Black Music Month Rare Music Spotlight: MC Trouble (1990)

LaTasha Rogers known as MC Trouble was Motown Records first female rapper when she appeared in 1990 with her debut album “Gotta Get A Grip” at the tender age of 18. Before that in 1988 she appeared on the Motown Records Greg Mack Compilation Album “What Does It All Mean” on the track “High Roller Girl.” Trouble was also a singer/songwriter and producer and was responsible for writing, arranging and producing her debut album. The first single from the album was the Good Girls assisted “(I Wanna) Make You Mine,” which was a hit on the Billboard charts and the music video was constantly in rotation on BET’s Video Soul & Rap City.

Her rhymes were contrastingly harsh and cutting edge, very different than what any other female MC was doing at the time. Like with the singles “Black Line“, which parodied black talk shows and the title cut from her album “Gotta Get A Grip” where she touched on prejudice and injustice. The video for that single was directed by Malcolm Jamal Warner. Sister Souljah would later pick up that social awareness torch in female Hip Hop when she released her debut album in 1992.

In 1991 Trouble began work on her sophomore album “Trouble In Paradise” for Motown, while suffering from a brain tumor. She passed away in her sleep on June 4, 1991 after suffering an epileptic seizure. Her last released single “Big Ole Jazz” was released in 1992 and appeared on the House Party 2 Soundtrack. With a future so bright, she is truly missed by us all.

Check out her music videos below and some tracks from Trouble!