Years After Gaining Ownership Of Her Name, MC Lyte To Maintain Rights To Catalog In Divorce Settlement

Per the documents, according to the outlet, not only will Lyte hold on to her catalog, but the legendary rapper will also maintain “other creative property, including royalties in connection to her creative works.”

Much like with her career, the “Cold Rock A Party” rapper walked away from her marriage with everything she initially walked in with.

“MC Lyte keeps her clothing, jewelry, watches, and personal effects in her possession, custody, or control, and earnings and accumulations before the date of marriage, during the marriage, and post-separation, her Subaru, financial accounts in her name, all furniture, furnishings, and other personal property in her possession, custody, or control,” read the court documents. “She also gets to keep her term life insurance policy.”

Despite being a pioneer for women in rap, becoming the first solo female artist to release a full album during the late 1980s, it wasn’t until recent years that Lyte gained the full rights to her name as an artist.

In 2021, the “Lyte As A Rock” lyricist urged other creatives to always own their brand while celebrating the fact that she finally secured the full rights to the name she worked so tirelessly to build.

 

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“For years I was signed to a major label, and they owned the rights to my name,” she wrote via Instagram. “I created the name Lyte in 1985 that helped solidify my career in hip-hop. I signed to the infamous @firstprioritymusic, and they added the MC, appropriately due. We were blessed to sign a huge deal with a major label.”

Furthermore, the rapper — whose given name is Lana Michele Moorer — noted that it was a phone call from a friend that encouraged her to explore ownership of her official stage name.

“Not too long ago, I received a call from the OG Nat Robinson who shared the copyright the label owned of my name was about to expire, and if I wanted to grab it I should do it now,” Lyte continued. “I put COO @lynnrichardson on top of it, and she put it in the hands of Trademark Attorney @michellejmilleresq, and the rest is history! Thank you to all involved!”