Tony Yayo | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Marvin Bernard |
Born | Queens, New York City, U.S. | March 31, 1978
Genres | Hip hop |
Occupation | Rapper |
Years active | 1998–present |
Labels | |
Member of |
Marvin Bernard (born March 31, 1978), [1] better known by his stage name Tony Yayo, is an American rapper. He is best known as a member of G-Unit, a hip hop group he formed with his childhood friends, 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks. Yayo released his debut studio album, Thoughts of a Predicate Felon , on August 30, 2005, which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. After eighteen years of not releasing a sophomore follow-up, due to his association with G-Unit and later disbandment of the group in 2022, [2] Yayo returned with The Loyal Mixtape, which released on February 10, 2023. [3]
His stage name is derived from the 1983 film, Scarface , referencing the main character Tony Montana, and Yayo, the slang word for cocaine.
Marvin Bernard was born on March 31, 1978, in Jamaica, a neighborhood in Queens, one of the five boroughs of New York City. His parents were Haitian immigrants; he was the youngest of three children. [4] At age fifteen, he dropped out of school in the tenth grade and dealt drugs to support his family. A year later, his parents divorced. As a child, he met his lifelong friends, Lloyd Banks and 50 Cent.
After his release from prison on drug charges,[ citation needed ] the trio formed the group, G-Unit, and began working on music together. The first underground mixtape featuring Bernard (who now went under the stage name Tony Yayo), was 134 All Starz, released in late 2000, referencing his old street he grew up on. However, G-Unit went on a hiatus after 50 Cent was shot nine times and released from Columbia Records.[ citation needed ] Two years later, G-Unit continued releasing a number of mixtapes in the early 2000s, including 2002's 50 Cent Is the Future , No Mercy, No Fear , and God's Plan . [5] [6]
While Yayo was incarcerated in 2003, his comrade 50 Cent was granted his own record label, G-Unit Records after the success of his debut studio album Get Rich or Die Tryin' , which was released that February; Yayo appears on the album's track, "Like My Style". 50 immediately signed G-Unit members Yayo and Lloyd Banks to the label, and eventually Young Buck was signed and added to the group as the official fourth member; Buck was later retraced as Yayo's temporary replacement due to his incarceration.[ citation needed ] From 2003 to 2010, most of G-Unit's artists (including Yayo) were distributed by Interscope Records. G-Unit released their debut studio album, Beg for Mercy , on November 14, 2003. It went on to sell over four million copies in the United States alone. [7] [8] The album was released during which time Yayo was still finishing a prison sentence on various charges, but he was still featured on the album and his face was also shown on the album cover. G-Unit's sophomore and final album, T.O.S: Terminate on Sight , was released on July 31, 2008, and went on to sell 102,000 copies in its first week. [9]
Due to issues between Yayo, 50 and Young Buck, G-Unit went under in 2014, but later reunited as a quintet with all original four members and a newly added Kidd Kidd. [10] They only released two EPs, The Beauty of Independence (2014), and The Beast Is G Unit (2015), before 50 Cent publicly dissolved the group again in 2022. [11] [2]
His career as a rapper was halted by his ongoing jail sentence at the time throughout early 2003 until mid-2004. With Yayo incarcerated, G-Unit and close friend Eminem began a campaign called "Free Yayo". He said that he was unaware of the attention the campaign was getting until he saw Eminem wearing a "Free Yayo" shirt on stage at the 2003 Grammy Awards, where he performed his 8 Mile theme song, "Lose Yourself". [12] [13]
Though his appearances on numerous mixtapes throughout his jail time announced his return on a street level, it was not until the release of Lloyd Banks' "Ain't No Click" and its parent album, The Hunger for More (2004), which featured Yayo that the latter received widespread recognition. His solo career hype was followed up by his debut single, "So Seductive" featuring 50 Cent, On August 30, 2005, Tony Yayo released his debut studio album, Thoughts of a Predicate Felon , debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 behind Kanye West's Late Registration . [14] [15] He also appeared on the track, "Fake Love", which made its way to the soundtrack for 50 Cent's acting debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin', which released that November.
Since 2007, Tony Yayo has confirmed that work was in progress for his second studio album. [16] In 2009, Yayo and Lloyd Banks were released from Interscope due to disagreements between the two members, 50 Cent and their former label's co-founder, Jimmy Iovine.
On May 20, 2010, Yayo released the single, "Pass the Patron", once again featuring 50 Cent. The single's release was distributed by G-Unit Records and EMI Music Distribution (which is now known today as Virgin Music). On March 2, 2011, Yayo released another single called "Haters". The song features 50 Cent, Shawty Lo and Roscoe Dash. The single was released via the This Is 50 website after its premiere on Hot 97 through radio DJ Funkmaster Flex. The single rapidly started to gain success on the urban radio charts and soon debuted on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop song chart at number one-hundred-twelve.
After twelve years on a hiatus, Yayo released his sophomore solo album and his first following his disaffiliation from 50 Cent and G-Unit, The Loyal, on February 10, 2023, exclusively on Apple Music, but it was later released on other competing streaming services four days later on Valentine's Day. [3] Later in July, he released a mixtape titled the 134 Tape. [17]
Along with 50 Cent and several other affiliates, Yayo was arrested on December 31, 2002, during a New Year's Eve party in Midtown Manhattan for first-degree possession of a loaded firearm by a convicted felon. He had a Glock 20 handgun and a Colt AR-15 in the trunk of his car. When police discovered that Yayo had a prior 1996 conviction for drug possession and an outstanding warrant for a previous gun charge, Yayo was sentenced for bail jumping and spent a year in prison. [1] Yayo served time in the Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility in the village of Brocton in Chautauqua County, New York. He was paroled on January 8, 2004. [18] The next day, he was arrested for possessing a forged passport and served time in federal prison until February 24, 2004. [19]
On March 24, 2007, Tony Yayo and childhood friend, Lowell Fletcher (alias Lodi Mack), were both arrested for the alleged simple assault on fourteen-year-old James Rosemond, Jr. (alias Lil Henchman), who is confirmed to be the son of Czar Entertainment founder and drug trafficker James Rosemond (alias Jimmy Henchman). The incident was perceived to have had a connection with Tony Yayo and G-Unit's ongoing dispute with former colleague and Henchman's client at the time, The Game. [20] 50 Cent was also accused of approaching the child, along with members of his entourage, and pushing him against a nearby wall. However, he had proven his innocence with video footage showing him at his former Connecticut mansion at the time of the alleged incident. [21] Yayo reportedly slapped the boy several times and yelled at him "fuck Czar Entertainment, nigga!" His co-conspirator, Fletcher, also pistol whipped Rosemond, Jr., and apparently threatened him with the same gun, causing the adolescent child to run off in fear. [22]
Tony Yayo made his first court appearance on the morning of April 25, 2007, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The case was adjourned to July 24. Yayo plead not guilty to all charges. His lawyer has expressed his belief that Yayo is innocent and commented on the situation in an interview with MTV:
After a thorough investigation, I steadfastly and adamantly state to you that my client [Tony Yayo] did not slap anyone. I am hopeful that when [authorities] complete their investigation, they will come to the same conclusion. Marvin Bernard, as a father, understands the allegations and would never do anything to harm a child. [23]
A week before his court appearance, on April 18, the house of Yayo's mother was struck with bullets. The attack is believed to be in retaliation for his assault and to be ordered by Jimmy Henchman as vengeance for assaulting his son. Yayo references the attack on the G-Unit song, "Straight Outta Southside" (2008). [24]
On July 24, 2007, Tony Yayo attended a court hearing regarding his alleged assault. The prosecution offered him a nine-month prison sentence if he pleaded guilty, which he rejected. [25] Ultimately, prosecutors dropped all charges against him in February 2008. [26] The mother of Rosemond's son sued him and 50 Cent two months later. [27]
Eventually, his friend, Lodi Mack, took legal responsibility for the action and pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a weapon and unlawful gun possession in relation. [28] He, in November 2007, was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison.
After Yayo's friend, Lowell "Lodi Mack" Fletcher, was paroled in late-September 2009, Fletcher was murdered outside of a grocery store in the New York City borough of the Bronx. Also, there were numerous murder attempts on the lives of Tony Yayo and 50 Cent ordered by Jimmy Henchman, including an attempt to explode a "bulletproof" limousine with the two inside of it. These attempts were conspired as revenge for Yayo and Fletcher assaulting Rosemond's son. [29] 50 responded by recruiting Atlanta gang members to place a dead rat on the doormat of Henchman's home in New York.[ citation needed ]
In 2014, after a hung jury in a federal trial which charged Rosemond for drug trafficking, murder for hire, conspiracy to commit homicide and other related federal charges in connection to the murder of Yayo's friend, Lodi Mack, and continuing to run his criminal enterprise, he was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to life in prison. [30] [31] [32]
Tony Yayo inspired American wrestler John Cena “You Can’t See Me” wrestling finishing taunt. John Cena admitted to this in an interview with Jimmy Fallon in 2022. [33] [34]
Films | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2009 | Kiss and Tail: The Hollywood Jumpoff [35] | Himself | |
2010 | Morning Glory [36] | Himself | |
2011 | S.W.A.T.: Firefight | Carlos | |
2012 | One Blood [37] | Brinks | |
Video Games | |||
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2005 | 50 Cent: Bulletproof | Himself | Voice role and likeness |
2009 | 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand | Himself | Voice role and likeness |
Television | |||
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2004 | The Howard Stern Show | Himself | |
2005 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Himself | Season 4, episode 96 |
2007 | MTV Cribs | Himself | |
2008 | 50 Cent: The Money and the Power | Himself | "Chose Your Crew Wisely" |
Curtis James Jackson III, known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in South Jamaica, a neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 1996. In 1999–2000, he recorded his debut album Power of the Dollar for Columbia Records; however, he was struck by nine bullets during a shooting in May 2000, causing its release to be cancelled and Jackson to be dropped from the label. His 2002 mixtape, Guess Who's Back? was discovered by Detroit rapper Eminem, who signed Jackson to his label Shady Records, an imprint of Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records that same year.
G-Unit was an American hip hop group formed by longtime friends and East Coast rappers 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks. After amassing a string of self-released mixtapes in the early 2000s, the group released their debut album Beg for Mercy in 2003, which went on to ship over four million copies in the US and was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Christopher Charles Lloyd, better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of East Coast hip hop group G-Unit, which he formed with childhood friends 50 Cent and Tony Yayo in 1999. After the release of their debut album Beg for Mercy (2003), Banks released his debut solo album, The Hunger for More (2004) the following year. Met with critical and commercial success, it peaked atop the Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single, "On Fire", as well as the top 20 single "Karma". His second album, Rotten Apple (2006) peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and saw mixed reviews. Banks then left Interscope Records and signed with EMI in 2010—along with his G-Unit cohorts—to release his third album, H.F.M. 2 in November that year, which saw a critical rebound and peaked at number 26 on the chart.
David Darnell Brown, better known by his stage name Young Buck, is an American rapper. He signed with Birdman's Cash Money Records in 1997, formed the hip hop collective UTP with Juvenile and Soulja Slim in 2000, and joined 50 Cent's group, G-Unit by 2003. He signed with the latter's parent label, G-Unit Records, an imprint of Interscope Records to release his debut studio album Straight Outta Cashville (2004) and its follow-up Buck the World (2007), both of which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and were met with critical praise.
Jayceon Terrell Taylor, better known by his stage name the Game or simply Game, is an American rapper. Born in Compton, California, he initially released a series of mixtapes under the wing of fellow West Coast rapper JT the Bigga Figga. After releasing his debut album Untold Story independently in 2004, he was discovered by record producer Dr. Dre and signed to his Aftermath Records label imprint. The Game rose to fame in 2005 following the release of his major-label debut album The Documentary, which peaked the Billboard 200 along with its 2006 follow-up, Doctor's Advocate. The former album received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and two Grammy Award nominations—Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for its single, "Hate It or Love It".
G-Unit Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group. Founded in 2003 by rapper 50 Cent, the label was operated by Interscope Records until February 2014. Thereafter, distribution of G-Unit operated under Caroline Records and Capitol Music Group. The label had also launched the subsidiary label G-Note Records, which caters to R&B and pop. The label's flagship artist is its founder 50 Cent, as well as the label's namesake group of which was formed prior.
Thoughts of a Predicate Felon is the debut and only studio album by American rapper Tony Yayo. It was released on August 30, 2005, through G-Unit Records and Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place at Sound One, at Integrated Studios, Sony Music Studios, G Unit Studios, Sound On Sound and Right Track Recording in New York, at 54 Sound in Detroit, at Encore Studios in Los Angeles and at Joi Studios in Atlanta. Production was handled by Focus..., Eminem, Black Jeruz, DJ Khalil, Domingo, Havoc, J. R. Rotem, LT Moe, Megahertz, Punch, Ron Browz, Sam Sneed, Sebb, Studio 44, and Sha Money XL, who also served as co-executive producer. It features guest appearances from fellow G-Unit members 50 Cent, who also served as executive producer, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, Olivia and Spider Loc, as well as Eminem, Obie Trice, Jagged Edge, Joe and Kokane.
"So Seductive" is a song by Tony Yayo as the first single from his debut album Thoughts of a Predicate Felon (2005), it features guest vocals from 50 Cent, and was produced by Punch, who helped write the song along with Tony Yayo and 50 Cent. Released following a highly publicized campaign by G-Unit, to release Tony Yayo from prison prior to the song's release, "So Seductive" is an uptempo "club banger" containing elements of string instruments and a repetitive bassline in its instrumentation. The song received little promotion from Tony Yayo at the time of its release, as he was still under house arrest following the end of his prison sentence, although he has since performed the song during various live performances.
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This is the discography of Tony Yayo, an American rapper.
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"Haters" is the second single from Tony Yayo's second studio album. The song features fellow rapper 50 Cent, Shawty Lo and Roscoe Dash. The song was released as a digital download on March 23, 2011.
The Big 10 is a mixtape by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on December 9, 2011 via his community website ThisIs50 as a free download.
James Rosemond, often known as Jimmy Henchman or sometimes Jimmy Henchmen, is an American former entertainment record executive and convicted criminal.
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