Yelawolf’s run has been stunted at almost every turn after his raucous mix of southern gothic and straight up drugs (and the darkness that eventually followed) rocketed him into the Hip Hop consciousness. A casual look at Catfish Billy after Trunk Muzik can make it seem like, no matter what he does, he can’t quite get off the snide and into the game. But a closer gaze into the man and a different scene emerges. The fact is that his fan base has built slowly and dedicatedly since his major label debut Radioactive received mostly mixed reviews (and an overall Metacritic score of 62).
Psycho White, Arena Rap, Black Fall, Heart Of Dixie and Trunk Muzik Returns followed, and the Alabaman with a penchant for twin cams, bluesy singing and spitfire raps had returned to relative form. Still, something was missing, and with his sophomore project Love Story rattling around the bend next week (April 21) it’s obvious the man means business. He’s said before in interviews that the thing will be out when it’s ready and that he was “rushed” during the making of Radioactive. He was not so moved this time. Here’s what he had to say to Radio.com about fans being impatient, “This isn’t a game. Every move on this album is very calculated. You gotta think of the meeting of the minds when people are talking like, “What’s the f–king hold up? Or, what’s the trickery with the label? You gotta think Marshal Mathers, Paul Rosenberg, Jimmy Iovine, myself, my manager… those five people right there man… we’re really breaking this s–t down and trying to do it the right way. So everybody was all impatient and talking all that s–t ‘til they heard “Till It’s Gone.” […] There was a lot of talk before “Till It’s Gone,” but now look, it’s making sense to people. It’s exciting and I’m excited.”
With that, and after hearing “Best Friend,”“Whiskey In A Bottle,”“American You” and “Fiddle Me This,” we decided to put together a list of Yela’s must hear records. If you’re up to speed, then none of these will come as a surprise, but if you’re new to the Slumerican, then these are songs you should certainly visit.
“Lick The Cat” Featuring Diamond
Remember that one time former Crime Mob member Diamond had the potential to have a relevant solo career? Before that Sisterhood of Hip Hop mess, the Atlanta native really had tons of promise before the downward spiral into irrelevancy. Catfish Billy saw it too and collaborated on this highlight from Trunk Muzik where he proclaims his love for cunnilingus because, well, “you know white boys eat pussy like a sandwich.” It’s a blending of Yela’s clever humor, slick delivery and country bounce. Compared to her time with the same folks who blessed the world with “Knuck If You Buck,” Diamond’s verse is just as vicious. Holding everything together is one of DJ Burn One’s most underappreciated productions with Yela.
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“Hustle” Featuring Paul Wall
Sure, Trunk Muzik Returns paled in comparison to its predecessor. Regardless, the project was a solid effort from the Alabama native three years after he dropped his major label debut Radioactive. For track five from the mixtape, Yela goes down to H-Town in recruiting Paul Wall for “Hustle.” While the Shady emcee spits about emerging from the trials and tribulations of his career, Paul Wall gives exactly what many expect from one the city’s finest. Yela’s sole producer on Trunk Muzik Returns, WillPower, provides one of the project’s best beats pouring spacey melodies over heavy yet sparse drums.
“Throw It Up” Featuring Eminem & Gangsta Boo
This choice cut off of Radioactive featured the rap God himself and the infectious energy of the Three 6 Mafia first lady adding her terse “Yeah Hoe!” intermittently on the track. It was a signature moment in turn-up, and it reminded many of Yela’s almost unlimited versatility, fitting in damn near anywhere anyone needed him.
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“Animal” Featuring Fefe Dobson
Yela’s verse on “Animal” was absolutely inspired and featured all of the tricks that make the Wolf special. Double time flows cascaded over the beat perfectly and intricately combined with his cadence to create something larger than the song itself. It’s Yela’ at one aspect of his best. Sure, he can spin a tune up into what resembles singing, but what convinced us that his kind of sweet-broken-home-Alabama aesthetic was worth it was this kind of straight up savagery with a microphone.
“Pop The Trunk”
Forget about the bass-heavy production or the storytelling and let’s focus on this video for a second. It does two things extremely well. 1. It illustrates why you don’t mess with folks from certain areas of the United States. 2. It’s dark, brooding homage to regular folks and guns turned this song from your run-of-the-mill take on protecting what’s yours and turned it into a Nic Pizzolatto style romp into the underbelly of the American South.
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“Trunk Muzik”
“Trunk Muzik” rattled into your heart through Will Power production that could knock your dad out in a street fight. And, It was also apart of the mixtape that catapulted Catfish Billy into the rare Shady Records air, capturing the attention of the weirdo label. The alternating double-time raps with his own voice creeping in through long whispers makes this one truly special (especially considering the technique would become a signature of his). And if you weren’t blasting this down some dirt road at unholy volumes then you’re doing it wrong.
“Whistle Dixie” With Travis Barker
Psycho White was a collaborative project between Yela’ and Blink 182’s Travis Barker, who has almost become as synonymous as QuestLove with great live drumming in Hip Hop. The short five-track EP had a few gems including “Whistle Dixie.” Alongside the hypnotically catchy whistling, Barker’s drum-line snares and bass just knocks pretty hard. Even Yela’ throws rhymes that sound very Beastie Boyish as he thematically spits randomly about a variety of subjects. Ironically, this track is what reportedly gave birth to the project’s conception.
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“Box Chevy Pt 3” Featuring Rittz The Rapper
Slow, ominous production reverberates throughout in this third part of the “Box Chevy” series. This one features Rittz The Rapper, the emcee widely known for his White Jesus mixtape and subsequent work with Tech N9ne as part of the Strange Music camp. Here, his voice adds gravitas to the track as he raps about swooping down on his lady and cruising in his Box Chevy. The subject matter isn’t heavy from either emcee, but the execution and fun horror of it all make it a must listen.
“Psychopath Killer” Featuring Eminem Slaughterhouse & Yelawolf
“Psychopath Killer” represents exactly what Eminem had in mind when creating Shady 2.0. There’s a haunting score featuring co-production from Boi1da, Just Blaze and The Maven Boys and that sets everything up for one hell of a posse cut. For five minutes and nineteen seconds, everyone brings their A game for something that became one of many reasons to even buy the Shady XV project besides the greatest-hits second disk.
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“Rhyme Room” Featuring Raekwon & Killer Mike
This absolutely murderous triumvirate of talents featured both the unconscious flow of Killer Mike and signature rasp of The Chef. What happened next is one of the best three pronged rap exhibitions assembled in Yelawolf’s fairly short career thus far. Each part of the tri-force brought their best, leaving Yela’ to bat clean up for one of his most introspective verses of his career. As far as must hear songs go, the idea that Yela’ more than held his own here is the most remarkable aspect, especially after Killer Mike cornered this beat and commanded it run the jewels.
Andre Grant is an NYC native turned L.A. transplant that has contributed to a few different properties on the web and is now the Features Editor for HipHopDX. He’s also trying to live it to the limit and love it a lot. Follow him on Twitter @drejones.
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Ural Garrett is an Los Angeles-based journalist and HipHopDX’s Senior Features Writer. When not covering music, video games, films and the community at large, he’s in the kitchen baking like Anita. Follow him on Twitter @Uralg.
