Vfrdtyky

Tony Yayo
Yayo in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Marvin Bernard
Born	(1978-03-31) March 31, 1978 (age 40) South Jamaica, Queens, New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper songwriter recording engineer hype man
Years active	1997–present
Labels	G-Unit (2003–present) Interscope (2003–2009) G-Unit Philly (2009–present) Caroline (2010–present)
Associated acts	G-Unit Danny Brown De Boss DJ Whoo Kid Jagged Edge Joe Maino Spider Loc Uncle Murda

Marvin Bernard (born March 31, 1978),^[1] better known by his stage name Tony Yayo is an American rapper and hype man. Yayo is best known as one third of the hip-hop group G-Unit, a group he formed with his childhood friends 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks. Yayo released his debut studio album, Thoughts of a Predicate Felon, in 2005, which debuted at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. He is currently signed to 50 Cent's record label G-Unit Records, and serves as the CEO to the label G-Unit Philly. He is also signed with EMI to release his second untitled album. His stage name is derived from the 1983 film Scarface, referencing the main character Tony Montana, and Yayo, the slang word for cocaine.

Early life

Yayo was born Marvin Bernard on March 31, 1978 in South Jamaica, Queens to Haitian parents, the youngest of three children.^[2] Bernard's parents divorced when he was 16. As a child, he met his lifelong friends Lloyd Banks and 50 Cent, and the trio eventually formed a group, G-Unit, and began working on music together, 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.^[3][4]

Music career

G-Unit

While Yayo was incarcerated in 2003, G-Unit boss 50 Cent was granted his own record label, "G-Unit Records" by Interscope after the success his debut studio album Get Rich or Die Tryin'. 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. G-Unit released their first official group album Beg for Mercy in November 2003, which went on to be certified 2x Platinum in the United States of America.^[5][6] The album was released whilst Yayo was in prison serving time on weapons charges, but Yayo was still featured on the album. The second G-Unit album T.O.S: Terminate on Sight was released in July 2008 and went on to sell 102,000 copies in the first week.

Solo career

Though his appearances on numerous mixtapes during and upon his release from prison announced his return on a street level, it was not until the release of his debut single, "So Seductive" featuring 50 Cent, that Yayo received widespread recognition.
In August 2005, Tony Yayo released his debut studio album, Thoughts of a Predicate Felon, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.^[7]

Tony Yayo has confirmed that work is in progress for his second studio album.^[8] No official name for the album has been decided yet. The first single from the album is "Pass the Patron", and it features 50 Cent. The album will be released with G-Unit Records / EMI who will both promote and distribute the album.
On March 2, 2011 Yayo released the second single of off his upcoming album called, "Haters". The song features Shawty Lo, 50 Cent, & Roscoe Dash. The single was released onto Thisis50.com after being premiered on Hot 97 by Funkmaster Flex. The single rapidly started to gain success on the urban radio charts and soon debuted on the Billboard Hip-Hop/R&B chart.

Labels

In 2003 Tony Yayo was signed to Interscope Records, where he released his debut album Thoughts of a Predicate Felon. In 2009, he was later dropped from Interscope Records.
After being dropped by Interscope Records it was announced EMI Label Services has signed a deal with 50 Cent’s label, G-Unit Records, in which EMI will distribute and promote releases on the G-Unit roster in North America including Tony Yayo's untitled second album. Lloyd Banks announced this on Friday, August 13, 2010 on MTV News.

Legal issues

Felony jail time

Along with 50 Cent, Yayo was arrested on December 31, 2002 for weapons possession. He had a Glock 20 handgun and a Colt AR-15 in the trunk of his car. When police discovered that Yayo had an outstanding warrant for a previous charge, Yayo was sentenced for bail jumping and spent all of 2003 in prison.^[1] Yayo served time in the Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility and was paroled on January 8, 2004.^[9] The next day, he was arrested for possessing a forged passport and served time in federal prison until February 24, 2004.^[10] When Yayo was incarcerated, G-Unit and Eminem began a campaign called "Free Yayo". Yayo has said he was unaware of all the attention the campaign was getting until he saw Eminem wearing a "Free Yayo" T Shirt on stage at the 2003 Grammy Awards.^[11][12] The first song Yayo appeared on after being released from prison was "Runnin'" from The Game's debut album The Documentary in January 2005.

Assault charge

On March 24, 2007, Tony Yayo was arrested for allegedly assaulting the 14-year-old son of Jimmy "Henchmen" Rosemond. Tony Yayo and 50 Cent were accused of approaching the child, with members of their entourage, and pushing him against a nearby wall. This was when Tony Yayo reportedly slapped the boy several times and said "Fuck Czar Entertainment". Tony Yayo has pleaded "not guilty" and 50 Cent has since proven his innocence with video footage showing him at his Connecticut mansion at the time of the alleged incident.^[13]

Tony Yayo made his first court appearance on the morning of April 25, 2007 in New York. The case was adjourned to July 24. Tony Yayo's lawyer has expressed his belief that Yayo is innocent and commented on the situation in an interview with MTV:

.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}

After a thorough investigation, I steadfastly and adamantly state to you that Tony Yayo did not slap anyone. I am hopeful that when [authorities] complete their investigation, they will come to the same conclusion. Yayo, as a father, understands the allegations and would never do anything to harm a child.^[14]

On April 18, 2007, the house of Tony Yayo's mother was "sprayed with bullets". The attack is believed to be in connection with Tony Yayo's house arrest. Yayo references the attack on the G-Unit song "Straight Out of Southside", off T.O.S., the group's second album.^[15]

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.^[16]

Prosecutors dropped the charges in February 2008.^[17] The mother of Rosemond's son sued 50 Cent and Yayo two months later.^[18]

Discography

Studio albums

• 
  Thoughts of a Predicate Felon (2005)

Collaborative albums

• 
  Beg for Mercy (with G-Unit) (2003)


• 
  T·O·S (Terminate on Sight) (with G-Unit) (2008)

Filmography

Films
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2009	Kiss and Tail: The Hollywood Jumpoff[19]	Himself
2010	Morning Glory[20]	Himself
2011	S.W.A.T.: Firefight	Carlos
2012	One Blood[21]	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
TBA	50 Cent: Los Angeles	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

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tony Yayo.

• 
  Tony Yayo at AllMusic
  


• 
  Tony Yayo on IMDb


• 
  Tony Yayo on Myspace