Michie Mee is a legend in Canadian music history. She first made noise as a teenager battle rapping and part of her history was documented in New York vs Toronto news documentary. Click the play button above to watch the video.
The Original Queen
Hip Hop’s roots in Canada is rich and one of its pioneers that paved the way for the likes of Drake is Michie Mee. In 1985, during a concert in Toronto, Boogie Down Productions brought her on the stage and introduced her to the audience. Michie Mee ended up with L.A. Luv by 1987 on the Break’n Out project, which was produced by KRS-One and Scott La Rock of Boogie Down Productions.[4][5]
WorldWide Entertainment TV has the archive of the debut of her smash single “Jamaican Funk” that aired on MuchMusic Television in 1991. It is still to this day one of the most impactful moments in the advancement of urban music in not only Toronto, but the whole country of Canada.
In more recent years, Michie Mee has accepted her role as the original diva and leaders who shaped the Toronto sound over the years. It was only fitting that Canada 150 was helped celebrated by a true inspiration for the immigrants of Canada who lived the dream of coming from the island of Jamaica and making her mark on the country. She performed on the same stage as Maestro Fresh Wes, The Dream Warriors, and even Drake that night in Toronto at Nathan Phillip Square.
HAVE YOU TRIED WWETV NETWORK?
What are you waiting on? See what everyone is talking about by getting a 14 day trial!
Michie Mee celebrated her 25th anniversary of Jamaican Funk in front of an appreciative crowd that knew they were witnessing history celebrated by one of its own. You can see this momentous event on The Network.
WORLDWIDE ENTERTAINMENT TV NETWORK: WWETV DIVA & VIXENS
Michie Mee was not only in the mix of the foundation of the Toronto urban music scene, but she was also right there in the building stages of hip hop through the female perspective alongside bona fide legends such as MC Lyte and Queen Latifah as you see in the picture above.
Michie Mee recently spoke about the comparisons between her and fellow battle rapper legend Roxanne Shante who has a biopic on Netflix. Shante similar to Michie Mee hit the scene as a teenager battle rapping some of the best of her day.
Michie Mee speaking with Now Magazine had this to say:
“She was an artist, a young mother and a girl from around the way who represented all of us. She was very truthful and she spoke what she was living. She wasn’t just writing from a woman’s point of view. She wasn’t trying to be the female emcee; she was just being an emcee”.
“We were friends. I had family [in New York] and became part of the scene. We were kids, 14 and 15, and everybody had to be home at a certain time. So, it’s not like we could hang out like how hip-hop artists hang out today because they’re older. There was no internet. There was no Snapchat. There was no way of keeping up with each other. So it was just once every couple of months when we would see each other. In terms of referencing other female emcees in the press and media, we would let others know that we were aware of each other”.
In the article she also described how the rap scene was similar to another artform in WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) continuing by saying:
“That’s how large she was at the time: males and females had to attack her, because she was the one. Just like in hip-hop today, there’s still that core competitiveness in songwriting, because this genre was based off of battling: it’s the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) approach”.
It is only fitting that Michie Mee has been blessed to see the fruit of her labor in the 1980’s has helped create the scene of hip hop in Toronto that bred the likes of Drake who has been in a couple mainstream rap battles himself. Just ask Meek Mill and Pusha T. Just in case someone still wants to test MC Michelle as she sometimes calls herself. As shown below in a WWETV exclusive from Toronto she still can unload the artillery of heavy verses on the youngsters proving she is indeed Toronto’s OG 6ix Rapper.
