Patra, Yo-Yo Have Emotional Reunion At 2023 BET Awards
It was a moving reunion for Romantic Call collaborators Patra and Yo-Yo, who shared a passionate embrace ahead of the 2023 BET Awards over the weekend.
Both women appeared equally ecstatic to see each other, as shrieks of “Patra!” and “Yo-Yo!” filled what appeared to be a packed passageway where the two had converged. The moment, which was captured on video, saw the two pioneers locking each other into an extended bear-hug, following which the they would go on to exchange a few words.
“Oh my God! Yo-Yo! It has been so f@#kin’ long! This is great, man!” Patra, 50, excitedly told Yo-Yo, 51, whose real name is Yolanda Whitaker.
The rapper, who has been Ice Cube’s protégé and a beacon for female empowerment in Hip-Hop, showered the Queen of the Pack singer with kisses and a few endearing comments of her own.
“I missed you so much!” Yo-Yo told Patra amidst their embrace. “I love you!”
“Me too! I missed you too!” the Dancehall veteran responded. “Oh my God! This is so great! This is the moment, man!”
The two held the embrace while onlookers captured the moment on camera, before finally breaking the bear-hug to observe each other more closely.
Romantic Call, released in 1993 as a single from Patra’s Queen of the Pack album, climbed to No. 55 on Billboard Hot 100, and No. 9 on the Billboard Hot Rap Song chart.
Notably, the song’s music video features the legendary Tupac Shakur, who is, at points, sandwiched between Patra and Yo-Yo as they travel through the streets in a drop-top Chevy Impala.
BET Awards Performance
Patra’s BET Awards performance was among the standout moments for Dancehall music amidst the celebration of Hip-Hop yesterday.
In a segment meant to be a throwback to the old days of the dance hall, a swarm of dancers filled the stage wearing colorful, Dancehall-inspired clothing, complete with mesh merinos, glittery fashionwear, and an arsenal of reasonably-executed dance moves spanning various eras of the genre.
The segment opened with a performance of Freaks by Lil Vicious featuring Doug-E Fresh, who entirely beat-boxed the tune’s backing Dancehall track, much to the crowd’s excitement. That performance of the 1994 single was followed by a vibrant entrance by Dancehall artist and rapper Mad Lion, whose real name is Oswald Priest.
Mad Lion delivered a crowd-buzzing rendition of his single, Take It Easy, which was released in 1994 and produced by his longtime collaborator, rap legend KRS-One. Busta Rhymes, who was being honoured with the BET Lifetime Achievement Award, was at points pictured jamming along to the Mad Lion’s gritty performance.
Bringing the curtains down on that dedicated segment for Dancehall and Dancehall culture was Patra – who parted the sea of background dancers to make a captivating entrance on stage.
Patra, dressed in classic Dancehall attire – batty rider jeans (booty shorts) and a black belly skin (crop top) – appeared not to have lost a step. The 50-year-old unleashed an energetic rendition of Romantic Call, and despite not being joined by Yo-Yo for that performance, she still managed to keep the crowd’s rapt attention.
Yo-Yo, meanwhile, performed her signature song You Can’t Play With My Yo-Yo in a segment with Warren G, who performed his and Nate Dogg’s seminal hit, Regulate, Tyga, who did Rack City, and E-40, who went with Tell Me When To Go.