Yolanda 'Yo-Yo' Whittaker

Yo-Yo (born Yolanda Whittaker) has been among the most sophisticated and unpredictable female MCs around. She doesn't take an overtly feminist tack but urges young women to show sexual restraint and use their minds as well as their bodies. Her introduction to the hip-hop game came with an appearance on the 1990 Ice Cube track "It's a Man's World" (off his debut solo album, "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted"). It wasn't until the next year, when East West America/Atlantic Records issued her first single, "You Can't Play with My Yo-Yo" (#1/#36 - R&B/Hot 100) that she gained critical acclaim and success. The following singles "Stompin in the '90s" (#2 - hip-hop), "Ain't Nobody Better" (#4/#30 - R&B/Hot 100) and "Girl, Don't be No Fool" helped propel the album "Make Way for the Motherlode" toward cracking the Billboard Top 100 (#74/#5 R&B) chart. Meanwhile, she added her first screen credit in the Oscar-nominated film Boyz n the Hood (1991) with a small cameo. After a successful year, she maintai