Wendy Clark (born c. 1962), better known by her

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Lady B, is an American female rapper and

radio DJ A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...

from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. She is one of the earliest female rappers in hip hop, and one of the first hip hop artists to record a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

, "To the Beat, Y'all", in 1979. She began her career with radio station

WHAT What or WHAT may refer to: * What, an interrogative pronoun and adverb * "What?", one of the Five Ws used in journalism Film and television * ''What!'' (film) or ''The Whip and the Body'', a 1963 Italian film directed by Mario Bava * '' What ...

in 1979, and recorded her first single later that year, "To the Beat Y'all". The song, the title of which became a stock rap phrase, was first released by TEC, a local Philadelphia-based record label, and released again in 1980 by Sylvia Robinson's rap label,

Sugar Hill Records Sugar Hill Records is an American bluegrass and Americana record label. It was founded in Durham, North Carolina in 1978 by Barry Poss and David Freeman, the owner of County Records and Rebel Records. Poss acquired full control of Sugar Hil ...

Career

Clark recorded her first single, "To the Beat, Y'all," on the Sugar Hill record label in 1979. Clark's rise and longevity (3 decades) in hip-hop earned her the title as Godmother of hip-hop. She is one of the first DJs to play rap records on the radio outside

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, playing artists such as

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...

and

Soulsonic Force Soulsonic Force (also referred to as Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force) is an American electro-funk and hip hop ensemble led by Afrika Bambaataa who helped establish hip-hop in the early 1980s with songs such as " Planet Rock." They were also ...

at the start of their careers. She had encountered the New York City rap scene while traveling with World B.Free, ex-player of the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team. In 1979, Mary Mason on WRNB 100.3 gave Lady B her own weekend show, which transformed into a success and brought hip hop to the radio in Philly. and was a large success. In 1984, Lady B moved to Philadelphia's Power 99 FM and started the program ''The Street Beat,'' which blew the radio station's ratings through the roof. She ran this program until 1989. She later broadcast for Sirius Satellite Radio in New York City. She also worked for WRNB 100.3 in Philadelphia until she was dismissed in December 2017.

Awards and recognitions

Lady B has received numerous awards throughout her career. In 2002, she received the "Philly Urban Legend Award", which acknowledges pioneers in rap music. The World Renowned Entertainment,” Role Model of Excellence Award, two Lifetime Achievement Awards (including the Douglass”Jocko” Henderson award) and is also listed in VIBE magazine's History of Hip-Hop as “maybe the most influential female in hip- hop radio history”. On August 13, 2022 the city of Philadelphia renamed the 5700 block of Wyndale Avenue “Lady B Way” in recognition to her accomplishments.

References

12. https://www.instagram.com/tv/ChNMEFcJJk-/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

External links

* * *
Lady B. and Chuck Chillout on STREET BEAT (video clip)

Lady B DJ info on WRNB 107.9 radio Philadelphia
archived July 15, 2011

Career

Awards and recognitions

References

External links

See also