As positive as
Queen Latifah but as abrasive in her delivery as
MC Lyte,
Yo-Yo showed some potential on her debut album,
Make Way for the Motherlode. The decent, if uneven, CD (which
Ice Cube produced with
Sir Jinx and
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien) was more of a critical success than a commercial success. The hip-hop press was quick to praise
Yo-Yo, who urges young women to practice responsible sexuality, respect themselves and demand respect from men. On "Girl, Don't Be No Fool,"
Yo-Yo stresses that women shouldn't allow men to physically abuse them under any circumstances -- a message that definitely needed to be heard, although regrettably, the song doesn't distinguish between the "dogs" and "good guys."
Cube has memorable cameos on "What Can I Do?" and "You Can't Play With My Yo-Yo," but his presence wasn't enough to make
Motherlode anything more than a moderate hit. ~ Alex Henderson