Young MC

Young MC
Young MC at the 1990 Grammy Awards.
Background information
Birth name	Marvin Young
Also known as	Mr. M.C., The Young M.C. Man
Born	(1967-05-10) May 10, 1967 (age 49) South Wimbledon, London, England
Origin	Queens, New York, United States
Genres	Hip hop, pop rap
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, rapper, producer, actor
Years active	1989–present
Labels	Delicious Vinyl, Capitol Records, Overall Records, Young Man Moving Records
Associated acts	Def Jef, Tone-Loc, M.C. Hammer, Euphoria
Website	http://www.youngmc.com/

Marvin Young (born May 10, 1967), better known by his stage name Young M.C., is an English-born American singer, rapper 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.

Young was born in London to Jamaican immigrants. He left England at the age of three and moved to Queens, New York, when he was eight years old. Young attended Hunter College High School in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. He went on to earn a degree in economics from the University of Southern California (USC). At USC he met Michael Ross and Matt Dike from the record company Delicious Vinyl. 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". 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 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. Young signed with Capitol Records and released his second album, Brainstorm, in 1991. It reached No. 66 on the Billboard 200. Despite the absence of any strong single, the album achieved gold status in the US. 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 the Hot Rap Songs chart.