At face value, MC Lyte and Sinéad O’Connor are a pretty unorthodox pairing, though really they were kindred spirits. O’Connor hailed from the deceptively impoverished Dublin, while Lyte was bred from the grimy streets of Brooklyn. Individually, their music is diametrically opposed in sound. Sinéad O’Connor crafted experimental blends of alt-Rock and funk with hints of pop, and MC Lyte is as hip-hop as it gets. However, when the two joined forces on the 1988 remix to Sinéad O’Connor’s single “I Want Your Hands (On Me),” it was like night and day met in an eclipse. A moment that changed the course for women in hip-hop simply by giving them another avenue to explore.

Sinéad’s entry point into the American music industry arguably held a significant degree of privilege (even though she openly denounced it every step of the way). Her 1987 debut album, The Lion and the Cobra, was nominated for a Grammy right out the gate for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. She was buzzing around college radio, yet she wouldn’t really take over the entire world until 1990, when her Prince-penned single “Nothing Compares 2 U” became a global chart-topping hit. She sported a shaved head and an equally sharp attitude, and when shit wasn’t adding up — be it world politics, religion, whatever — she was the first to speak out.

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