Young MC | |
|---|---|
 Young MC atGalaxyCon Raleigh in 2021 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Marvin Young |
| Also known as |
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| Born | (1967-05-10)May 10, 1967 (age 57) London,England, UK |
| Origin | New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels |
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| Website | https://youngmc.com/ |
Marvin Young (born May 10, 1967), better known by his stage nameYoung M.C., is a British-born 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 was born inWimbledon,London, toJamaican immigrant 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 School on theUpper East Side ofManhattan (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 Dike from 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 Lōc on 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 theBillboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance.[1] The single helped Young's debut album,Stone Cold Rhymin', to reach No. 9 on theBillboard 200 and 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 Records and 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 Songs chart.[5]
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 Albums chart.[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-Real ofCypress 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 toVancouver to 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 theVH1 reality showCelebrity Fit Club 3. Joining Young wasKelly Le Brock,Bruce Vilanch,Tempestt Bledsoe,Countess Vaughn,Chaz Bono,Jeff Conaway,Gunnar Nelson, and RapperBizarre ofD12. Young won the competition, losing more weight than anybody else.
Young also made an appearance in a special episode ofThe Best Damn Sports Show Period which featured the Top 50 Sports Moments of the 80's. Young crafted lyrics and performed a sports-themed rap song alongsideKRS-One andKool 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 Reitman filmUp in the Air starringGeorge 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 Kendrick andVera 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]
In October 2024, Young charted for the first time since 2002, with his song "Fun Part" reaching No. 38 on theRhythmic Airplay chart.[8]
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [6] | US Hip-Hop [6] | AUS [9] | NZ [10] | ||
| 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 | |||||
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [11] | US Rap [5] | US Dance [5] | AUS [9] | NZ [10] | NLD [12] | BEL (FL) [13] | UK [14] | |||
| 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 Ville OST | |
| 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" | —[a] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Engage the Enzyme | |
| 2003 | "Stress Test" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2021 | "Worry Bout That" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | single only |
| 2024 | "Fun Part" | —[b] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | single only |
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released | ||||||||||
| 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 |
