| Young MC | |
|---|---|
Young MC at the 1990 Grammy Awards. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Marvin Young |
| Also known as | Mr. MC, The Young MC Man |
| Born | May 10, 1967 |
| Origin | South Wimbledon, London, England Queens, New York, USA |
| Genres | Hip Hop, Pop Rap |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, Producer, Actor |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Labels | Delicious Vinyl, Capital Records, Overall Records, Young Man Moving Records |
| Associated acts | Def Jef, Tone-Loc, MC Hammer |
Marvin Young (born May 10, 1967), better known by his stage name Young MC, is an English-born American singer and actor. He is best known for his 1989 hit "Bust a Move". His debut album Stone Cold Rhymin' found international acclaim however subsequent albums have not reached the same level of success. Young has also appeared in film in acting roles and cameo appearances, and has appeared in several television programs. His family left England and moved to Queens, New York when he was eight years old.
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Young holds a degree in economics from the University of Southern California (USC).[1] At USC he met Michael Ross and Matt Dike from the record company Delicious Vinyl.[1] 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 with Tone Lōc on the songs "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina."[1] Young gained fame with the release of his single "Bust a Move", which reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance. The single helped Young's debut album, Stone Cold Rhymin', to reach No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and attain platinum status in the US. The follow-up single, "Principal's Office," reached No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100[2] and was nominated for Best Rap Video at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards.
Following Young's success, he left Delicious Vinyl, citing restrictions on his work and unwanted changes to his album. The label sued him for breach of contract and the two parties eventually settled out of court.[1] Young signed with Capitol Records and released his second album, Brainstorm, in 1991. It reached No. 66 on the Billboard 200. Despite the presence of any strong singles, the album did manage to reach gold status in the US.[3] 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 Capital 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 on the Hot Rap Songs chart respectively.[2]
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 since Brainstorm, peaking at No. 85 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[4] In 2002 he released his sixth album, Engage the Enzyme.
In 2002, Young appeared as a contestant on “Weakest Link - Rap Stars Edition.” He was joined by Run of Run-D.M.C., DJ Quik, Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat, B-Real of Cypress Hill, Xzibit, and Nate Dogg. Young went on to win the celebrity contest, outlasting Xzibit in the finals. All of the proceeds from his winning performance were donated to the Humane Society.
In December 2004 Young traveled to Vancouver to commence shooting for the film “The Zero Sum.” As an actor 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 create “Brotherly Love”, the films theme song.
In September 2005, Young was cast in the VH1 reality show “Celebrity Fit Club 3.” Joining Young was Kelly LeBrock, Bruce Vilanch, Tempestt Bledsoe, Countess Vaughn, Chastity Bono, Jeff Conaway, Gunnar Nelson, and Rapper Bizarre of D12. Young won the competition, losing more weight than anybody else.
Young also made an appearance in a special episode of “The 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 alongside KRS-One and Kool Moe Dee.
After 20 years of living in Los Angeles, Young relocated to Scottsdale, AZ in 2006. He spent 2007 creating his seventh album, “Adrenaline Flow”, which was released in 2008. Immediately following “Adrenaline 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 the breakout Jason Reitman film Up In The Air starring George Clooney. Young played himself, performing at a software convention which was crashed by Clooney’s character and his two female co-stars Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga.
| Year | Album | Chart positions[4] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Hip-Hop | |||
| 1989 | Stone Cold Rhymin' | 9 | 8 | |
| 1991 | Brainstorm | 66 | 61 | |
| 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 | — | — | |
| 2009 | Relentless | — | — | |
| "—" denotes an album that did not chart | ||||
| Year | Single | Chart positions[2] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard 100 | Hot Rap Songs | Hot Dance Singles | ||
| 1989 | "Bust a Move" | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| 1989 | "Principal's Office" | 33 | 9 | 47 |
| 1990 | "I Come Off" | 75 | — | 36 |
| 1997 | "Madame Buttafly" | — | 25 | — |
| "On & Poppin" | — | 23 | — | |
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart | ||||