Ageism in Hip-Hop has long been a debated point of discussion, and with its 50th anniversary, the topic has come up again. At a panel last week, Yo-Yo spoke about a moment that forced her to rethink the best path forward.

The Colburn Performing Arts School in Downtown Los Angeles hosted Beat Bop: Basquiat & Hip-Hop presented by Citi and The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat, with MSNBC’s Ari Melber as the maestro and Yo-Yo, Rapsody, and Doug E. Fresh as the speakers. 

Toward the end of the discussion, which centered around the intersecting influence of Hip-Hop and art, Yo-Yo recalled a time when she had to make a serious decision regarding her career.

“[After so many years I realized I was] living outside of my truth. I had to realize that there was a higher power outside of me,” Yo-Yo noted. “I had taken myself as far as I could go as an artist, and how could I still be here today when there’s three generations under me? How can I still make myself relevant in a genre that pays me no mind?”

While every artist’s journey is different, the “You Can’t Play With My Yo-Yo” spitter, who currently hosts Downright Delicious With Yo-Yo and is also one of the hosts of Hip-Hop Treasures on A&E, made a hard decision.

“I decided to get real with myself," she said. "And that’s what I would like to tell any artist, no matter what genre you are pursuing, when it comes to artistry. The truth is you. And as soon as I stopped trying to impress other people and live for myself - which was a big sacrifice, because I had to sit still... I had to do what I felt I needed to do. I had to be real with myself, and that’s why you can catch me on Downright Delicious With Yo-Yo."

In a recent interview between Touré and Styles P, the two spoke on the subject of ageism, specifically citing a statement someone had made to Touré that rappers shouldn’t be making music after 40. 

“What other genre of music does a musician stop at 40?" Styles P responded. "Not rock 'n’ roll, not jazz, not country, not R&B — but rappers have to stop at 40? The newest, youngest genre, now we have to stop at 40?”