There aren’t a lot of white guys from trailer parks who can rhyme making a name for themselves in the rap game. After Eminem inked Yelawolf to Shady Records, the Interscope label has the majority. Yelawolf told RapFix Live about his first encounter with Em who kept it casual, “He said, ‘What’s up? I’m Marshall.’ ” 

While the two emcees have a lot in common, drinking is no longer one of them with Slim’s sobriety.

“I’m a drinker; I drink a lot,” he explained. “My management was concerned about some advice he could give me about slowing down so I don’t get caught up in that life. He told me if it gets to the point where you need a drink before you go onstage, like you require that to function, is when you need to check yourself. And honestly, that’s where I was at that point. And I’ve changed. I don’t drink before I perform anymore.”

Yela says being relatively sober at shows has given him a confidence boost, which also helped when he played Em his album.

“I’m super excited about the music and fully confident that it’s jamming,” he said. “I was a little nervous, but after we broke the ice and really chopped it up, he seemed excited about it. So that makes me twice as excited now.”