Paper Thin (MC Lyte song)

Last updated

"Paper Thin"
Paper Thin MC Lyte Single.webp
Side A of the US 12-inch vinyl
Single by MC Lyte
from the album Lyte as a Rock
B-side "Spare The Rod"
Released1988
Recorded1988
Genre Golden age hip hop
Length5:15
Label First Priority, Atlantic Records
Songwriter(s) Lana Moorer, Freddie Byrd [1]
Producer(s) King of Chill
MC Lyte singles chronology
"10% Dis"
(1988)		"Paper Thin"
(1988)		"Lyte as a Rock"
(1988)
Music video
"Paper Thin" on YouTube

"Paper Thin" is the third single from MC Lyte's debut album Lyte as a Rock . It is produced by King of Chill, who along with Lyte has songwriting credits. [1]

Contents

The song, which is about Lyte confronting her boyfriend over infidelity, became an underground hit, selling 125,000 copies in the first six months with virtually no radio play. [2]

In 2003, The Source placed Paper Thin No. 24 in their list "Top 151 Rap Songs of All-Time".[ citation needed ] In April 2013, the song was included No. 8 on Complex's "The 50 Best Rap Songs by Women" list. [3] Paper Thin was ranked No. 23 on About.com's The 100 Best Rap Songs of All Time list. [4]

The song has also been covered/reinterpreted by other rappers like Bahamadia, Puff Daddy and Missy Elliott. [5]

Conception and composition

In an interview with Rolling Stone , MC Lyte says she wrote the lyrics to "Paper Thin" in her rhyme book long before recorded the song "probably '82" at 12 or 13 years old. [5] Lyte also tells that the lyrics are not based on her own personal experiences.

"(...) I didn’t have my first boyfriend until I was 14. But it was just pulling things from what I had seen, what I had heard. It’s amazing what a kid can learn in the company of adults and just listening to them talk." [6]

"Paper Thin" was produced by King of Chill of the rap group Alliance, who also has songwriting credits. According to an interview with King of Chill in 2019, the initial production work was done in his family's apartment with a Alesis drum machine, and followed by mixing at Firehouse Studio in Brooklyn Heights. The producer has also stated that the success of the song was a "dream come true"

"The goal when you start rappin' is to be the coolest dude on your block and in the neighborhood. But after a while, you tryin' to be heard in the clubs that you frequent, which is Latin Quarter, Union Square, Rooftop, places like that. At the point to now we can hand the record to the deejay, and it's not a hassle for them to play it. You couldn't be nobody and hand the record to the deejay. So we get to "Paper Thin", and he puts it on, and it's just lightin' up the dance floor, that was the greatest thing! Not only that, we had a video to support it on [local cable rap show] Video Music Box , which was our MTV, that was the greatest." [7]

Samples

The song contains samples of Prince's "17 Days" guitar riff, Al Green's "I'm Glad You're Mine"'s drum, and Earth, Wind & Fire's "Shining Star" hook. The song also has a chorus interpolation from Ray Charles' "Hit the Road Jack", in which Lyte changes "Jack" to "Sam."

Music video

The music video for the song, directed by Lionel C. Martin, [8] was filmed at the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn and features cameos by, among others the clothing designer urban April Walker, D-Nice, DJ Jazzy Joyce, MC Serch of the rap group 3rd Bass and their DJ K-Rock. [5]

During an interview with Rolling Stone Lyte commented on the making of the video "It was fun. It was a quick shoot. We probably went from about 9 in the morning till about 7. It was very different from 'Lyte As a Rock,' because 'Lyte As a Rock' was a 24-hour video. We worked 24 hours around the clock for that video 'cause there were so many different setups. But with 'Paper Thin' it was quite simple. Had a train full of people that that I knew and that were very supportive of my career, so they came in." [5]

In the book Icons of Hip Hop: An Encyclopedia of the Movement, Music, and Culture (2007), [9] the writer Jennifer R. Young would comment on the video:

"Her music videos convey these interests in promoting intelligent, respectful images of women. From her first video "Paper Thin," where she is fully clothed in a sweatsuit, turtle neck, jacket, and boots, Lyte seemed more concerned with the delivery of her art than any ill modification of her body.

Like other videos in the late 1980s, Lyte’s use of the subway station and the actual train suggest her affection for the environment from which she came. There is nothing glossy about the video set, which is indeed a subway station.

Dirty stairs and subway platforms, graffiti walls, haggard subway riders, coated windows, and unpolished stainless steel poles all add texture to the video. However, the video is part of the natural elements of the underground, not the other way around. The use of subway trains in early rap videos should not be overlooked. More than just a low-budget decision, video directors who had some, if not a lot of, input from rap artists tapped into a train metaphor whose meaning may have changed, but whose aesthetic traditions stayed intact. Twentieth-century rap videos were not the first to use trains. Black visual artists from the Reconstruction period forward have used trains as an artistic symbol of change. Visual artist Romare Bearden (1911-1988), for instance, is known for incorporating locomotives into his paintings, water-colors, collages, and murals. The train is said to impart several meanings: the migration patterns of African Americans moving from south to north, the upward mobility of an oppressed people, and the overall promise of a better future. The video "Paper Thin" is postmodern in the way that it contributes to hip hop culture, where subways indicate the music’s origins (even borough specific), the audience’s originality, the art’s potency, and the rapper’s resolve despite limited resources and bleak surroundings." [9]

It was included on her compilation video album Lyte Years (1991). [10]

Appearances

"Paper Thin" was included in her compilation albums The Very Best of MC Lyte (2001), The Shit I Never Dropped (2003), [11] Rhyme Masters (2005), [12] and Cold Rock a Party - Best Of MC Lyte (2019). [13] The single has also been reissued in 2003. [14]

In 1996, Bahamadia recorded a cover of the song. [5]

MF Doom has made a remix of the song on his remix album Special Blends Volume 1 & 2 (2004).

MC Lyte performed this song in her tribute at the 2006 VH1 Hip Hop Honors. [15]

Legacy and influence

Critical reception

In the book That's the Joint !: The Hip Hop Study Reader (2003), [16] sociologist Tricia Rose commented on the song:

"MC Lyte's underground hit, "Paper Thin",is one of the most scathing raps about male dishonesty/infidelity and the tensions between trust and vulnerability. Lyte has been burned by Sam, but she has turned her experience into a black woman's anthem that sustains an uncomfortable balance between brutal cynicism and honest vulnerability (...) Lyte's public acknowledgment that Sam's expressions of love were paper thin is not a source of embarrassment for her, but a means of empowerment. Lyte presents commitment, vulnerability and sensitivity as assets, not indicators of female weakness." [2]

Hip hop magazine The Source joked that the song "Introduced toe sucking to an unwitting generation". In June 2012, WQHT's Peter Rosenberg would review the song for Complex commenting "Classic beat, classic Lyte.(...) MC Lyte is the number one female MC of all time. And it's exemplified of 'Paper Thin'". [17] For the same media Rob Kenner reviewed "MC Lyte is one of the greatest rappers of any gender in hip-hop history ( ...) Aside from the battle rap "10% Dis," the album's standout track was this song, in which Lyte puts a two-timing loverboy in check. Unconcerned with inflaming her listeners' sexual urges, Lyte was always confident that her lyrics were more than enough." [3]

On the 30th anniversary of its release, Albumism's Jesse Ducker reviewed "Lyte as a Rock," in which he commented on the song:

"Paper Thin," is one of the best hip-hop breakup tracks ever recorded. Hell hath no fury like Lyte scorned, as she lambasts an ex that she discovered cheating on her. She reiterates her strength and independence by assuring those that she has no intentions of ever using men for their money, flying in the face of the way many women were portrayed in hip-hop tracks throughout the ’80s, ’90s, and, if we’re being honest, today." [18]

Henry Adaso of About.com rated that with Paper Thin Lyte "solidified her status as the new queen in town." [4] In 2018, thirty years after its publication, Christopher R. Weingarten of Rolling Stone magazine reviewed "Paper Thin", calling it an "iconic hip-hop hit" and "Machismo-slaying anthem." [5] For his part, Troy Smith from Cleveland.com would write in 2021 "MC Lyte was the first female emcee who could hang with the boys. That was clear from her lyrical talent. But she took things to the next level on 'Paper Thin', a song that smacks down egotistical men in epic fashion." [19]

Accolades

PublicationCountryAccoladeYearRank
About.com U.S. The 100 Best Rap Songs of All Time [4] 201823
Cleveland.com 100 Greatest Rap Verses Of All Time [20] 201870
200 Greatest Hip-hop Songs Of All Time [19] 2021111
Complex Peter Rosenberg's 25 Favorite Female Rap Songs [17] 20122
The 50 Best Rap Songs by Women [3] 20138
Ego Trip Hip Hop's Greatest Singles by Year 1980–1998 [21] 199929
The Source Top 151 Hip Hop Songs of All-Time [22] 200324
(*) designates lists which are unordered.

Samples

Single track listing

12" Vinyl

A-Side

  1. "Paper Thin" (Radio Version) (5:00)
  2. "Paper Thin" (Remix) (2:55)
  3. "Paper Thin" (Remix) (3:25)
    • Produced by Alliance

B-Side

  1. "Paper Thin" (Instrumental) (2:53)
  2. "Paper Thin" (Acapella) (2:25)
  3. "Spare The Rod" (4:26)

Personnel

Credits are taken from the liner notes. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MC Lyte</span> American rapper

Lana Michele Moorer, better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, MC Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first female rapper to release a full solo album with 1988's critically acclaimed Lyte as a Rock. The album spawned the singles "10% Dis" and "Paper Thin". In 1989, she joined the supergroup Stop the Violence Movement, and appeared on the single "Self Destruction", which was the inaugural number-one single on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yo-Yo (rapper)</span> American rapper and actress

Yolanda Whitaker, also known as Yo-Yo is an American rapper and actress.

Rashia Tashan Fisher, known professionally as Rah Digga, is an American rapper and actress. She is best known as a longtime member of the Flipmode Squad, a hip hop group led by Busta Rhymes. Her debut album, Dirty Harriet (2000), peaked in the top-20 of the Billboard 200, and she released her second album, Classic, in 2010. She starred in the horror film Thirteen Ghosts (2001) as Maggie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cop That Shit</span> 2003 single by Timbaland & Magoo featuring Missy Elliott

"Cop That Shit", also known in its censored form as "Cop That Disc", is the lead single taken from hip-hop duo Timbaland & Magoo's third studio album, Under Construction, Part II. The track features vocals from Missy Elliott. The single was released on September 29, 2003 in Europe, but was not released in the United Kingdom until March 8, 2004. The hip hop track itself refers to people downloading and burning music instead of buying it. All of the tracks' verses are resung verses from classic rap songs, however some of the lyrics are changed. Timbaland's verse is a rewrite of "I Know You Got Soul" by Eric B. & Rakim, Missy's verse is a rewrite of Paper Thin by MC Lyte, and Magoo's verse is a rewrite of "I Got It Made" by Special Ed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lil Mama</span> American rapper (born 1989)

Niatia Jessica Kirkland, better known by her stage name Lil Mama, is an American rapper. She experienced top 10 Billboard placements at 17 with her debut album VYP (2008), which debuted at number 25 on the Billboard 200. The album spawned her four major singles including her staple song and dance anthem "Lip Gloss", earning her two Teen Choice Awards and Monster Single of the Year nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards. Kirkland gained further attention in pop music after a collaboration with Avril Lavigne for the remix of her hit single "Girlfriend".

<i>Lyte as a Rock</i> 1988 studio album by MC Lyte

Lyte as a Rock is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist MC Lyte. It was released on April 19, 1988 via First Priority and Atlantic Records, and featured production from Audio Two, Prince Paul, King of Chill and his group, Alliance.

<i>Eyes on This</i> 1989 studio album by MC Lyte

Eyes on This is the second studio album American hip hop recording artist MC Lyte. It was released on October 3, 1989, via First Priority and Atlantic Records, and featured production from Audio Two, as well as Grand Puba, The King of Chill, Marley Marl and PMD.

<i>Act Like You Know</i> 1991 studio album by MC Lyte

Act Like You Know is the third studio album by American hip hop recording artist MC Lyte. It was released on September 17, 1991, by First Priority Music, distributed by Atlantic Records, and featured production from Audio Two, The 45 King, Ivan "Doc" Rodriguez, The King of Chill, Pal Joey, Epic Mazur, Richard Wolf and DJ Master Tee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cha Cha Cha (MC Lyte song)</span> 1989 single by MC Lyte

Cha Cha Cha is the lead single from MC Lyte's second album Eyes on This. Produced by King Of Chill, who also has songwriting credits, it was released on September 8, 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poor Georgie</span> 1991 single by MC Lyte

"Poor Georgie" is the second single from hip-hop artist MC Lyte's third album Act Like You Know (1991). The song was produced by Ivan 'Doc' Rodriguez, and released on December 12, 1991. The song seeks to convey an anti-addiction message, through the story of George and the dysfunctional relationship MC Lyte has with this individual with self-destructive behaviors. It features a sample of "Georgy Porgy" by rock band Toto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cold Rock a Party</span> 1996 single by MC Lyte

"Cold Rock a Party" is the lead single released from American rapper MC Lyte's fifth studio album, Bad As I Wanna B (1996). While the original version of the song that appears on the album was produced by Rashad Smith and samples Audio Two's "Top Billin", the single version features Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, was produced by Sean Combs, and samples Diana Ross' 1980 hit "Upside Down".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MC Lyte discography</span>

The following is the discography of MC Lyte, an American hip hop musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruffneck (song)</span> 1993 single by MC Lyte

"Ruffneck" is a hip hop song recorded by American rapper MC Lyte. It was published on May 27, 1993, as the lead single from her fourth studio album, Ain't No Other (1993). The song was produced by Aqil Davidson with Walter "Mucho" Scott, who along with Lyte have songwriting credits.

"Lost Ones" is a diss song by American rapper and singer-songwriter Lauryn Hill. It was released on August 25, 1998, through Ruffhouse and Columbia Records. The song was written by Hill and produced by Hill, alongside Vada Nobles and Che Pope. Despite never naming him in the song, the song is widely presumed to be about Hill's former Fugees Bandmate Wyclef Jean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10% Dis</span> 1988 single by MC Lyte

10% Dis is a single from MC Lyte's album Lyte as a Rock produced by the hip hop duo Audio Two, who are also credited as songwriters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stop, Look, Listen (MC Lyte and DJ K-Rock song)</span> 1990 single by MC Lyte and DJ K-Rock

"Stop, Look, Listen" is a song by MC Lyte with DJ K-Rock, released as the second single from Lyte's second album Eyes on This. It was published on February 1, 1990. In its single version it is an Audio Two remix of the original version of the LP produced by King of Chill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cappucino (song)</span> 1989 single by MC Lyte

Cappucino is the third and final single from MC Lyte's album Eyes on This. It was published on August 2, 1990. In its single version it is a remix by Ivan "Doc" Rodríguez of the original version of the album produced by Marley Marl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Cram to Understand U (Sam)</span> 1987 single by MC Lyte and DJ K-Rock

"I Cram to Understand U (Sam)" is the debut single by American rapper MC Lyte, in which features their DJ, DJ K-Rock, released in 1987. The song was part of her first album Lyte as a Rock, released the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When in Love</span> 1991 single by MC Lyte

When in Love is the first single from MC Lyte's third album Act Like You Know. It was released on August 22, 1991. Although its original version of the album is produced by Wolf & Epic, its single version includes a remix made with Carmen Rizzo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyte as a Rock (song)</span> 1988 single by MC Lyte

"Lyte as a Rock" is a 1988 single from the album of the same name by American rapper MC Lyte. Although in its version on the album it is produced by Audio Two, the single and the music video use a house music mix produced by King of Chill. The song was composed by Lyte With Audio Two's Milk Dee.

References

  1. 1 2 "ASCAP Repertory entry for this song". ASCAP. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Neal, Mark Anthony (2004). That's the Joint !: The Hip Hop Study Reader. ISBN   9780415969192.
  3. 1 2 3 "The 50 Best Rap Songs by Women". Complex . April 8, 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "The 100 Best Rap Songs of All Time". About.com . December 12, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Best of '88: MC Lyte's Machismo-Slaying Anthem 'Paper Thin'". Rolling Stone (website). December 10, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Best of '88: MC Lyte's Machismo-Slaying Anthem 'Paper Thin'". Rolling Stone (website). December 10, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Top Billin': First Priority Music and Brooklyn's Local Hip Hop History". Brooklyn College (website). Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  8. ↑ "MC Lyte". IMVDb. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  9. 1 2 Hess, M. (2007). Icons of Hip Hop: An Encyclopedia of the Movement, Music, and Culture. Vol. 2. Greenwood Press. p. 313. ISBN   9780313339042 . Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Lyte Years - MC Lyte · Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  11. ↑ "MC Lyte - The Shit I Never Dropped". AllMusic . Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  12. ↑ "MC Lyte - Rhyme Masters". AllMusic . Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Cold Rock a Party Best Of - MC Lyte - Release Info". Apple Music.
  14. ↑ "MC Lyte - Paper Thin (12 inch Vinyl Single - Traffic #1214)". AllMusic.
  15. ↑ "LIL' KIM, MC LYTE PUT FEMALE MCS CENTER STAGE AT HIP-HOP HONORS". MTV (website). October 9, 2006. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  16. ↑ Forman, Murray; Neal, Marc Anthony, eds. (2004). That's the Joint: The Hip Hop Studies Reader (1 ed.). New York: Routledge. ISBN   978-0415969192.
  17. 1 2 "Peter Rosenberg's 25 Favorite Female Rap Songs". Complex . June 26, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  18. ↑ "MC Lyte's Debut Album 'Lyte as a Rock' Turns 30 - Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. September 12, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  19. 1 2 "200 Greatest Hip-hop Songs Of All Time - cleveland.com". Cleveland.com . April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  20. ↑ "100 Greatest Rap Verses Of All Time - cleveland.com". Cleveland.com . April 29, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  21. ↑ Jenkins, Sacha; Wilson, Elliott; Mao, Jeff "Chairman"; Alvarez, Gabriel; Rollins, Brent (1999). "Hip Hop's Greatest Singles by Year: 1988". Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists. St. Martin's Press. p. 322. ISBN   0-312-24298-0.
  22. ↑ "The Top 151 Hip-Hop Songs". The Source . No. 168. New York. September 2003. pp. 118–122.
  23. ↑ Paper Thin / Spare The Rod (track listing). MC Lyte. First Priority Music. 1988. 0-96634.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.