After a disastrous tour that included on-stage meltdowns and canceled shows, Alabama rapper Yelawolf has resurfaced with a new name.
The Southern musician posted a series of videos to a newly-created Instagram page, and in his first upload he revealed that he’ll now go by Michael Wayne Atha (or MWA), which is his given name.
In the caption to one video, he explains that he “hoaxed the ‘suicide’ of Yelawolf with my ‘blood art.'” He then goes on to explain that the name change was inspired by a number of occurrences in his life including the loss of a friend and losing everything after he was placed in a psych ward by his former manager.
“… they couldn’t handle my vision .. I hoaxed the “suicide” of Yelawolf with my ” blood art ” along side a manic depressive state of mind from years of alcoholism .. after loosing my BiggieSmallz @shawtyfatt I decided to sober up and rebrand my new music as Michael Wayne Atha MWA (my given name from my beautiful mother Sheila Diane the original gangster .. named after Michael Landon and John Wayne) and shook the fuckin game .. so much so that my own X manager and wanna be father had me apprehended and thrown in the psych ward in SD .. where they tried to break me and feed me drugs for 72 hours against my will .. I lost everything,” MWA wrote.
MWA also revealed that he’s nearly one year sober, and shared his plans to become “HipHop’s answer to rock and roll.”
A handful of other videos have been uploaded to his Instagram account between yesterday (December 21) and today (December 22). The rapper can be seen in the hospital in one and in another he sings “Bang, bang. I shot them down. Bang, bang. They hit the ground. Bang, bang. MWA’s back in town.”
Sober yelawolf… but I like the alcoholic yelawolf lmao
he says he is sober for 300 days but the meltdown was only like 2months ago?
It’s a typo. He means 30 days because the meltdown was last month. God forbid these “reporters” bother to fact-check anything before posting it. I mean he’s all over social media drinking and smoking up until that day. smh
I dont know if you follow him on Instagram, but he himself has been on there SEVERAL times saying that he’s pushing 300 days. But I guess it’s all typos. I know for a fact it hasn’t been no 300 days because I just seen him the beginning of November smokin weed and drinkin. Doesn’t make me any less of a fan. Just thinkin he might need to fact check his own shit too. Not tryin to argue but a lot of times they get their info from the source too.
He is still smoking though. Nicotine is a drug too so he is not sober. He also better get rid off the Face tattoos. DOnt know why but he constantly look like he need a shower, dirty ass motherf*cker.
Jesus he really does not look like he’s in a good place, no wonder why everything after Trunk Muzik hasn’t been able to live up to it.
Trunk Muzik Returns and The Black fall EP were amazing. Oh yeah and hotel is good to. Trunk Muzik is the only thing I’ve heard By him where I don’t feel like it lived up to the hype that it got. It’s good for about a week after that it doesn’t have the same affect.
So, rappers going to rehab is a trend now? Why can’t they just stay clean and bang out music for fans?
whenever people go to rehab they come out sounding really annoying and spiritual. just grow some balls and be a drunk.
Eminem is trash and stole his style from Red Man and Canibus. Yelawolf is trash and stole his style from Bizzy Bone. Iggy Azalea is trash and stole her style from Da Brat. A lot of butthurt white virgins will be triggered by these facts lol
nobody stole anything from bizzy bone and you’re the only one on planet earth that knows who bizzy bone is
Any anyone who listens to hip hop knows who bizzy bone is that’s Bone Thugs n Harmony BTH if u don’t know who they are your on the wrong website buddy
If you don’t know who Bizzy is you shouldn’t be on this site, Part of a group that most people consider the greatest rap group of all time
Eminem stole his style from Redman and Canibus? Are you serious? You’re a fucking moron. Eminem is a thousand times better than Redman and Canibus put together…AND he can actually freestyle. Unlike Canibus who brings a fucking notepad to a battle and cries like a little baby afterwards. Yela Wolf is trash, but sounds nothing like Bizzy Bone, who is actually really fucking dope. You’re hip-hop ears are underdeveloped and not tuned in.
Yo Em said himself that he looks up to Redman. If u can’t see the influence u not really an Eminem fan…
Em did pattern his style after a Redman and King Gordy is another guy he took a little from, Yela tried to copy Bizzy a little but bone thugs is the most difficult artist to pattern your style after because of the fast flow mix with harmonizing, Yela not on the same planet as Bizzy Bone, Iggy took from Eve and Brat, but even though she is not better than Eve or Brat she is also not as bad as people make her out to be, she is a better rapper than like 90% of these guys on the radio including Future, fetty wap, migos, lil yatchy etc people just don’t like iggy because they feel she is a culture vulture which may be true, Iggy stacks up well against all the female rappers out now with the exception of Rhapsody, I felt Snow had the most potential and talent but every since she sign with atlantic she seems like she lost her way she can’t make a good song to save her life
I glad that dj paul is on the label maybe he can bring that trunk music sound back
NO FUCKING WAY IN HELL THIS JUNKIE LOOKING IDIOT HAS BEEN SOBER FOR A WEEK, LET ALONE A YEAR. DUDE LOOKS LIKE HE’S FIVE MINUTES AWAY FROM AN OD! Somebody introduce him to Dr. Drew or some shit. Dude is officially a lost cause…not that his music was any good anyways.
MWA been Mike Dean’s shit….. #JustSayin
It’s his Real Name. There’s no way around that lol. His initials are MWA period. Also it doesn’t really matter. Yelawolf is in his own lane and Mike Dean is doing his own thing too. It would actually be amazing for them to collaborate, but regardless we are witnessing a true artist living legend in yelawolf .. don’t let any of the other BS stop you from enjoying the music .. it’s as pure as it gets
Kanye West, Kid Cudi & MWA- Rehab ’16 (sampling Amy Winehouse’s hit “Rehab”)
Never heard a song of his but if del consigns with the Heidi crew music theory I may check out the new stuff del has some hidden gems production & rapping wise 93 till….
Fyi:
MWA is his initials Michael Wayne Atha he isn’t biting someone’s shit
thanks so much for informing us of that.. he clearly states it in his Instagram post in this article that’s about his name change.
Don’t give a shit shot to what he’s called, mwa, yelawolf or catfish Billy, all we care about is his music. His unique style of music
The hate in the comments section is ridiculous. If you don’t like Yelawolf/M.W.A., then get the f*ck off of the article. He has some great music. Love Story > any of these current jokester purple braided fruit cake rapper albums. Also, how in the hell do people start talking shit about Eminem and his music on an article about Yelawolf/M.W.A.? Some of y’all need to just face reality with Eminem being one of the greatest rappers to ever pick up a mic and be done with the discussion.
Great??
You have to ask what is going on in the industry to drive people crazy I own one of his cd’s I viewed him as a good artist but it is clear he has been through something and it has affected him you can only pray for him but if you rolling wit the devil this is just part of your demise on earth wake up people before it’s to late
Is he still with Shady Records ?
Some A&R on twitter said no. I asked a friend at interscope what was up she said some things were on pause but didn’t mention him leaving any labels
bitch u dont know anyone at interscope stfu
doubt it
Son has lost it. Been in California a bunch. Hangin with the hippies. Stuck in a k hole for sure (that’s ketamine). How is a he a year sober almost when there’s footage of him drinking/getting high recently plus his friend whose death that inspired his sobriety JUST died!
I think his post was a typo when he said 300 days sober, probably meant 30. Hope he is still with shady records, either way I still listen to him.
I pissed off a lot of virgins on this post lol
Please explain how someone being a virgin or not is even remotely related to this article..
because dude is a virgin himself and is self discrimating
@Rekkington the pussy.. You just exposed yourself as being a 12 year old f&gg0+ with no knowledge of hip-hop. More people know who Bizzy Bone is than have ever heard of Yelawolf. Bone Thugs In Harmony have sold over 50 MILLION records worldwide and are considered one of if not the greatest hiphop group of all time. Educate yourself, idiot LMAO
..but this article is about Yelawolf/M.W.A., not Bizzy Bone and Bone Thugs, so who gives two shits about them right now. It’s all irrelevant here.
wait a second, you’re the same douchebag that called Eminem trash in some earlier comment who’s now tryna educate someone on how Bone Thugs sold over 50 million records worldwide. The so-called “trash” rapper you speak of (Eminem) has sold over 170 million records worldwide and is considered one of, if not the, greatest rapper of all time. Bizzy Bone and the rest of Bone Thugs ain’t got shit on Em, you f**king clown. By the way, it’s “Bone Thugs-N-Harmony,” not “Bone Thugs In Harmony.”
Em must have dropped his ass off da label.
Hes sober get over yourselves for real who talks like these idiots having idiotic convos below n down low amongst themselve do you really think youpuny humans little butt hurt comments are going to hurt him or any of them he really dgaf what kind of pity dum ass shit u gots to say