorship of Funk Master Flex, Martinez rose to radio prominence earning the moniker "The Voice of New York." She has also dabbled in acting and flirted with MCing, joining the all-star cast of Lil Kim’s "Not Tonight" Remix.

Misa Hylton

Misa Hylton was a 17-year-old intern at Uptown Records when she, went toe-to-toe with label President Andre Herrell. She insisted that group who would go on to be known as "The Bad Boys of R&B" or Jodeci should break with R&B convention, ditch the suited-up attire of their predecessors, and adopt street wear as their signature look.

She would change the course of hip-hop fashion, again, collaborating with Lil' Kim on her "Crush on You" video and iconic purple playsuit (and pastie) VMA’s look. Still impacting Hip Hop style, Hylton is responsible for looks like Beyonce and Jay-Z’s infamous, his and hers, pastel suits in the video for "Apes—."

6 Takeaways From Netflix's "Ladies First: A Story Of Women In Hip-Hop"

MC Lyte is hip-hop's original female emcee. Born in Brooklyn, the multi-hyphenate rapper, actor, entrepreneur, and fearless advocate for women is a pioneering force. Nine years since her last album, Lyte is finally ready to release her ninth studio album, 1 of 1, on Aug. 9.

Lyte is celebrated not only for her conscious lyrical prowess, but also for shattering gender barriers. At 16, she released her debut single, "I Cram to Understand U (Sam)," making a poignant statement about addiction in the '80s. In 1988, she unleashed her debut album, Lyte as a Rock, becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full album.

"[Early hip-hop] was so much freedom that we were able to really make a difference," Lyte tells GRAMMY.com. "That's myself with Heavy D and KRS-One and Rakim and all of the greats having the opportunity to use their voices the way that they wanted to use it."

Her 1993 release, Ain't No Other, earned her (and all female solo rappers) two firsts: the first GRAMMY nomination for "Ruffneck," and the first song to be certified gold. In 1996, she struck gold again with Bad As I Wanna B, featuring "Keep On, Keepin' On" with Xscape. Lyte's ability to illuminate powerhouse female voices in music shines through her collaborations with Janet Jackson on "You Want This" and Brandy's remix of "I Wanna Be Down" with Yo-Yo and Queen Latifah.

Earlier this year, she released two singles ahead of 1 of 1: "Woman," featuring Salt of Salt-N-Pepa, Big Daddy Kane, and Raheem DeVaughn in support of Women's History Month, and "King King" featuring Queen Latifah. Other legends on the new work include Stevie Wonder, KRS-One, Common, Q-Tip, Mary Mary, and Muni Long.

Beyond music, she is also a voiceover artist, actress, and active mentor through her organization, Sunni Gyrl, which focuses on artist development and creative services, and co-founded the Hip Hop Sisters Foundation, to promote positive images of diversity.

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Lyte has been honored with a special salute at the 2024 Black Music Honors, received the I Am Hip Hop Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards, and Harvard University's W. E. B. Du Bois Medal. At the Recording Academy, she has served in multiple roles, including President, Trustee, and Governor of the Los Angeles Chapter.

"I think we've sort of permeated every space of entertainment you can ever imagine," Lyte says of the culture in hip-hop. "Never could I have imagined years ago that we'd be here."

Over Zoom from the set location where she plays Detective Monroe in the BET original series "Angel," GRAMMY.com caught up with MC Lyte to discuss the new album, the source of her limitless passion, and her advice for the next generation.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

It's been nine years since you released your last album, Legend. What can fans expect from 1 of 1?

It's executive produced by Warryn Campbell, who by far has won his share of GRAMMYs through his own work and through production for others. But just so happens that he's also my pastor.

When we set out on this mission, I knew that I would feel comfortable enough to stay in the new lane that I have created for myself. It's interesting to now be in this space and not only navigate what's new, but also be at the forefront of what is my career. You know, starting at 16, 17, you're doing everything that everyone else wants you to do. You're standing that way. You're moving in that way. You're wearing this.

But this album, because I'm in a different, spiritual place, it felt good to be in collaboration with Warryn Campbell because there was nothing on it [trying] to be something that I was; something that he sees me being. And I think a lot of times, at least in my experience, producers have said, "Oh, we need to do something that sounded like that," or "You need to attack the mic like you did in that song." It's just a bunch of references made to older things.

So, 1 of 1, to me, is sort of a second coming of age. Where I'm able to stay in my truth and also give inspiration to others who are at a point where it feels like they can't get beyond the ridge.

**Your new single "Woman" was released during Women's History Month and "King King" was recently released with Queen Latifah. Who else shows up on this album?**

I made a lot of calls for this album. A lot of people answered the calls. So we've got some really great talent on the record, which I'm really excited about. We've got Common and Stevie Wonder and Q-Tip.

Our leading charge is a song called "Thank You," and that's with Mary Mary and Muni Long. And I just think, for all of the times where I didn't make the call, making a call at this time feels great to have people answer like, "Yes, I wanna do it." We've hit a space with people wanting to engage without, you know, [dollar] signs.

You've always been such an outspoken proponent of celebrating and sharing the experience of womanhood through your music — why is that so important to you?

I do believe having the opportunity to release music shouldn't be taken for granted. And so with that notion, I always, I guess, even from "I Cram to Understand U," my very first song, I always wanted to record with a purpose.

We recorded ["Woman"] before the pandemic, actually. And we knew that it needed to come out for Women's History Month. So if we missed Women's History Month, we had to wait for the next year. That's the type of focus that we wanted to have on that particular record. I think we were able to achieve it, and it's also one of those songs that we don't hear a lot of these days.

To have a song that celebrates women simply — with a wonderful hook by Raheem Devaughn — but then also seeing what's important to the two women that are in the song, myself and Salt, the perspective that we're coming from is in alignment with the way that a lot of women think. So we wind up speaking not just to them, but for them. Then to have Big Daddy Kane say all that he adores about women is just icing on the cake.

To bring it all the way up to now to "King King," which wasn't really planned to do as let's do a song for women, and now let's do a song for men. It didn't go like that. And when I tell you that "King King" and "Thank You" I wrote in bed at about 1 o'clock in the morning — it was just God downloading the lyrics so quickly. I couldn't even believe it. As I was writing it, I was like, oh my goodness. It's gonna stop. It won't stop.

Having this kind of conviction for your testimony speaks to the spiritual nature of your music. How else does that influence your work?

It brings people together. I think it just falls to me in a space of responsibility. It's not anything that's separate from me. Often I'll let the music lead me. And if I listen to a track, and it's like, oh, this is great. But it doesn't incite power or purpose, I'll put that track to the side. When I'm ready to just rap about nothing or rap about how dope I am, I'll pick that up. But when I'm looking for something that I want a message attached to it, the music literally will lead me into the place where I need to be open to whatever God puts on my heart.

So much of what is said in "Woman" is who I am. And same thing with "King King," it's what I believe. It's the times when I see guys in huge celebrations when they're winning, you know, trophies for basketball, and it is just like one of the most vulnerable moments to see them as they celebrate with their friends. You can see the pain and the anguish and the triumph and the tears. And it just brings chills all over my body.

To see that from these men that usually have to have these hard faces with this stance that's so mighty and strong. That's how I feel about, specifically men of color. No no one knows him. And so I wanted to celebrate them and then also their walk towards responsibility and not shying away from what it means to be in a long lasting, loving relationship.

What about your relationships with men in hip-hop? I know you and Rakim just performed together on the same stage at Rondos Day in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The interesting thing about Rakim, he's probably one of the emcees I know the least about, on a personal level. But yet, whenever we're in one another's company, we have such a high level of admiration and adoration for one another. It feels like we know one another really well. I really give honor to that. However, there are others like Biz Markie and Heavy D and Chuck D and KRS-ONE. These are my big brothers in the business.

Read more: On Rakim's 'G.O.D's Network (REB7RTH)' The MC Turned Producer Continues His Legacy With An All-Star Cast

Those are people that would just call me and say, "What is going on? How are you feeling?" Or they'll see some performance… That's Big Daddy Kane. He's gonna tell me, "I like what you was wearing on there," or "I like the energy." It's all of these moments where I am the little sister. You know, they've seen me grow up in this business. And many times over, they've assisted in some capacity.

It's so funny how many layers, relationships exist within hip-hop, and you may not know it because you don't see it. But we know that, you know, that connection is real.

Has your songwriting or creative process evolved through the years?

Yeah. Absolutely. There's a few things that have happened. One, when you're in the spell of writing, stay there. When I was younger…you leave a song open ended to have to try to find the same sentiment days later. And it may not be there. And so [I've learned] to stay still during the writing process. And then I've also learned much more melody than usual.

Coming from New York, we have a way of wanting to put all the words that we can find to show how dope and how advanced we are as emcees. And I think for me to be able to slow down on this record and find melody and nuances that weren't as important to me before, I think that it really benefited me with this record, and that's where I will give the credit to Warryn to push me.

I remember long ago, I was talking to Nelly, and I was about to embark upon a new album. It might have been 14 years ago. But what Nelly began to explain to me, is that "I lived in New York for a summer, you guys moved so quickly. It's no wonder you all rap like that." He said, "Where we're from, we're driving to our destinations." I think that was brought to the forefront for me here with this album. I'm not in a rush. I don't need a lot of tricks with what it is that I'm saying because what I'm saying is real. And it's important. I don't need a lot of influence. You know, I'm simply speaking. It's just real talk, and I think we haven't had that for some time.

You live in Los Angeles now, but do you get back to New York?

I've lived in Brooklyn. I've lived in Manhattan. I've lived in Queens, and I've lived in Jersey. And then I came to California. I've been in California for some time now. But I go back and forth often enough that I don't really feel like I'm missing anything. I'm going back this first week of August, which is pretty exciting, doing a lot of press for the album, and then also, performing at Wingate Park, which is where I attended high school.

**Speaking of, where are we going to see MC Lyte performing soon?**

I'm on the Queens of R&B tour. So we did Atlanta, Charlotte, New York, and then Madison Square Garden. There's going to be a show [in Los Angeles] at the [Kia] Forum. Cincinnati Music Festival, I'm performing out there, and I'm doing "King King," bringing them, you know, some new music at the same time, which is pretty exciting.

You also have a full plate with your other endeavors: acting, voice overs, mentorship. Do you get fuel from these different activities to inspire the other work you do?

Absolutely. I'm actually on set now. I played detective Monroe in a [BET] show called "Angel." I'm on set all week with this.

We have a full fledged production and management company [Sunni Gyrl]. Right now, our premier talent is Van Van, who is an internet sensation turned actor, recording artist. She's actually 5; she just released her first album. She also plays a character called Vancy with Snoop Dogg on Doggyland.

We've got other talent, gospel singers, Dave Hollister. And then production wise, we had a sitcom that I wrote ["Partners in Crime"], and we did some really great things with that with AMC. And now we've got a few deals around town with different projects, TV shows, cooking shows, competitive shows. I just signed on to be music supervisor for a short film called The Memo, by a new company called A Seed Productions and it's pretty powerful. I'm looking forward to all that comes from that.

But, yeah, each day it's a different hat. It makes it completely exciting.

What drives you to continue to commit yourself to mentorship and fostering new talent in the next generation through all that you're doing through Sunni Gyrl?

It just feels it feels like the right thing to do. I don't know any other way. And it's crazy because I meet people all the time that had met me at a younger age. And they say to me, "You said this to me and that really mattered at that time. I wanna tell you what it did for me."

My close friends would call me grandma because I'm always imparting something that can be used later — and I don't even know that I'm really doing it. I'm just talking. It's just the idea of never being afraid to share your weaknesses and your shortcomings. Just being an open book to help someone else get to the next step, the next phase.

There have been some autobiographies that I've read throughout time, and you know the ones that are just ink on the page. And you know the ones that had to see past their tears to actually write it. And that alone is what brings people closer to you. It's the human bond. And if you're willing to just be that open book, so many people can learn from what it is that you're saying. And it may not even be what you're saying. It could be the cornerstone for them to go get the knowledge or, you know, educate themselves about something completely different. I think as an emcee, I have to really be in tune with the power that I have and that words are powerful and have meaning. And so why not use them, responsibly and purposefully?

Can you tell me a bit more about the importance of listening? And have you always felt like a good listener?

No. Even now, it's still a struggle with me. You know, acting is all about listening.

I think a lot of times [what] we do in life is we take the part that incites some sort of reaction, and then we don't even pay attention to what was said before or after. For me, it's important that I slow down in order to listen. Because first off, I'm quick. And so are a lot of other people.

I've tasked myself each and every day with slowing down enough to listen.

Listening during acting has taught me how to listen in life. And that not everything said deserves a response or requires a response. It's the admittance of not knowing that's humbling.

How do you find the energy? What is the source of this well that you're continually pouring from?

The source: God. That's all I can attribute it to, because it's certainly not me. I just allow myself to be used as the vessel to get the thing done. It's a part of the dream. So while I'm doing it, I'm just grateful like, wow. I asked for this. Oh, yeah. And I asked for that. And so I only ask that God give me the wherewithal to handle it as it comes and also to say no to the things that I just don't have time to do and don't fulfill the ultimate goal.

What artists today are you excited about or you're listening to?

I love what Common and Pete Rock are doing right now. Rapsody, Tierra Whack. I listen to a lot of people in terms of Kendrick, in terms of Drake. And, I listen to Tems.

I just hope that the new artists coming in today find their strength at an earlier turn than a lot of us.

A lot of times, I believe artists understand who they are much more when they've gone out into the world and understand how blessed they are to even be in the position to speak their minds. There are plenty of places where not just women, but anyone who wants to speak out against the system, or disagree with a certain politic, or a political stance, or political agenda [cannot].

What other advice would you give a younger you or artists coming up now?

Surround yourself with people that have your best interest. And when you're young, you don't really know who those people are. But I would just say what you see, believe it. And you can see things much better than what you're told. Because people lie. Unfortunately, if everybody told the truth, then I wouldn't have to advise you to watch people show you much better than they tell you anything.

There's always room for improvement and to stay focused on what it is that you started out with. Because many times, there will be distractions. There will be distractions along the way, and you wanna make sure that you reach the intended goal. And know what you're in it for.

We’ve been feeling the heat for a minute now, but summer is finally, officially, upon us.

What do you have on deck to soundtrack it? Perhaps you’re checking out Camila Cabello’s fourth offering, C,XOXO. Or Jxdn’s expectations-bucking new album, When the Music Stops. And there are so many other worthy candidates for your playlist — from Lupe Fiasco’s Samurai to Omar Apollo’s God Said No.

No matter where your stylistic compass points, this Friday release day has got something for you. As you gather your sunscreen and shades, let’s breeze through a cross-section of what’s out there.

LISA — "Rockstar"

K-pop loves its solo releases, showcasing how the various members of a group can shine individually while combining with ecstatic chemistry. Enter LISA, one-fourth of Korean titans BLACKPINK, who's already turned heads with her 2021 debut album, Lalisa.

"Rockstar" is another swing outside her main gig, featuring serrated chiptune production and LISA's commanding rap flow. The gritty, urban, futuristic video is a visual treat, and the chorus's boast of "Lisa, can you teach me Japanese?" is a multilingual flex — as well as a maddeningly unshakeable earworm.

Kelsea Ballerini & Noah Kahan — "Cowboys Cry Too"

The "Peter Pan" heavyweight and four-time GRAMMY nominee Kelsea Ballerini has called 2024 "a new chapter of music." Her collaboration with folk/pop singer/songwriter Noah Kahan, "Cowboys Cry Too," is the tip of the spear.

More than a month after the pair performed together at the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards, their first recorded team-up is an aching, yearning ballad about breaking down a gruff exterior and revealing true emotions.

"Cowboys cry too/ They may not let 'em fall down in their hometown thinkin' they still got s*** to prove," Ballerini sings in the chorus. "That well runs deep/ But when he's showin' his skin, lettin' mе in, that's when he's toughest to mе."

Lil Nas X — "Here We Go!" (from the Netflix film 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F')

"So excited to release the best song of all time this friday!," Lil Nas X proclaimed on Instagram. (And on a Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, no less!)

"Here We Go!" comes at an inflection point for the "J Christ" singer: "sorry I've been so scared with my art lately," he added in the same post. "I'm coming around to myself again. I will make you guys very proud."

This pro forma banger certainly inspires pride: tenacious lines like "I'm livin' and livin' I wanna die/ They tryna get even/ I'm beatin' the odds" will get under your skin. As for Beverly Hill Cop: Axel F, the Eddie Murphy joint will whiz to your screen July 3 via Netflix.

Lucky Daye — 'Algorithm'

Lucky Daye picked up a win for Best Progressive Album at the 2022 GRAMMYs, for Table for Two. After a slew of nominations for work with Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige, he's investigating the Algorithm.

The single "HERicane" was just a teaser, with songs like "Blame," featuring Teddy Swims; "Paralyzed," featuring RAYE;" and "Diamonds in Teal" expanding on and honing his soul-funk-R&B vision.

"Don't know pickin' sides/ 'Cause I'm rollin' in desire," he dreamily sings in the gently roiling "Diamonds in Teal." "I don't know which lie's true/ Or maybe I do, or maybe I'm you." It's a suitable mission statement wrapped in a stealthily seductive package.

Hiatus Kaiyote — 'Love Heart Cheat Code'

A jazzy, soulful, psychedelic band of Aussies, Hiatus Kaiyote has been wowing audiences for more than a decade. Whether through sampling or features, they've crossed paths with Drake, Anderson .Paak, and Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

Love Heart Cheat Code builds brilliantly on their last three albums: their 2012 debut Tawk Tomahawk, 2015's Choose Your Weapon, and 2021's Mood Valiant. Tracks like "Telescope," "Everything's Beautiful," and "Make Friends" are burbling brooks of atmosphere, groove and vibe.

Boulevards — 'Carolina Funk: Barn Burner on Tobacco Road'

Any fans of deep, pungent funk grooves should investigate Boulevards immediately. The project of mastermind Jamil Rashad, their new album Carolina Funk: Barn Burner on Tobacco Road tips its hat to yesterday's funk with a contemporary twist, bringing a refreshing spin on the well-trod template of syncopated basslines and stabbing horns.

Across highlights like "Do It Like a Maniac Part 1&2" and "Run & Move," Boulevards shows — once again — that few can nail this gritty sound quite like Rashad and crew.

Headie One — 'The Last One'

British drill-inflected MC Headie One first made a splash overseas with his 2023 debut album, Strength to Strength. Less than a year later, he's returning with The Last One.

Back in 2022, he hinted at the existence of his sophom*ore album in his non-album track "50s" — "The fans calling for 'Martin's Sofa'/ It might be the first single from my second," he rapped.

Helmed by that single, The Last One features Potter Payper, Stormzy, Fridayy, Skrillex, and more. The album is a leap forward in terms of production, scale and exploration.

Katlin Butts — 'Roadrunner!'

Any theater kid worth their salt knows at least a few bars from the musical "Oklahoma!"; country sensation Kaitlyn Butts has just unfolded it into an entire album.

"It's a love story but there's also a murder and a little bit of an acid-trippy feel to it at times; it's set in the same place where I come from," she said in a statement, noting she saw "Oklahoma!" with her parents every summer during childhood. "Once I got the idea for this album," she continued, "I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it before, and it turned into something that completely encompasses who I am and what I love."

A laugh riot as well as a colorful, openhearted statement, Roadrunner! does the old Rodgers and Hammerstein chestnut good.

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Amaarae — 'roses are red, tears are blue — Fountain Baby Extended Play'

Futurist Afropopper Amaarae made a gigantic splash with her second album, 2023's Fountain Baby — even Pitchfork gave it their coveted Best New Music designation.

That lush, enveloping album just got an expansion pack: roses are red, tears are blue — A Fountain Baby Extended Play is a continuation of its predecessor with six new songs. The oceanic "wanted," featuring Naomi Sharon, is a highlight, as is a remix of "Disguise" with 6LACK.

"Ooh, I'll be wanted/ I've been wanted," a pitch-shifted Sharon sings near the end, as if turning over the phrase. "Wanted" is one way to describe Amaraae's position in the music landscape.

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MC Lyte — "King King" (feat. Queen Latifah)

The 50th anniversary of hip-hop may have come and gone, but hip-hop is forever. Today, legendary hip-hop pioneers MC Lyte and Queen Latifah continue to bear the flame of the genre as an elevating force with "King King," a conscious, uplifting offering.

"This is dedicated to all the kings and all the soon to be kings/ We're counting on you/ We love you/ This is for you, you and you and you," MC Lyte begins, while Latifah holds it down on the chorus with "This your crown hold it/ Even if it all falls down show it/ You know the world is watching now I know you get tired from keepin' it all together/ We need you."

During Women's History Month in March, MC Lyte released "Woman," the first single from her upcoming album, featuring hip-hop icons Salt (of Salt 'N Pepa), Big Daddy Kane, and R&B singer Raheem DeVaughn. MC Lyte's first new album in nearly a decade drops this summer; keep your eyes and ears peeled.

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"You don't know that people are going to 40 years later call you up and say, ‘Can you talk about this record from 40 years ago?’"

That was Cory Robbins, former president of Profile Records, reaction to speaking to Grammy.com about one of the first albums his then-fledgling label released. Run-DMC’s self-titled debut made its way into the world four decades ago this week on March 27, 1984 and established the group, in Robbins’ words, "the Beatles of hip-hop."

Rarely in music, or anything else, is there a clear demarcation between old and new. Styles change gradually, and artistic movements usually get contextualized, and often even named, after they’ve already passed from the scene. But Run-DMC the album, and the singles that led up to it, were a definitive breaking point. Rap before it instantly, and eternally, became “old school.” And three guys from Hollis, Queens — Joseph "Run" Simmons, Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels — helped turn a burgeoning genre on its head.

What exactly was different about Run-DMC? Some of the answers can be glimpsed by a look at the record’s opening song. "Hard Times" is a cover of a Kurtis Blow track from his 1980 debut album. The connection makes sense. Kurtis and Run’s older brother Russell Simmons met in college, and Russell quickly became the rapper’s manager. That led to Run working as Kurtis’ DJ. Larry Smith, who produced Run-DMC, even played on Kurtis’ original version of the song.

But despite those tie-ins, the two takes on "Hard Times" are night and day. Kurtis Blow’s is exactly what rap music was in its earliest recorded form: a full band playing something familiar (in this case, a James Brown-esque groove, bridge and percussion breakdown inclusive.)

What Run-DMC does with it is entirely different. The song is stripped down to its bare essence. There’s a drum machine, a sole repeated keyboard stab, vocals, and… well, that’s about it. No solos, no guitar, no band at all. Run and DMC are trading off lines in an aggressive near-shout. It’s simple and ruthlessly effective, a throwback to the then-fading culture of live park jams. But it was so starkly different from other rap recordings of the time, which were pretty much all in the style of Blow’s record, that it felt new and vital.

"Production-wise, Sugar Hill [the record label that released many key early rap singles] built themselves on the model of Motown, which is to say, they had their own production studios and they had a house band and they recorded on the premises," explains Bill Adler, who handled PR for Run-DMC and other key rap acts at the time.

"They made magnificent records, but that’s not how rap was performed in parks," he continues. "It’s not how it was performed live by the kids who were actually making the music."

Run-DMC’s musical aesthetic was, in some ways, a lucky accident. Larry Smith, the musician who produced the album, had worked with a band previously. In fact, the reason two of the songs on the album bear the subtitle "Krush Groove" is because the drum patterns are taken from his band Orange Krush’s song “Action.”

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But by the time sessions for Run-DMC came around, the money had run out and, despite his desire to have the music done by a full band, Smith was forced to go without them and rely on a drum machine.

His artistic partner on the production side was Russell Simmons. Simmons, who has been accused over the past seven years of numerous instances of sexual assault dating back decades, was back in 1983-4 the person providing the creative vision to match Smith’s musical knowledge.

Orange Krush’s drummer Trevor Gale remembered the dynamic like this (as quoted in Geoff Edgers’ Walk This Way: Run-DMC, Aerosmith, and the Song that Changed American Music Forever): “Larry was the guy who said, 'Play four bars, stop on the fifth bar, come back in on the fourth beat of the fifth bar.' Russell was the guy that was there that said, ‘I don’t like how that feels. Make it sound like mashed potato with gravy on it.’”

It wasn’t just the music that set Run-DMC apart from its predecessors. Their look was also starkly different, and that influenced everything about the group, including the way their audience viewed them.

Most of the first generation of recorded rappers were, Bill Adler remembers, influenced visually by either Michael Jackson or George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic. Run-DMC was different.

"Their fashion sense was very street oriented," Adler explains. "And that was something that emanated from Jam Master Jay. Jason just always had a ton of style. He got a lot of his sartorial style from his older brother, Marvin Thompson. Jay looked up to his older brother and kind of dressed the way that Marvin did, including the Stetson hat.

"When Run and D told Russ, Jason is going to be our deejay, Russell got one look at Jay and said, ‘Okay, from now on, you guys are going to dress like him.’"

Run, DMC, and Jay looked like their audience. That not only set them apart from the costumed likes of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, it also cemented the group’s relationship with their listeners.

"When you saw Run-DMC, you didn’t see celebrity. You saw yourself," DMC said in the group’s recent docuseries.

Read more: 20 Iconic Hip-Hop Style Moments: From Run-D.M.C. To Runways

Another thing that set Run-DMC (the album) and Run-DMC (the group) apart from what came before was the fact that they released a cohesive rap album. Nine songs that all belonged together, not just a collection of already-released singles and some novelties. Rappers had released albums prior to Run-DMC, but that’s exactly what they were: hits and some other stuff — sung love ballads or rock and roll covers, or other experiments rightfully near-forgotten.

"There were a few [rap] albums [at the time], but they were pretty crappy. They were usually just a bunch of singles thrown together," Cory Robbins recalls.

Not this album. It set a template that lasted for years: Some social commentary, some bragging, a song or two to show off the DJ. A balance of records aimed at the radio and at the hard-core fans. You can still see traces of Run-DMC in pretty much every rap album released today.

Listeners and critics reacted. The album got a four-star review in Rolling Stone with “the music…that backs these tracks is surprisingly varied, for all its bare bones” and an A minus from Robert Christgau who claimed “It's easily the canniest and most formally sustained rap album ever.” Just nine months after its release, Run-DMC was certified gold, the first rap LP ever to earn that honor. "Rock Box" also single-handedly invented rap-rock, thanks to Eddie Martinez’s loud guitars.

There is another major way in which the record was revolutionary. The video for "Rock Box" was the first rap video to ever get into regular rotation on MTV and, the first true rap video ever played on the channel at all, period. Run-DMC’s rise to MTV fame represented a significant moment in breaking racial barriers in mainstream music broadcasting.

"There’s no overstating the importance of that video," Adler tells me. vIt broke through the color line at MTV and opened the door to a cataclysmic change."

"Everybody watched MTV forty years ago," Robbins agrees. "It was a phenomenal thing nationwide. Even if we got three or four plays a week of ‘Rock Box’ on MTV, that did move the needle."

All of this: the new musical style, the relatable image, the MTV pathbreaking, and the attendant critical love and huge sales (well over 10 times what their label head was expecting when he commissioned the album from a reluctant Russell Simmons — "I hoping it would sell thirty or forty thousand," Robbins says now): all of it contributed to making Run-DMC what it is: a game-changer.

"It was the first serious rap album," Robbins tells me. And while you could well accuse him of bias — the group making an album at all was his idea in the first place — he’s absolutely right.

Run-DMC changed everything. It split the rap world into old school and new school, and things would never be the same.

Perhaps the record’s only flaw is one that wouldn’t be discovered for years. As we’re about to get off the phone, Robbins tells me about a mistake on the cover, one he didn’t notice until the record was printed and it was too late.

There was something (Robbins doesn’t quite recall what) between Run and DMC in the cover photo. The art director didn’t like it and proceeded to airbrush it out. But he missed something. On the vinyl, if you look between the letters "M" and "C,", you can see DMC’s disembodied left hand, floating ghost-like in mid-air. While it was an oversight, it’s hard not to see this as a sign, a sort of premonition that the album itself would hang over all of hip-hop, with an influence that might be hard to see at first, but that never goes away.

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For Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar, The Melodic Blue was a family affair. The two cousins collaborated on three tracks from Keem's 2021 debut LP, "Range Brothers," "Vent," and "Family Ties." And in 2022, the latter helped the pair celebrate a GRAMMY victory.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, turn the clock back to the night Baby Keem accepted Best Rap Performance for "Family Ties," marking the first GRAMMY win of his career.

"Wow, nothing could prepare me for this moment," Baby Keem said at the start of his speech.

He began listing praise for his "supporting system," including his family and "the women that raised me and shaped me to become the man I am."

Before heading off the stage, he acknowledged his team, who "helped shape everything we have going on behind the scenes," including Lamar. "Thank you everybody. This is a dream."

Baby Keem received four nominations in total at the 2022 GRAMMYs. He was also up for Best New Artist, Best Rap Song, and Album Of The Year as a featured artist on Kanye West's Donda.

Press play on the video above to watch Baby Keem's complete acceptance speech for Best Rap Performance at the 2022 GRAMMYs, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.