| Yo-Yo | |||||||
| Birth Name: | Yolanda Whitaker | ||||||
| Birth Date: | 1971 8, mf=yes | ||||||
| Birth Place: | Compton, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Partner: | Kelvin J. King (2023–present; engaged) | ||||||
| Module: |
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Yolanda "Yo-Yo" Whitaker (born August 4, 1971)[1] is an American rapper and actress.
Much of Yo-Yo's music advocates female empowerment. She is the protégé of gangsta rapper Ice Cube. Yo-Yo has dubbed her crew the IBWC, Intelligent Black Woman's Coalition.[2] She also performed on a couple of stages with 2Pac's group Digital Underground.
Yo-Yo first appeared as a guest on Ice Cube's 1990 debut studio album AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted on the track "It's a Man's World".[3] Cube returned the favor by appearing on "You Can't Play with My Yo-Yo", on Yo-Yo's 1991 debut album, Make Way for the Motherlode.[3] Each of the videos for the singles from the album were directed by Okuwah Garrett of Power Films.
Her follow-up album released in 1992, Black Pearl,[3] was well received by critics,[4] partly because of its focus on positive messages and uplifting themes that heavily contrasted with the popular gangsta rap style at the time.[4] Despite a plethora of renowned producers such as DJ Muggs, this failed to translate into a hit with mainstream hip-hop audiences, and the album's sales were considered a disappointment.[4]
Less than a year later, Yo-Yo released her follow-up album, titled You Better Ask Somebody.[3] The final track on the album was her third recorded hip-hop duet with Ice Cube, "The Bonnie and Clyde Theme".[3]
Yo-Yo's next album, Total Control, was released in 1996.[3] In 1998, Yo-Yo finished her fifth studio album, Ebony, though it was not released. In 2008, her single, "You Can't Play With My Yo-Yo" was ranked number 92 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs.[5] Later that year, she performed with MC Lyte, The Lady of Rage, and Salt-N-Pepa at the BET Hip Hop Awards. She also performed on the Arsenio Hall show in 1994 alongside many other famous rappers and rap groups. Yo-Yo opened up the show and was later followed by rappers and groups like Naughty by Nature, A Tribe Called Quest and Wu-Tang Clan.
As of 2009, Yo-Yo has been working on an EP, titled My Journey to Fearless: The Black Butterfly.[6]
In 2013, it was announced she joined the upcoming BET reality series Hip Hop Sisters which will focus on six female rappers' lives and their attempts to relaunch their careers.[7] Other rappers confirmed to appear are MC Lyte, Lady of Rage, Monie Love, Lil Mama, and Smooth.[8] Yo-Yo currently hosts a cooking show on the Aspire network "Downright Delicious with Yo-Yo."[9]
Yo-Yo appeared in the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood. She had a recurring role on the television show Martin as Keylolo, the sidekick to comedian Martin Lawrence's alter ego Sheneneh. Yo-Yo also appeared on other TV shows, including the Fox network's New York Undercover. She made a cameo appearance in the music video for Missy Elliot's "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)". She also appeared in the 2004 video game as the voice of Kendl Johnson.[10] She has a reoccurring role in the series Saturdays on Disney Plus starring role as skating rink owner, Duchess.
Yo-Yo was in a relationship with Tupac Shakur for some time in the 1990s. She was with Shakur in the hospital shortly before he died.[11] Later, Yo-Yo became engaged to DeAndre Windom, the former mayor of Highland Park, Michigan, in August 2012.[12] The two married on August 17,[13] 2013 in the Cayman Islands[14] and divorced in 2018.[15]
On November 23, 2023 Yo-Yo became engaged to Kelvin King a successful businessman and real estate mogul from Jamaica, Queens, New York
Yo-Yo has been active in advocating for hip-hop artists to become involved within their community. Notably, she testified in 1994 for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about whether the government should require rating labels on gangsta rap.[16] She also founded the Yo-Yo School of Hip-Hop to use hip-hop in curriculum for at-risk students.[17]
See main article: Yo-Yo discography.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Boyz n the Hood | Herself | ||
| 1993 | Who's the Man? | Woman | ||
| Menace II Society | Girl at Party | |||
| Strapped | Ann | TV movie | ||
| Sondra | ||||
| 1994 | Adventures of D.P. Boys 17: South of the Border | Video | ||
| 1995 | Panther | Pregnant Junkie | ||
| 1997 | Sprung | Sista #3 | ||
| Trials of Life | Jennifer | |||
| 1999 | The Breaks | Loretha | ||
| Beverly Hood | Tilly | |||
| 2000 | 3 Strikes | Charita | ||
| 2001 | Longshot | Herself | ||
| 2002 | Paper Soldiers | Judge Prince | [18] | |
| 2006 | Da Jammies | Mrs. Mangual (voice) | Short | |
| Waist Deep | Female Radio DJ (voice) | |||
| 2016 | Janitors | Herself |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-98 | Soul Train | Herself | 3 episodes | |
| 1993-95 | Martin | Keylolo | Recurring cast: seasons 1 & 3 | |
| 1995 | New York Undercover | Nikki | Episode: "You Get No Respect" | |
| 1996 | Moesha | Security Guard | Episode: "A Concerted Effort: Part 1" | |
| 1997 | The Parent 'Hood | Audrey | Episode: "When Robert Met Jerri" | |
| 1998 | The Jamie Foxx Show | Kierston | Episode: "Passenger 187" | |
| 2005 | Ego Trip's Race-O-Rama | Herself | TV series documentary | |
| 2006 | 3rd Annual VH1 Hip-Hop Honors | Herself | TV special | |
| 2007 | Parallel Paths | Herself | TV series | |
| 2008 | Baisden After Dark | Herself | Episode: "Getting Lazy After Marriage" | |
| Ego Trip's Miss Rap Supreme | Herself/co-host | TV series | ||
| The Greatest | Herself | Episode: "100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs" | ||
| 2011 | Way Black When: Primetime | Herself | Episode: "Episode #1.12" | |
| 2015 | Da Jammies | The Real Rosanne (voice) | Episode: "Old School" | |
| 2016 | VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens | Herself | TV special | |
| 2018 | Unsolved | Pretty Woman | Episode: "Wherever It Leads" | |
| 2019 | Herself | Main cast: season 6 | ||
| 2023 | Saturdays | Duchess | Recurring cast |
| Year | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | After Stonewall | |
| 2010 | The Wordz Project | |
| My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women and Hip Hop | ||
| 2011 | The Power of Words |
| Year | Award | |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Rap Video for "I Wanna Be Down" (Remix) (featuring Brandy, MC Lyte and Queen Latifah) | |
| 1996 | Grammy Award nomination for Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Duo or Group for "Stomp" |