Tanya "Sweet Tee" Winley is one of the earliest female rappers, active from 1979 to 1982.[1] She is the daughter of Paul Winley, of Winley Records on 125th Street in Harlem (active 1956-1985).[1] Paul Winley recorded Tanya's and sister Paulette's "Rhymin' and Rappin'" (1979) and Tanya's solo "Vicious Rap" (1980), which are two of the earliest examples of rap songs by women.[1] Tanya Winley is possibly the first recorded female rapper, and was a contemporary of Lady B.
The beginning of her song "Vicious Rap" is sampled in Diamond D & The Psychotics "Best Kept Secret." Ego trip lists three of Tanya's songs as hip hop's greatest singles by year. "Rhymin' and Rappin'" ranks #6 in 1979, "Vicious Rap" ranks #9 in 1980, and "I Believe In The Wheel of Fortune" ranks #32 in 1982.[2] Her repertoire is small, but her rhymes were written and recorded while she was a teenager. Her "Vicious Rap" is one of the earliest examples of conscious rap.