Lady B, born as Wendy Clark, is considered one of the pioneers of rap music. She was born on December 22, 1959, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Lady B grew up in the Wynnefield Heights neighborhood of Philadelphia and began her career as a DJ at the age of 16. She became interested in hip hop music after hearing early tracks by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, and started to incorporate rap into her DJ sets.
In 1979, Lady B began hosting her own show on WHAT-FM, a local Philadelphia radio station. The show was called “The Rap Attack,” and it was one of the first radio shows to feature hip hop music. Lady B’s show quickly became popular, and she began to gain recognition as one of the first female rappers in the world.
In 1980, Lady B released her first single, “To the Beat Y’all,” on TEC Records. The song was a hit in Philadelphia and helped to establish Lady B as a serious rapper. In 1984, she released her first full-length album, “LJ Rap,” on B Boys Records.
Throughout the 1980s, Lady B continued to perform and record music. She appeared on tracks by other artists, including MC Lyte and Salt-N-Pepa, and continued to tour and perform throughout the United States and internationally.
In addition to her music career, Lady B has been involved in community work in Philadelphia. She has worked as a youth counselor and founded the Women’s Artistic and Cultural Association, a non-profit organization that promotes the arts in Philadelphia.
Today, Lady B is recognized as one of the pioneers of hip hop and a trailblazer for female rappers. Her contributions to the genre have been recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted her into its “Women Who Rock” exhibit in 2013. Lady B continues to perform and record music, and she remains a beloved figure in the hip hop community.
