Yoba’s screen debut came in 1993 when he was cast as Yul Brenner, one of the members of the Jamaican bobsleigh team in Cool Runnings, a comedy that’s still hugely popular today. The following year, he made history when, along with Michael de Lorenzo, he starred in New York Undercover, the first American police drama to feature two people of colour in the leading roles. Yoba would appear in 89 episodes of the drama, winning three NAACP Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series. During the first decade of the 2000s, he appeared in a wide variety of sitcoms and dramas, including Arrested Development, Girlfriends, and Raines.

Yoba’s major film roles have included comedies such as Why Did I Get Married? (and its sequel), Kids in America, and thrillers such as ‘Til Death Do Us Part. Nearly thirty years into his career, he is still as prolific as ever, with roles in shows such as UMC drama miniseries Terror Lake Drive and Nate Parker’s Baselines. In 2019, he reprised the role of JC Williams for the first time in 20 years for a New York Undercover TV movie.