"Just My Take: A Book of Poetry and Words of Wisdom": Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

“Just My Take: A Book of Poetry and Words of Wisdom,” was written by Hip hop artist MC Lyte (Lana Michelle Moorer), and published by Sunni Gyrl, in 2005. The book includes poetry and words of inspiration that Lyte hoped would "inspire teenagers and young ladies from the ages of 14-22."

MC Lyte was born in 1970 and raised in Brooklyn. She began rhyming and writing songs at the age of 12. Her first song was recorded in 1986, and by 1988 she became the first solo female rapper to release a full album, “Lyte as a Rock.” In addition to a recording career, MC Lyte has been featured on television, film, and voice-overs.

She describes her motivation for writing “Just My Take” as, “every morning I'd wake with the anticipation of writing down whatever moved me … Throughout my career I have been inspired by young people across America to speak up and out– and now it's my turn to hopefully inspire and motivate them at a time when few emcees are willing to give words of advice.”

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 2005
• maker: Sunni Gyrl, Inc.
• Object Name: book
• Physical Description: paper (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 22.8 cm x 15 cm x .7 cm; 8 31/32 in x 5 29/32 in x 9/32 in
• Subject: Hip-Hop
• ID Number: 2006.0057.01
• accession number: 2006.0057
• catalog number: 2006.0057.01
• Credit Line: Gift of Lana Michele Moorer
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.