For Immediate Release
ASPIRETV TO DEBUT Downright Delicious with Yo-Yo
THE COOKING SERIES, HOSTED BY RAPPER YO-YO, WILL PREMIERE IN JUNE WITH A SPECIAL AIRING OF THE FIRST EPISODE ON MARCH 7
ATLANTA – Feb. 22, 2023 – AspireTV, the network that celebrates and reflects Black culture and urban lifestyle, is teaming up with renowned rapper Yo-Yo for the all-new cooking series Downright Delicious with Yo-Yo. The show will premiere in June as part of aspireTV’s Black Music Month celebration, but the network will air the first episode as a special first look to fans on Tuesday, March 7 at 8 p.m. ET.
In this fun new series, Yo-Yo is whipping up some of her favorite dishes, cocktails, desserts and more. The greatest thing about hanging out with Yo-Yo is that you will have a great time, with great company and bomb.com food! Yo-Yo is a true hostess and loves to make delicious meals for her guests. Recipes featured this season include Brioche Lobster Rolls, Salmon and Broccolini Lobster Pasta and Coconut Braised Oxtails with Red Beans and Rice. There is never a dull moment watching this hip-hop queen show off her culinary skills. Tune in and hang with Yo-Yo as she shows us how she holds it down in the kitchen.
“I am excited to have a cooking show,” said Yo-Yo. “The kitchen is my happy place, and it’s where I connect with my family and friends! It brings me great joy to hop in the kitchen and whip up delicious meals packed with flavor and now my fans and the audience get to hang out with me! I’m not a fancy chef…I’m Yo-Yo from around the way who can really throw down in the kitchen. No big fancy chef stuff! But I promise you everything I make is downright delicious, and you will always have a good time.”
“Downright Delicious with Yo-Yo is a fresh take on cooking shows like you’ve never seen before,” said Angela Cannon, senior vice president, multicultural networks & strategy, aspireTV. “To have a rap icon like Yo-Yo on aspire is heaven sent. Yo-Yo brings the energy, the beauty, the music, and of course, the amazing food. I am very proud to say this fun, new series is led by strong Black females in front of and behind the camera, including the incomparable Yo-Yo, the dynamic duo of Rochelle Brown and Sonia Armstead from Powerhouse Productions, and the executives here at aspireTV. There is no question we are being very intentional by debuting the first episode during Women’s History Month. We’re thrilled to bring our viewers Downright Delicious with Yo-Yo this June as we continue to expand our food lifestyle programming vertical.”
Downright Delicious with Yo-Yo is part of Publicis Media’s APX Content Ventures Inclusion Investment Fund. This fund, which was announced in July 2021 as part of Publicis Media’s Once & For All Coalition launch, will be used to help its partners develop over 20 programs spotlighting diverse voices and storylines.
Downright Delicious with Yo-Yo is executive produced by Rochelle Brown and Sonia Armstead of Powerhouse Productions along with Yolanda Whitaker.
To find aspireTV on cable in your area, go to https://aspire.tv/channel. AspireTV is also available nationally on DirecTV and can be watched on DirecTV Stream or Philo.
About aspireTV
AspireTV is the television network that celebrates and reflects Black culture and urban lifestyle in a way that is inspiring, authentic and entertaining. AspireTV offers reality series, specials and independent films as well as beloved dramas, contemporary comedies and provocative documentaries that allow you to connect and … see yourself here. AspireTV is available in the top 50 African American markets including New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
For more information, visit www.aspire.tv, facebook.com/AspireTV, @TVaspire on Twitter and @TVaspire on Instagram.
About Yo-Yo
- YOLANDA “YO-YO” WHITAKER is a Grammy-nominated hip hop entertainer, actress, educator, and philanthropist. The cast member of VH1’s popular “Love & Hip Hop Hollywood” series is affectionately known as Auntie Yo-Yo. Raised in the South Central district of Los Angeles, her big break came when she appeared on Ice Cube’s 1990 debut, “It’s A Man’s World,” representing her gender in admirable style. Her own debut “Make Way for the Motherload” introduced her confident attitude along with the formation of the Intelligent Black Women’s Coalition organization, which is now expanding into the virtual space to continue its work helping young girls learn to love themselves. Her songs “You Can’t Play With My YoYo,” “Bonnie & Clyde Theme” with Ice Cube and her iconic features on Jamaican goddess Patra’s hit song “Romantic Call” and Brandy’s “I Wanna Be Down” remix with MC Lyte and Queen Latifah are classics.
As an actress, she has appeared in the Oscar-nominated film “Boyz N the Hood” as well as several television shows including ‘90s sitcom “Martin” where she portrayed the memorable, comical recurring character Keylolo. Recently, Yo-Yo wrapped filming “Downright Delicious with Yo-Yo,” her first cooking show with aspireTV, and as a field collector on “Hip Hop Treasures” (an A&E and Rock The Bells production) both set to premiere in 2023. She also served as a co-host of VH1’s “Miss Rap Supreme.”
Throughout her 30 years in entertainment, service has been synonymous with her work, whether mentoring young girls with the IBWC (Intelligent Black Women’s Coalition), teaching youth about the music business with the Yo-Yo School of Hip Hop, educating students on How to Get As in English Through Hip Hop as an ambassador for the National College resource Foundation and Black College Expo and Latino College Expo, or other efforts.
As a testament to her humanitarianism, in 2021, Yo-Yo received a Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from President Biden for her philanthropic work, national-wide, in the community. In 2022, she received another Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from the Biden Administration and presented an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy in Humanitarianism from Leaders Esteem Christian Bible University.
In partnership with the National College Resource Foundation and Black College Expo, Yo-Yo has awarded over $60,000 in scholarships and continue to promote education through hip hop. This work is dear to Yo-Yo’s heart.
Yo-Yo also makes her mark on the airwaves as co-host of Café Mocha, the #1 nationally syndicated radio show for women of color, alongside Emmy Award Winner Loni Love and broadcast veteran Angelique Perrin. The 3-time Gracie award-winning show is heard in over 40 markets across the United States and on SiriusXM Channel 141.
A true musical legend, Yo-Yo serves as ambassador of The National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, Universal Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx and the city of Little Rock, Arkansas.
Yo-Yo is a proud mother of two beautiful, intelligent daughters Tiffany and Sanai, along with her G-baby Kai.
CONTACTS:
aspireTV
Kristina Stafford Kelly
[email protected]
770-692-9939
