Rapper and Ice Cube protégé Yo-Yo was in many ways a pioneer and unsung hero for female rappers in the industry. She has an extensive discography (including one full length unreleased album) but despite disappointing sales, she managed to release a forgotten classic with her album Total Control. This was her fourth and ‘final’ album (1998’s Ebony was never to see the light of day) and the album was executively produced by the South Central native.
To me everything you need to know is in the first 3 tracks which are not only bangers, but display the range of Yo-Yo’s artistry. You can feel the maturity and experience in the beat selection (Battlecat!), rhymes and ear for a hit with female club anthem One for the Cuties which features MC Lyte. The Dogg Pound formula is completely flipped when Yo-Yo is the one hounding after the men instead of the usual deprecating lyrics. Yo-Yo Funk slows the tempo down and would fit well into a Throw’em Up set (link), Alizé and Cristal must have been waved in the air multiple times to this smooth track. Finally, Bonnie & Clyde II is a captivating gangsta rap song featuring mentor Ice Cube in his element for another classic collabo. The title of 2pac’s Me & My Girlfriend (Bonnie& Clyde) makes even more sense when you learn that Yo-Yo dated Shakur during the Makaveli era.
Yo-Yo is a model for female rappers coming up in the industry and many of her peers that created hits (Lil’ Kim & Foxy Brown) would have been wise to follow in her footsteps. Missy Elliot knew the time and she paid her respects with a brief cameo by Yo-Yo in The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) video. The fact Yo-Yo had ‘total control’ over her licensing and output, makes a real OG (even near Pac’s death bed she had a better record deal than him). Every time I spin this album, people ask what it is; I wind it back up like a yoyo string and balance the G-Funk with some anti-misogynistic lyrics for good measure; that Yo-Yo funk!
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