Originally from Brooklyn but a native of Jamaica, Queens, Yves Mondesir began his ascent as DJ Whoo Kid during the late '90s, when he worked as an assistant DJ and host on Hot 97's Stretch Armstrong Show. By the end of 2000, he was hosting the New York City station's POW! Radio program, and had been behind several tapes, including multiple volumes of 90 Minute Shootout and Murda Mixtape, the latter of which were co-hosted with Armstrong. In 2001, he hosted 50 Cent's first proper mixtape, 50 Cent Is the Future, which began a long-term association with the future multi-platinum rapper and his G-Unit group. Whoo Kid supported well over two dozen G-Unit Radio volumes alone, as well as numerous solo titles from 50, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and Young Buck. Whoo Kid likewise appealed to West Coast legends such as Snoop Dogg; he either hosted or co-hosted several of the Doggfather's secondary releases into the late 2000s.
Amid all that activity, Whoo Kid had also extended his reach to satellite radio via the Whoolywood Shuffle on Eminem's Shade 45 channel, and eventually became CEO of Shadyville Entertainment. Consequently, mixtape releases weren't as frequent during the 2010s, though he notably worked with several U.K. grime artists, including Wiley and Tinie Tempah, and continued to issue one-offs with rappers from several corners of the U.S. He established a close affiliation with Waka Flocka Flame, presenting tapes such as 2014's I Can't Rap, Vol. 1 and 2015's Salute Me or Shoot Me 5. He also DJ'd for the rapper and performed with him, billed as the Turn Up Godz with material aimed at hard-partying EDM audiences. Whoo Kid continued to host the occasional tape, such as Smith and Hay's The Whoodlum Ball, issued in 2018. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi