Yo-Yo

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.

Career 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. partly because of its focus on positive messages and uplifting themes that heavily contrasted with the popular gangsta rap style at the time. 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.

Discography

Studio albums Make Way for the Motherlode (1991) Black Pearl (1992) You Better Ask Somebody (1993) Total Control (1996)

Filmography

Film 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 Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit Sondra 1995 Panther Pregnant Junkie 1997 Sprung Sista No. 3 Trials of Life Jennifer TV movie 1999 The Breaks Loretha Beverly Hood Tilly 2000 3 Strikes Charita 2001 Longshot Herself 2002 Paper Soldiers Judge Prince 2006 Da Jammies Mrs. Mangual (voice) Short Waist Deep Female Radio DJ (voice) 2016 Janitors Herself

Television Year Title Role Notes 1992-98 Soul Train Herself Recurring Guest 1993–95 Martin Keylolo Recurring Cast: Season 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" 2008 Ego Trip's Miss Rap Supreme Herself/Co-Host Main Co-Host The Greatest Herself Episode: "100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs" 2011 Way Black When: Primetime Herself Episode: "Episode 1.12" 2014–22 Unsung Herself Recurring Guest 2015 Da Jammies The Real Rosanne (voice) Episode: "Old School" 2017 Unsung Hollywood Herself Episode: "Tupac Shakur" 2018 Unsolved Pretty Woman Episode: "Wherever It Leads" 2019 Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood Herself Main Cast: Season 6 2022–23 Double Cross Taye Guest Cast: Season 3–4 2023 Saturdays Duchess Recurring Cast Downright Delicious with Yo-Yo Herself/Host Main Host

Music videos Year Song Artist Role 1995 2Pac "Temptations" Girl in Last Room 1997 Missy Elliott "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" Herself

Video games Year Title Role Notes 2004 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Kendl Johnson (voice) 2021 Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition Archival recordingsRemaster of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas only

Documentary 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

Awards and nominations 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"