yU was born Michael Willingham Jr. on April 14, 1978 in Cheverly, Maryland. The year of his birth forms the second half of his moniker – "the 78er" – with "yU" in reference to his battle rapping days on Davey D's Hip-Hop Corner website. While most of the competition was posting with typical "oh, you mad ‘cause I'm stylin' on you" braggadocio, yU was honing his storytelling skills and putting his opponents in wild predicaments (like working for mall security).

Read more about Yu on Last.fm.