Although MC Lyte had already reached #1 on Rap chart a few months earlier with the collaborative single "Self Destruction", this was the first time that a woman had achieved it as the lead artist.

54 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop list[5] and Lil' Kim performed a rewritten version on her mixtape, Ms.

The music video for the song, directed by Tamra Davis,[9] was filmed in August 1989 on Randall's Island, New York City.

[17] The song was performed by Da Brat and Remy Ma at the MC Lyte tribute at the 2006 VH1 Hip Hop Honors.

[18] The song was also featured on the soundtrack of the video game Grand Theft Auto IV on the fictional in-game station "The Classics 104.1".

Considered an ultimate dis song, Lyte references hip hop and lyricism as if it is a science, a complex skill that few have mastered.

(and so should everyone else)", commenting: "(MC Lyte) tenor of voice and the precision of her delivery make her undeniable, not to mention her willingness to try a variety of subject matter.

Though the beat intentionally evokes old school hip-hop, sampling The Fearless Four's "Rockin' It" synthesizer-based loop and the drum/guitar break from Cerrone's "Rocket In the Pocket", it still feels futuristic even three decades later.