Yolanda “YoYo” Whitaker is one of Hip Hops most important and influential female voices.  Bursting onto the scene in 1990 with back-to-back hits "It's a Man's World" and "You Can't Play with My Yo-Yo" and continuing across 4 critically claimed albums, her powerful, positive rhymes set new standards of sophistication and empowerment for a generation of young black women.  While continuing collaborations with Quincy Jones, Ice Cube, Tupac. Brandy, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and Missy Elliot, her message that self-worth and sexuality could exist side by side quickly transcended the studio and stage to a successful acting career.  On screens big and small, Yo Yo easily shifted between deeply dramatic appearances in "Boyz in The Hood" and "Menace 2 Society" and groundbreaking comedy in "Sister Act 2" and her recurring role in "Martin".  She continues to act - and just act herself -  in projects including "New York Undercover' and the recent "UnSung" with TV One. 

 

As an activist and leader in her community and culture, Yo Yo first testified before Congress while still in her 20s and continues to be outspoken through her frequent public and media appearances along with her programming on Cafe Mocha Radio with Loni Love and Angelique Perrin.  She works to empower young people with her academics program, YoYo’s School of Hip-Hop, integrating curriculum in writing, production and dance that propel youths to compose and perform powerful messages in rap music.  The program currently operates in both Los Angeles, Calif. and Highland Park, Mich., where her husband, DeAndre Windom, is the mayor.  

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Never far from her fans, Yo Yo recently completed both "The Queens of Hip-Hop" and Eric B & Rakim's "The Technique Tour" reunion tours with sell out shows across the United States. YoYo is currently on the Black College Expo as a lead advocate for education and learning. She’s was apart of the 2019 Black Music Honors paying homage to Whodini and gearing up for a new venture NMAAM (National Music Of Afro American Music) opening in Nashville TN FALL of 2019