A. Rahman Yoba

A. Rahman Yoba has been involved in some aspect of the entertainment industry for over two decades. Having witnessed the birth of hip-hop culture in the mid 1970s, Yoba was the co-owner of a fledging independent hip-hop label, Dum Beat Records, in 1987. When the company folded in 1989, he self financed his second independent hip-hop label, Black-On-Black Recordings where he co-directed and starred in the music video, Ain't No Panickin', the company's first single in 1991. Around the same time he relocated to the Clinton Hill/Fort Greene section of Brooklyn where he reconnected with an old friend, Jon Shoates, who had inspirations to be a film director. Jon promptly asked A. Rahman Yoba to star in his independently financed film, Club Members. Yoba agreed and made his foray into the film industry as an actor in 1992. Though financing fell through and the film was never completed, it gave him his first glimpse into the world of filmmaking.