On the latest episode of “Drink Champs,” N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN were joined by the south’s own Yelawolf.
Yela, who was raised between Alabama and Tennessee, has been in love with Hip Hop since he was young. His mother’s boyfriend at the time worked in the music industry, which simultaneously exposed a young Yela to the lifestyle and impact of Hip Hop by way of acts like Run-DMC. In the mid 2000s and after a few decades of perfecting his craft, he dropped his debut album Creekwater in 2005. Towards the end of that decade, he broke through on a mainstream level with Trunk Muzik and the rest was history.
At the top of the 2010s, Yelawolf signed a deal with Eminem’s Shady Records and continued to rack up co-signs from other legends like Three 6 Mafia as well as publications like XXL, who named the budding rapper as a XXL Freshman in 2011 alongside acts like Kendrick Lamar. From there he continued to prove himself with projects like Love Story and Trial by Fire, which further solidified him as a multi-faceted talent who seamlessly merged rap, country, and rock music into one whirlpool of fire.
These days, Yelawolf is still very much in the lab. At the top of June, he dropped his new album War Story, an effort that showcases that he hasn’t lost a step stylistically in decades. He talks about his new era as well as his old here in a near three-hour conversation that covers all of the bases. Nine takeaways from the conversation can be found below and the full episode can be watched here.
1. On being in the middle of Eminem and MGK’s beef
Back when Eminem and MGK’s rap beef had first popped off, Yelawolf found himself in the middle as a friend of both parties. On MGK’s diss “Killshot,” the Cleveland rapper pleaded to remain on Yelawolf’s latest album at the time, which was released under Shady Records. Here, Yelawolf revealed that he actually got Em’s blessing to moving forward with the collaboration: “I asked Marshall, ‘What do you want me to do?’ And he said to me, ‘Man put that s**t out. People need to hear it.’ So, he kept it that G. He respected my career during all of this.”
2. On Gangsta Boo
N.O.R.E. brought up GloRilla’s hit song “Yeah Glo!” during the interview and noted that the track sounded reminiscent of Yelawolf’s song “Throw It Up,” which featured Gangsta Boo and Eminem. That led to Yelawolf discussing his relationship with the late rapper. "Lola was my sister,” he began. “She talked to my mom like, once a week, type of s**t. We was family, family. Yeah, that was my girl man.” He then briefly dived into the aforementioned collaboration and added, “People didn't get it. But we were ahead of the times with that s**t. We caught a real pocket during that project that now is the pocket. It's everybody's pocket,” he said of their stylistic approach.
3. On the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake
Yelawolf had some thoughts to share on the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. When asked to pick between the two, he stamped Kendrick and explained his take. “Much respect to Drake, [but] them boys ain't on leveled playing fields. Like Kendrick Lamar, that's top top top tier MC s**t,” he said. Yelawolf continued, “I heard about the s**t that was happening and I didn't even listen to not one single thing. Nothing. And I still have not heard one record from either side. All I did was hear about it. And I was like, what? Kendrick? And Drake? Dawg, come on man, this is not even interesting. Whatever."
4. On Shaboozey and Jelly Roll
On the note of the current state of country music, Yelawolf gave praise to two artists who are leading the new school. "Shoutout to Shaboozey one time ... That's my boy. He's incredible. Shaboozey is a blessing to music right now,” he began before offering more context and naming another emerging figure in the genre. “Living in Nashville, the country music scene is evolving. And there's great characters that are stepping into the game. And I would say Shaboozey and Jelly Roll are crucial to country music right now."
5. On being labeled as a “white boy”
Though his affiliation with Hip Hop culture has always been a thing, Yelawolf talked about being labeled as a white boy throughout his life. “You gotta remember, I'm in Alabama so it's like, trailer parks and projects. But we all live on the same financial level. So in that way, you either f**k with each other or you don't. I was a part of the crew that did. So when the whole white boy came up, I used to get pissed, dawg. ‘White boy? What the f**k you talking about? My mother is Blackfoot is Cherokee and white. My father is Cherokee, Blackfoot. Mostly Cherokee. Don't f**king call me a white boy.’ I'm not that simple,” he noted. “But then it became a source of empowerment. Now you're giving me this label and you're offering me this opportunity to use it. So, I did, and that was it.”
6. On people calling themselves the best white rapper
Over time, there’s been a number of artists who have came out and deemed themselves as the best white rapper. That, in Yelawolf’s opinion, is a wack statement to make. “I hear some new white MCs out talking about they're the best white rapper. That's disgusting. You're already canceled when you say that. You're already done. Are you the best white rapper? Well, you probably are the best white rapper. But what the f**k does that matter? Why don't you be the best MC, dawg?” he questioned.
7. On his status in music
Yelawolf was asked if he thinks that there will be a time where country, rock and Hip Hop all merge into one sound, which caused him to assess his status in music. “I came down here to do that very thing and that's what I've done … As far as that's concerned, I am the tip of the pyramid. Period. And I say that respectfully for anyone who would say any different. Do your research. It's all there,” he said. He then noted his experiences musically with artists like Wynonna Judd, Aerosmith, and Run-DMC. “All of those pieces of the puzzle formulated me into an artist and the reason I take pride in knowing that I'm the tip of the pyramid is how long it took me to learn how to blend those styles. And to be that person,” he added.
8. On why people mosh
Yelawolf shows are known to feature mosh pits. With that in mind, the rapper went down memory lane to recall his first encounter with the kinetic experience and explain the logic behind why they commence at concerts. “My first mosh pit I was ever in was Redman at Lollapalooza … I had an early experience of mosh pits at a Hip Hop show. You know, it's like rowdy s**t … That's the best part. It's like, this is your favorite group, you're seeing them live? Let's get stupid.”
9. On why he wasn’t on “Fragile” by Tech N9ne and Kendrick Lamar
Yelawolf confirmed the rumor that he was supposed to be on “Fragile” by Tech N9ne and Kendrick Lamar but couldn’t get himself to follow the track’s premise at that point. “I had booked a whole time to dedicate myself to record this verse. And I couldn't wrap my mind around feeling fragile. I couldn't make it make sense to me, to talk about feeling fragile or being fragile about my music. Which, I am, maybe. But at the same time, f**ck you. There was that part,” he said as he told Tech that he wouldn’t be able to spit anything out for it. “The next thing I know they’re on ‘Saturday Night Live’ performing that f**cking record. And I was like, ‘F**k!’ What an idiot,” he thought to himself.