She released her first single, the crack tale "I Cram to Understand U (Sam)", at the age of 12 and then signed a contract with First Priority. Her debut album, Lyte As a Rock, was released in 1988, featuring the previous single and "10 is." The memorable “I Cram to Understand U (Sam),” which dealt with a lying boyfriend’s true mistress: crack. "10 is" is another classic that targeted her former microphone rival Antoinnette. "Paper Thin" is also another classic song that is considered her greatest hiphop cut and possibly the greatest hiphop cut from a female hiphop artist.

She then made a guest appearance on a remix of Sinead O'Connor's "I Want Your (Hands On Me)," which became a dance hit.

This was followed by the releases Eyes on This in 1989 (including "Cappucino"). Both her "Lyte As A Rock" & "Eyes On This" are considered her classics, especially the latter. It spawned the album's first single 'Cha Cha Cha', which peaked at #1 on the rap charts. Also featured 'Cappucino' which is a metaphysical story weaved around a bad cappuccino experience.

Act Like You Know was released in 1991, a generally softer, more melodic and often R&B-ish effort than either of her first two LPs. But even so, the album is far from a sellout; Lyte's music still has plenty of bite, substance and integrity. As before, she's at her best when telling some type of story instead of simply boasting about her rapping skills. Especially riveting are "Eyes Are the Soul" (a poignant reflection on the destruction caused by crack cocaine), "Lola at the Copa" (a warning about how a one-night stand can lead to AIDS; the title is a reference to the Barry Manilow hit "Copacabana"); and "Poor Georgie," which describes a young man's life and death in the fast lane. Lyte's change of direction proved to be short-lived -- with her next album, Ain't No Other, she returned to hardcore rap in a big way.

Ain't No Other was released in 1993. Lyte ditched the pop elements and emphasized hardcore rap on this LP. The song that did the most to define the album was "Ruffneck," a catchy, inspired single that found Lyte expressing her preference for ragamuffin street kids from the inner city. That same single is what became the first single to go gold by a female emcee. "Ruffneck" expressed Lyte's allegiance to hip-hop's hardcore, and she's equally rugged and hard-edged on tunes like "Fuck that Motherfucking Bullshit," "Hard Copy," and "Brooklyn." As a bonus track, First Priority includes a remix of "I Cram to Understand U," the song that had put Lyte on the map in 1987.

Lyte then moved to EastWest Records America and released Bad As I Wanna B (1996), which included a collaboration with Missy Elliott called "Cold Rock a Party". Seven & Seven (1998) also included guest appearances from Missy Elliott, along with LL Cool J and Giovanni Salah. Lyte is also featured as Kai, a recurring role on the UPN sitcom Half & Half. In December of 2004, she was inducted as an honorary member into Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.

In December of 2005, her latest single "Wonder Years" (produced by DJ Premier of Gangstarr fame) leaked onto the internet to rave reviews. Her upcoming album, Back To The Future features production from DJ Premier, Just Blaze, Audio Two, King of Chill & Kay G. It is scheduled for release in May 2006.

In February of 2006, her diary was donated to the Smithsonian Institution, as well as a turntable, vinyl records and other memorabilia from her fellow hip-hop pioneers, for a collection that will trace the history of the Bronx-born music genre.