Canadian hip hop legend Michie Mee is giving flowers to one of rap’s most iconic female MCs — MC Lyte — for helping put Canada on the global hip hop map.

Michie reflected on how the partnership with MC Lyte in the early days gave Canadian rap credibility across borders:

“We wanted to show the nation that we had what it took to be affiliated with American hip hop, and we did it through the female MC Lyte. She helped blow up the Canadian rap scene and let people know worldwide that there was hip hop in Canada.”

Michie Mee went on to explain that her constant grind between Toronto and New York played a huge role in building those connections. She was in the mix with future stars like Queen Latifah and her Flavor Unit crew.

But the grind wasn’t without its dangers. Michie revealed a wild story about a night in New York when her Sidekick Suzuki Jeep got shot up outside a club.

“I drove my Jeep over there, Jeep got shot up at the club. Shakim, Latifah’s manager, was like, ‘Who shot it, Miss Ye?’ I don’t know… all the boys ran that way.”

The story is another reminder of the gritty reality behind the glitz of the early hip hop scene. Through it all, Michie Mee’s resilience helped her become recognized as the first lady of Canadian hip hop, paving the way for future generations of artists.

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