The Toronto Historical Jukebox: "Elements of Style" by Michie Mee & L.A. Luv

Michie Mee is known as Canada's first famous female MC and the first Canadian rapper to ever be signed to a major American label. She was born in Jamaica but moved to Jane & Finch as a kid, where she started rapping as a teenager in the mid-1980s. Soon, she'd developed her own unique style, combining early North American hip hop with raw Jamaican reggae and dancehall. She teamed up with Toronto producer L.A. Luv and they released their first single — "Elements of Style" — in 1987.

The duo got plenty of support from legendary hip hop artists like KRS-One and Scott La Rock from Boogie Down Productions, but they broke up after releasing just one full-length album: Jamaican Funk—Canadian Style in 1991. L.A. Luv would go on to join Dream Warriors, while Michie Mee still has her own solo career, is an actor, and was a founding member of the rap metal group Raggadeath.

LISTEN:

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You can listen to more songs from the Toronto Historical Jukebox here.

You can buy Jamaican Funk—Canadian Style here.

Posted by Adam Bunch, the Editor-in-Chief of the Little Red Umbrella and the creator of the Toronto Dreams Project and the Toronto Historical Jukebox. You can read his posts here, follow him on Twitter here, or email him at adam@littleredumbrella.com.

All songs are posted to promote the artist and the history of Toronto. If you're the copyright-holder and would like the song removed, please contact us here and we'll be happy to do so.