Yo Yo
Biography
Yolanda Whittaker on August 4, 1971) is a Grammy nominated American hardcore rapper known primarily among hip hop fans and music critics during the 1990s. Much of her music has advocated female empowerment, denouncing the frequent sexism found in rap music. Yo-Yo dubbed her rap crew the IBWC, which stood for the Intelligent Black Womans Coalition.
Yo-Yo first appeared as a guest on Ice Cubes AmeriKKKas Most Wanted album in 1990. Her critically acclaimed debut was 1991s Make Way for the Motherlode. The albums biggest single was You Cant Play With My Yo-Yo, which also featured Ice Cube.
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Her follow-up, 1992s Black Pearl was well-received by critics, due in part to its focus on positive messages and uplifting themes that contrasted the popular gangsta rap style. However, this did not translate into a hit with mainstream rap audiences, and the albums sales were considered a disappointment.
Less than a year later, Yo-Yo recorded and released a more commercial follow-up, 1993s You Better Ask Somebody. The album featured musical and lyrical styles more in line with the hip-hop climate of the era, including many references to guns and smoking marijuana. In an effort to distance herself from what some in the rap community saw as preaching positivity on her previous CD, Yo-Yo even dissed herself on the track They Shit Dont Stink by rapping, "I fell off, but now Im back, cuz that Black Pearl shit was wack"
The final track on the album was her third recorded hip-hop duet with Ice Cube, The Bonnie And Clyde Theme. The track was actually a B-side on the albums first single, IBWin Wit My Crewin, but ultimately it was the only song from the album to achieve substantial radio airplay.
Yo-Yos next album was 1996s Total Control. In 1998, she finished her fifth and final album, Ebony, but it was not released; as such, it remains a highly sought-after bootleg by fans. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.
