UB Unreleased: Who Sang it Better? | Mary J. Blige or Kelly Price

In late 1998 Hip Hop recording artist Yo-Yo was scheduled to release her fifth album release “Ebony.”

However the album was shelved, due to various reasons. The main one being a lot of the guest artists featured on the album, were not properly contracted and/or paid. So instead of going to court, the album was shelved.

The album was Sylvia Rhone‘s attempt at updating Yo-Yo‘s sound, to match the new generation of female rappers led by Foxy Brown and Lil’ Kim at the time.

The album’s lead single “Iz It Still All Good” featured the late great Gerald LeVert. The album’s would be second single “Do You Wanna Ride?” was originally recorded with Mary J. Blige on vocals. One of those not properly contracted situations. So they re-recorded the single with Kelly Price on vocals. Kelly was cleared. The single went out to radio and DJ’s, but no video was ever shot.

Both versions of the single are rare, so we wanted to see who our viewers thought, sang it better? Stream both singles below.

The song samples the 1987 Pebbles hit single “Mercedes Boy.”

“With Ebony I worked with Cube and Sylvia Rhone at the time. There was no beef we just really couldn’t get the attention of Ice Cube because of the companies that were merging at the time. So for me being from the west coast, working with east coast artist, I was sort of happy it didn’t come out. Because I was getting more love from the east coast than the west coast. So I felt like I wasn’t representing the west like I could have. So I was actually happy, it didn’t come out.”

We spoke to Yo-Yo recently and asked her about the Ebony project;
Take us back to that time and tell us how that all played out. “So Something is On Your Mind with Gerald LeVert. To be totally honest that was me trying to find my medium. In an industry that had drastically changed. So for a long time I couldn’t find myself, I couldn’t find my cool. With Gerald LeVert on it, someone who I looked up to. It helped me to release a side of me that I felt comfortable.”

Hailing from South Central LA, Yo-Yo first emerged on Ice Cube‘s solo 1990 debut Amerikkka’s Most Wanted, exchanging lyrical jabs on the track “It’s A Man’s World.” She released her first album Make Way For The Motherlode the following year, displaying assertive rhymes about females’ needs for independence, strength, and equality. She again teamed up with Cube for the single “You Can’t Play With My Yo-Yo.”

She’s released four more albums and 1998‘s Ebony was shelved. In addition to her career on the mic, she’s appeared in several films, including Menace II Society and Who’s The Man?. Currently she can be seen with her family on “Love & Hip Hop Hollywood.”

The UB Interview: YoYo Talks New Music & ‘Love & Hip Hop Hollywood’