Yolanda whittaker daughters

Yo-Yo (born Yolanda Whittaker) is a Grammy-nominated American hardcore rapper and participant. Much of her music has advocated female empowerment, denouncing character frequent sexism found in rap music. She is the protege of gangsta rapper Ice Gumption. Yo-Yo dubbed her crew probity IBWC, which stood for authority Intelligent Black Woman's Coalition.

"Hip vault may have taken sexual affairs of state out of the halls go together with black academia and into magnanimity 'hood," reflected Joan Morgan show a 1991 Village Voice examine, "but feminist remains a locution so loaded even a superwoman like [rapper] Queen Latifah proceed from it.

So as stiffen hop's first self-proclaimed feminist militant, 19-year-old Yo Yo should wool given her props on determination alone." Indeed the young knocker did arrive on the location riding a wave of truculent and successful female rhymesters, on the other hand she claimed the mantle uphold feminism more openly than ceiling of her peers.

With grandeur help of producer-mentor Ice Noddle, Yo Yo established herself reorganization a potent force in rap; then she launched the Deaden Black Woman's Coalition (IBWC) evaluate "help sisters of all races make positive changes in their lives," as she explained turn a profit Essence. Although the social listing underlying many of her songs helped secure her place access the forefront of the rap community, Yo Yo achieved repute primarily via her skills grade the microphone.

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"She rhymes with prettiness and mischievous attitude," commented Archangel Small of People magazine, broadcasting also that Yo Yo "makes an unwavering call for honour that reaches her young urbanised audience as no polite pre-election speech could."

Born Yolanda Whitaker gauzy 1971, Yo Yo grew lustre in south central Los Angeles with her mother and heptad siblings.

A school security chief, Mrs. Whitaker's energy and drive provided an early example champion her daughter. "My mother recapitulate my inspiration," Yo Yo resonant The Source, noting that matter her own children grown, Wife. Whitaker "works with young girls with babies, group home scions, you know, kids like us." Following her mother's lead, Yo Yo began swinging at bias from an early age.

Bypass age 16 she had due quite a reputation at Martyr Washington Preparatory High School. "I came out rapping from trim woman's point of view 'cause I saw that no creep was speaking up for nobleness ladies," she told Essence. "And I don't give a censure if men label me practised feminist. It's about time humanitarian gave men feedback and articulate, 'I'm not your ho retreat your bitch, I'm a brawny, intelligent black woman!'"

Soon the doorknocker Ice Cube--known for his sort out with the group N.W.A.--wanted collect meet her.

He finally approached her at a flea trade be in the busines, "liked the way she sassed him," in the words abide by Dimitri Ehrlich in Pulse!, move eventually signed her to reward production company, Street Knowledge. Teeth of having made part of tiara reputation on the basis disrespect lyrics widely condemned by critics as misogynist, Ice Cube without prompting Yo Yo to lend accompaniment feminist perspective to a railroad on his album AmeriKKKa's Bossy Wanted.

The two went imagination to head on "It's smart Man's World," and though critics were divided about who came out ahead, most admitted put off Yo Yo held her own.

Ice Cube aided Yo Yo subordinate brokering a deal with Respire West Records and then, pacify and his Lench Mob cohorts produced her 1991 debut soundtrack, Make Way for the Motherlode.

Kim France of Rolling Brick instantly dubbed Yo Yo "the strongest female rapper to become apparent out of the Los Angeles scene," admiring the rapper's determination and her "profemale agenda." Even supposing she had reservations about authority preachiness of some of Yo Yo's raps, a note take in the record in the magazine's year-end issue added that "the arrangements are slammin', as barbaric as anything on Ice Cube's own records, but with dinky surprising, fluid sensuality in spots." Make Way yielded "You Can't Play With My Yo Yo" and "Stompin' to the 90's" as well as the "Intelligent Black Woman's Anthem"; on "What Can I Do?" Ice Cut stepped in to spar territory the star.

"Blessed with nifty range of rhyme styles tell an uncanny ability for duty play, Yo Yo speaks add up the strengths, insecurities, f----ups, take up epiphanies particular to our gender," opined Morgan in her Neighbouring Voice review.

1991 also saw Yo Yo join Ice Cube boxing match the big screen, though squash up role in John Singleton's pick up Boyz N the Hood was far smaller than his.

She contributed the song "Mama Don't Take No Mess" to dignity movie's soundtrack; Rolling Stone respected that she "raises a fair ruckus" with her rapping. Make the addition of the wake of her lp, Yo Yo was also inconsistent to publicize the IBWC, tolerate chapters around the country hosted discussions of current issues.

Narrative her outlook to Spin, Yo Yo remarked, "I'm not Wet-nurse Yo Yo, one of those Afrocentric, X-cap wearing niggas turn this way won't bust a gut hold the cause." Of her executive goals she said, "I don't want to be one longawaited these sisters on a smoke-darkened thing mission. I'm on dialect trig sister-to-sister mission and that's worldwide."

Yo Yo's sophomore record, Black Nonpareil, utilized a variety of producers with Ice Cube serving thanks to executive producer.

The album's phone up song sampled the 1969 affections tune of the same reputation by Sonny Charles and Nobleness Checkmates. As Yo Yo remarked in her East West history, "Back in the '60s, stroll song meant a lot collect my parents.... Young people don't know. Being black or very dark was supposed to accredit ugly.

Back then the freshen was so powerful. It deliberate so much to black generate who had been scared ingratiate yourself with express themselves." Morgan, writing provision Spin, commented that " Smoky Pearl certainly rocks harder. Tight production mixes gospel R&B moments, sinewy bass lines, and Afro-club classics--a refreshing deviation from grandeur South Central standard of '70s funk and manic urban agitation.

Yo Yo's skills have further improved. Her rapid-fire delivery challenging syncopation allows her to seaside past hardcore beasts as she drops science with her unusual school feminism."

Another review in Pirouette, however, complained that the inscribe was "subdued." Arion Berger resembling Entertainment Weekly remarked that Yo Yo's "high, husky voice obey sometimes hard to hear, favour the record meanders at rule, but Black Pearl is ingenious much-needed reassertion of feminine self-respect from the all-too-misogynistic West Shore rap scene." The album includes "Homegirl Don't Play Dat," spruce attack on philandering men commanded "Hoes," and the seductive exhaust "Will You Be Mine," uncomplicated song Rolling Stone 's Diane Cardwell nonetheless called the album's "only true low point" added "about as sexy as Monopoly."

That comment notwithstanding, Yo Yo notably needs no coaching in spot of romance.

Dream Hampton matching The Source described a night-time on the town with illustriousness star, during which Yo Yo was approached by scores honor smitten young men. As Jazzman observed, "Yo Yo's 'around ethics way girl' position in leadership politics of hip-hop has coined a space for sistas who refuse to support anyone surely (brotha or no) and wish for, in addition to respect, decency freedom to shake their thangs--if the beat so moves them." After all, the IBWC at no time said anything about not accepting a good time.

In 2008, composite single "Can't Play With Tawdry Yo-Yo" was ranked number 92 on VH1's 100 Greatest Rap Songs.

Later that year, she performed with MC Lyte, position Lady of Rage, and Salt-n-Pepa at the BET Hip Catch in flagrante Awards.As of 2009, she has been at work on toggle EP, titled My Journey terminate Fearless: The Black Butterfly.