Yo-Yo

Biography

Yolanda "Yo-Yo" Whitaker (born August 4, 1971) is an American rapper and actress from South Los Angeles.
Much of Yo-Yo's music advocates female empowerment. She is the protégée of gangsta rapper Ice Cube. Yo-Yo has dubbed her crew the IBWC, Intelligent Black Women's Coalition. She also performed on a couple of stages with Shock G's group Digital Underground.

Music

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". 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×Make Way for the Motherlode19 March 1991 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Stand Up for Your Rights1:002Stompin' to the 90's4:073You Can't Play With My Yo-Yo5:044Cube Gets Played0:205Put a Lid on It3:046What Can I Do?4:137Dedication0:528Sisterland3:399The I.B.W.C. National Anthem1:4410Make Way for the Motherlode3:4711Tonight's the Night3:3812I Got Played2:4413Girl, Don't Be No Fool4:4014Ain't Nobody Better4:2215Outro0:2316More of What I Can Do1:47. 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×Black Pearl23 June 1992 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1The No Intro0:132Home Girl Don’t Play Dat2:393So Funky3:034Black Pearl3:125Cleopatra3:476It’s a Long Way Home4:207You Should Have Listened4:018Woman to Woman2:259Hoes3:1410I Can’t Take No More3:4011A Few Good Men3:4912Will You Be Mine4:09, was well received by critics, partly because of its focus on positive messages and uplifting themes that heavily contrasted with the popular gangsta rap style at the time. Despite the work of 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.
Less than a year later, Yo-Yo released her follow-up album, titled You Better Ask Somebody×You Better Ask Somebody22 June 1993 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1IBWin' Wit My CREWin'3:562Can You Handle It?3:073Westside Story4:534Mackstress3:53520 Sack3:116You Better Ask Somebody3:327They Shit Don't Stink3:418Letter to the Pen3:389Givin' It Up3:4110Pass It On4:0211Girls Got a Gun2:5612The Bonnie and Clyde Theme4:11. The final track on the album was her third recorded hip-hop duet with Ice Cube, "The Bonnie and Clyde Theme".
Yo-Yo's next album, Total Control×Total Control29 October 1996 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1One for the Cuties4:002Yo Yo Funk4:173Bonnie and Clyde II3:594Steady Risin'4:355Same Ol' Thang (Everyday)3:546Tre' Ride4:297Body Work4:138How Can I Be Down4:089Thank You, Boo3:5210Yo Yo's Night4:26, was released in 1996. In 1998, Yo-Yo finished her fifth studio album, Ebony×Ebony1998 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Intro2Countin' Money3Do You Wanna Ride?4Iz It Still All Good5(Get Up) And Do Your Thang6Never Gonna Fall Again7Fantasy8Let Me Be the One9Good Girl10I Would If I Could11Pass It On, 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. 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.
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. Other rappers confirmed to appear are MC Lyte, Lady of Rage, Monie Love, Lil Mama, and Smooth. Yo-Yo currently hosts a cooking show on the Aspire network "Downright Delicious with Yo-Yo."

Acting

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 neighbor (also played by Martin Lawrence)
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 action-adventure game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004) as the voice of Kendl Johnson. She has a reoccurring role in the series Saturdays on Disney Plus starring role as skating rink owner, Duchess.

Personal life

Yo-Yo was in a relationship with fellow rapper Tupac Shakur for a short time in the 1990s. She was with him in the hospital shortly before he died. Later, Yo-Yo became engaged to DeAndre Windom, the former mayor of Highland Park, Michigan, in August 2012. The two married on August 17, 2013 in the Cayman Islands and divorced in 2016.
In November of 2024, Yo-Yo became engaged to Businessman/Real Estate Mogul and Philanthropist Kelvin J King from South 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. She also founded the Yo-Yo School of Hip-Hop to use hip-hop in curriculum for at-risk students. She is an honorary member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority.