Marvin Young(born May 10, 1967), better known by his stage nameYoung M.C.,is an American rapper, singer and actor. He is best known for his 1989 hit "Bust a Move".His debut albumStone Cold Rhymin'found international acclaim. Young has also appeared in film in acting roles and cameo appearances and has appeared in several television programs.

Young MC
Young MC at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2021
Young MC atGalaxyConRaleigh in 2021
Background information
Birth nameMarvin Young
Also known as
  • Mr. M.C.
  • The Young M.C. Man
Born(1967-05-10)May 10, 1967(age 57)
London, England
OriginNew York City, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer-songwriter
  • producer
  • actor
Years active1987–present
Labels
Websitehttps://youngmc.com/

Life and career

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Young was born inLondontoJamaicanimmigrant parents. He left the United Kingdom at the age of three and later moved toQueens,New York, when he was eight years old.[1]Young attendedHunter College High Schoolin theUpper East SideofManhattan(he was honored at the school's 2018 convocation).[2]He went on to earn a degree in economics from theUniversity of Southern California(USC).[3]At USC, he met Michael Ross andMatt Dikefrom the record companyDelicious Vinyl.[3]Young rapped over the phone for Ross and Dike, who ended up delivering a record contract to his USC dorm room. In 1989, Young collaborated withTone Lōcon the songs "Wild Thing"and"Funky Cold Medina".[3]Young gained fame with the release of his single "Bust a Move", which reached No. 7 on theBillboardHot 100and won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance.[1]The single helped Young's debut album,Stone Cold Rhymin',to reach No. 9 on theBillboard200and attain platinum status in the United States. The follow-up single, "Principal's Office",was nominated for Best Rap Video at the1990 MTV Video Music Awards.

Following Young's success, he left Delicious Vinyl, citing restrictions on his work and unwanted changes to his album.[1]The label sued him for breach of contract and the two parties eventually settled out of court.[3]Young signed withCapitol Recordsand released his second album,Brainstorm,in 1991.[1]It reached No. 66 on the Billboard 200. Despite the absence of any strong single, the album achieved gold status in the United States.[4]However his third album,What's the Flavor?,released in 1993, was a commercial failure, with both the album and its singles failing to chart. It was his second and final album on Capitol Records. In 1997, Young released his fourth album,Return of the 1 Hit Wonder,on the independent label Overall Records. The album produced two singles, "Madame Buttafly" and "On & Poppin" which charted at No. 25 and No. 23 respectively on theHot Rap Songschart.[5]

Young MC at the 1990Grammy Awards

In 2000, Young released his fifth album,Ain't Goin' Out Like That,on his own record label Young Man Moving Records. The album was Young's first to chart sinceBrainstorm,peaking at No. 85 on theTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albumschart.[6]

In 2001, Young contributed a song "Deck the Halls" he co-wrote with Kevin Irving, to Disney's TV movie, 'Twas the Night.In 2002, he released his sixth album,Engage the Enzyme.Also in 2002, Young appeared as a contestant onWeakest Link– Rap Stars Edition.He was joined by Rev Run ofRun-DMC,DJ Quik,Jermaine Dupri,Da Brat,B-RealofCypress Hill,Xzibit,andNate Dogg.Young went on to win the celebrity contest, beating Xzibit in the final round. All of the proceeds from his winnings were donated to the Humane Society.

In December 2004, Young travelled toVancouverto filmThe Zero Sum.Young played Mr. Henderson, a publishing company executive. Film director Raphael Assaf and screenwriter Armen Evrensel asked Young to help create the film, for which he is a co-executive producer. Young also teamed up with Baltimore rapper KNOXX to record "Brotherly Love", the theme song from the film.

In September 2005, Young was cast in theVH1reality showCelebrity Fit Club3.Joining Young wasKelly Le Brock,Bruce Vilanch,Tempestt Bledsoe,Countess Vaughn,Chaz Bono,Jeff Conaway,Gunnar Nelson,and RapperBizarreofD12.Young won the competition, losing more weight than anybody else.

Young also made an appearance in a special episode ofThe Best Damn Sports Show Periodwhich featured the Top 50 Sports Moments of the 80's. Young crafted lyrics and performed a sports-themed rap song alongsideKRS-OneandKool Moe Dee.

After twenty years of living in Los Angeles, Young relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona in 2006. He spent 2007 creating his seventh album,Adrenaline Flow,which was released in 2008. Immediately followingAdrenaline Flow,Young released an online-only album,B-Sides, Demos and Remixes,compiled from unreleased, remixed and re-recorded tracks.

In 2009, Young released his eighth album,Relentless.Later that year, Young also landed a cameo role in theJason ReitmanfilmUp in the AirstarringGeorge Clooney.Young played himself, performing at a software convention which was crashed by Clooney's character and those of his two female co-stars,Anna KendrickandVera Farmiga.

On July 6, 2021, Young performed his signature hit song "Bust a Move"and other songs in the halftime show for Game 1 of the2021 NBA Finals.[7]

Discography

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Albums

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Year Album Chart positions
US
[6]
US Hip-Hop
[6]
AUS
[8]
NZ
[9]
1989 Stone Cold Rhymin' 9 8 38 7
1991 Brainstorm 66 61 42
1993 What's the Flavor?
1997 Return of the 1 Hit Wonder
2000 Ain't Goin' Out Like That 85
2002 Engage the Enzyme
2007 Adrenaline Flow
2008 Relentless
"—" denotes an album that did not chart

Singles

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Year Single Peak positions Album
US
[10]
US Rap
[5]
US Dance
[5]
AUS
[8]
NZ
[9]
NLD
[11]
BEL
(FL)

[12]
UK
[13]
1988 "I Let 'Em Know" Stone Cold Rhymin'
"Know How" 95
1989 "Bust a Move" 7 2 5 1 25 14 50 73
"Principal's Office" 33 9 47 50 5 43 54
1990 "I Come Off" 75 36 43 19 78
"Pick Up the Pace (1990)" 147 38
"Louie Louie" Coupe de VilleOST
1991 "That's the Way Love Goes" 54 63 23 65 Brainstorm
"Keep It in Your Pants" 157 18
1993 "What's the Flavor?" What's the Flavor?
1996 "Get Your Boogie On" / "Rollin'" single only
1997 "Madame Buttafly" 25 Return of the 1 Hit Wonder
"On & Poppin'" 23
2000 "Ain't Goin' Out Like That" Ain't Goin' Out Like That
2002 "Bust a Move 2002" 96 single only
"Heatseeker" Engage the Enzyme
2003 "Stress Test"
2021 "Worry Bout That" single only
2024 "Fun Part" single only
"—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released

Filmography

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Year Title Role Comments
1992 Parker Lewis Can't Lose Film Teacher TV series, 1 episode
1993 The All New Mickey Mouse Club Ben Covette Interview TV series, 1 episode
1995 Panther Recruit
2009 The Zero Sum Mr. Henderson Also co-executive producer
2015 Justice Served Troy Bannister Also Producer
TBD Hittin Licks A.D.

References

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  1. ^abcdColin Larkin,ed. (1998).The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music(First ed.).Virgin Books.p. 374.ISBN0-7535-0252-6.
  2. ^"Grammy winner Marvin Young, '84 (Young M.C.) speaks at 2018 Convocation".Hunter College Campus Schools.June 12, 2018.RetrievedAugust 17,2021.
  3. ^abcd"Young MC biography".AllMusic.RetrievedDecember 27,2011.
  4. ^"RIAA – Gold and Platinum".RIAA.RetrievedJanuary 2,2011.Search for "Brainstorm"
  5. ^abc"Young MC Billboard Singles".AllMusic.RetrievedDecember 27,2011.
  6. ^abc"Young MC Billboard Albums".AllMusic.RetrievedDecember 27,2011.
  7. ^"Phoenix Suns have set the halftime entertainment for Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals".The Arizona Republic.July 7, 2021.RetrievedJuly 8,2024.
  8. ^abPeaks in Australia:
  9. ^ab"Discography Young M.C."Charts.org.nz.Hung Medien.RetrievedNovember 17,2021.
  10. ^"Young MC – US Hot 100 Chart".Billboard.RetrievedApril 6,2014.
  11. ^"Discografie Young M.C."dutchcharts.nl.RetrievedJuly 10,2020.
  12. ^"Discografie Young M.C."ultratop.be.RetrievedJuly 10,2020.
  13. ^"Young MC | full Official Chart History".Official Charts Company.RetrievedJuly 10,2020.
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