MC Lyte’s 1988 debut, Lyte As A Rock is a keystone in what made the year so important. Lana Michele Moorer hit the scene like she belonged with her First Priority/Atlantic Records breakthrough, and she did.

L.A.A.R. took the Audio Two production style, and built upon it with one of Rap’s most recognizable voices. The LP was rooted in New York City Rap, with Lyte’s booming cadence, nimble bars, and cocky confidence. Of this, video “Paper Thin” was an appropriate vehicle. MC Lyte’s official first single, the record showed a rapper contesting the world, and making a pretty damn good case why she was the best. King Of Chill laced a track that sounded as menacing-yet-polished as Lyte’s essay.

Not a Top 200 album on the charts, Lyte As A Rock is an underground introduction from an MC that would be, in time, embraced by the mainstream. What’s often forgotten however, is what a pioneer for Brooklyn that this entry, and its MC was. At the same time Big Daddy Kane and Stetsasonic were aiming records for Kings County, Lyte was doing it too. She had a rugged style, a palpable swagger, and an informed-coolness that would be true to come in Jay Z, GZA, and AZ.

With its Volkwagen Jettas, 1980s NYC trainscapes, and big-haired fashion, “Paper Thin” (the video) is a time piece, worth not only remembering, but never forgetting:

Speaking of Brooklyn, and great MCs, for the upcoming 2015 Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival (July 11), Ambrosia For Heads is happy to give away a pair of passes to see Common, Mobb Deep, Freeway, Skyzoo, Charles Hamilton, and others. The first responding Instagram user who can correctly answer the question below will win. The tickets will be free, but the winner will be responsible for travel, lodging and any other related expenses. The hash-tag “#BkHipHopFest” must be used, along with including @bkhiphopfest and @ambrosia4heads.

Here’s the question:

What William Shakespeare play did MC Lyte act in, as an adaptation?

You can also purchase tickets to the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival here.

Check out other Ambrosia For Heads’ “Do Remember” pieces.

Related: Chuck Chillout Spins De La Soul, Gang Starr, MC Lyte & EPMD in a 1988 Mix (Audio)