It widely known that Gasden, Alabama emcee Yelawolf is an avid skateboarder. In last year’s video for the “I Wish (Remix),” the DXnext alum appeared alongside CyHi Da Prynce and Pill at a skate park, performing his hobby. However, those who heard Trunk Muzik and its retail version, Trunk Muzik 0-60 did not hear much content about the sport. In a new interview with Freddie B TV, Yela explained why he refuses to mix his passions.
“No disrespect to Lupe [Fiasco] or Pharrell [Williams], in any kinda way, the way I personally look at skateboarding…it just is what it is,” began Yelawolf in the Antioch, Alabama club where the interview took place. “It’s something I do, it’s something that I love doing, but it’s nothing that I’d ever want to exploit. I think skateboarders respect that, and I think that’s why I’ve been embraced within that culture, because I don’t want to write records about skateboarding. I don’t think it’s necessary, I don’t think it’s cool.”
In 2006, Lupe Fiasco made a popular skateboarding-inspired single in “Kick Push,” while Pharrell popularly uses the alias “Skateboard P.” Also, Murs made a skateboarding song in 2003, “Transitionz Az A Ridah.”
In the same interview, posted below, Yelawolf said that his studio debut, Radioactive, will release this summer on Ghet-O-Vision/Shady/Interscope Records.
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I’m not sure this makes any sense. If he doesn’t want to make a song about skateboarding for whatever reason that’s fine but I think not talking about it in a song is more disrespecting his hobby than respecting it.
cosign
co-sign!!!!
true
So true
That is so true!!!
I agree. I don’t see why it would be such a big deal if he did rap about skateboarding. If you get offended by it maybe you’re just too sensitive.
it makes sense. A lot of skaters feel like making songs about skating is corny. Terry Kennedy dissed Lupe for Kick Push, cause lupe looked like he’d been skating one full week in that video. Yela could do it right probably, but he might get a backlash
Am I the only one who doesn’t care one way or the other.
I mean really I could sit here discussing this topic and act like I really care but that would be fake.
IF THE 16 BARS AND THE HOOK IS TIGHT THEN FUCK WHAT THE REST OF THESE BROKE CLOWNS THINK. I GET MONEY!!!!!
yelawolf is a tool. his says shit to make him seem more intellectual….like how does that make sense. Music hows always been an outlet for artist to express themselves. If you like something and want to make a song about it cause you feel like it then you should thats what music is. If you dont feel like it then thats fine to. but dont do it because of some senseless reason like he wants respect by skateboarders. jackass.
Who cares if he doesn’ wanna do songs about skating? Why disect it? It’s pointless.
I like drawing. I also like playing hockey. I don’t enjoy drawing hockey though. It’s tow separate passions.
“If you like something and want to make a song about it cause you feel like it then you should thats what music is”
Did you not get by this that he DOESN’T want to make a song about skating? Why does he have to make a song about something just because he likes it?
i have no idea why he would say that because he should write about his life and if skateboarding is part of it t hen he should write about it, its not exploitation
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I agree with Yela. The video’s dope, but token songs about shit are wack.
It’s not the fact that he doesn’t make songs about skateboarding; it’s that he seems to have something against people who have done so before. Does a phrase that begins with “No disrespect…” ever not come off as inherently disrespectful? Plus, “Kick, Push” was a great song and Pharrell is a great producer. This just seems like another case of the underground/indie sentiment that if you talk about it, it’s not worth talking about.
It’s not the fact that he doesn’t make songs about skateboarding; it’s that he seems to have something against people who have done so before. Does a phrase that begins with “No disrespect…” ever not come off as inherently disrespectful? Plus, “Kick, Push” was a great song and Pharrell is a great producer. This just seems like another case of the underground/indie sentiment that if you talk about it, it’s not worth talking about. Whatever.
You’re an idiot
“Kick, Push” wasn’t even about how Lupe likes skating.. the song was about a boy skater and a girl skater that pretty much fall in love because they met through skating and had that in common..
I think Yelawolf gonna be huge. It seems to me he got everything needed to just go nuclear with this shit. He got the rap skills needed, underground following, major machinery backing and last but not least, hes white. Besides that he seem to be a real humble down to earth dude so he probably not gonna go insane from the fame when he blow up. Also with a mentor like Em this is a superstar in the making. And cmon people, if you dont live it dont act like you do, thats what Pharrel try to do and it ends up corny as fuck. Skating is a lifestyle and to be exploiting that for your rap career is just wack. Pz.
Lupe, Pharrell and Lil wayne are responsible for black dudes skateboarding/playing guitars nowadays. You would rarely see a black dude doing either 20 yrs ago.
Saying that Wayne and others responsible for black people playing guitar and skateboarding must be crazy. There is a couple pro skate boarders that are black, and have you ever heard of a guy named Jimi Hendricks because most people consider him the greatest guitar player to ever live and he was black. Learn some music history, shit people say Muddy Waters was responsible for the creation of rock music. If you gonna criticize Wayne for making a rock album it should be for how terrible it was not the fact that he was doing it.
You sound dumb as hell. The 21 and under crowd skateboards and do that outsider shit. White people are laughing at these late monkey ass niggas. Black dudes in the burbs been skateboarding and playing guitar before Weezy made it cool. My cousin’s been doing that for yrs.
Yeah, i think in fact, robert johnson, jimi hendrix, ike turner and bb king were all inspired by lil wayne.
you ever look at wayne’s hands when he’s “playing” guitar? he can’t play. he isn’t plugged in live. he’s never tracked guitar on an album. ever hear of studio musicians? wayne is a fraud. not a guitarist, not a blood, not real period. gillie wrote all his bars that were ever dope too.
First off Yelawolf is an amazing rapper, no doubt. One of my fav albums of the year for sure. But I don’t get this whole article, he’d rather exploit talking about drugs and being gangster? Like what the fuck? You should rap about what you know and if that’s skateboarding then go for it. I don’t think that’s exploitation, is it? Seems to me it’s more of an image issue than exploitation.
this kids a cornball n overrated as fuck on the mic and that was mos def a shot at Lupe which he should be careful bout since Lupe would fuckin body him on wax
makin songs about skateboardin isnt Lupe exploitin the sport its him speakin about somethin he loves doin and making music to pay homage to somethin he loves
yah i can’t agree with him. He talks about drugs and exploits it but skateboarding shouldn’t be?
yela is the best new rapper out period!! that trunk music 0-60 was a classic!!!
I don’t give a fuck one way or another.
More importantly, that I Wish Remix video is fucking dope. I prefer Rae’s version though.
this is sum bullshi@, he will exploit ghetto music to make sum $. this dude is a tool.
just cause you do a song about some shit doesn’t mean its exploitative. it depends how you do it. you could do a song that connects w/ people that love the same shit.
i respect that sayin… no reason to make a song about every damn thing u like….
Example: Wiz’s favorite color Black & Yellow, he made a song about his favorite colors… My opinion, that’s wack.
I’m not sayin’ rapping about skateboarding is wack, but it’s kinda pointless cause it only goes to the skateboarding crowd, which is very low. Since skateboarders really listen to rock way more from what I see.
haha if you knew anythin about wiz black and yellow isnt about his fav colors its the colors of pittsburgh u tompy
aite, and if it is, then it makes it his favorite colors. hey my opinion, song is wack bro.
and if you were a real wiz fan, you would know the song “Black and Yellow” is about his car.
Lose the make-up.
To be honest and a lot of yall are not gonna understand this article and not get what hes sayin unless you are a skateboarder. he aint takin shots at anyone either.
I think everyone needs to get off the mans nuts, it’s his fucking opinion on the subject.
^This. Thank god someone is using some common sense here.
im better then him and whiter, fuck that that slim shady wannabe
i spit real bars
first off your anonymous soooo doubt it bud. and if so post some shit on youtube or make a mixtape and put it on datpiff and prove it dumbass.
dude is nothing like Em.. if you’d listen to his stuff you’d hear that. so essentially you’re saying all white rappers sound/are the same. so by this logic Asher Roth sounds the same as Mad Child and Classified. Good one sport
Post some of ya shit.
I don’t think it really matters either way… Do u Yela, People talking trash, do something relevant before you open ya cock pockets up to speak…
http://www.reverbnation.com/Bpayne
Album dropping this summer huh, oh yeah? didnt you just sign to shady records? we’ll see about that. your pre album ep might drop in 3rd quarter 2012. not hatin, i like the dude but shadys track record of dropping their artists albums is none. they have never done it
I think he wants to stay away from the topic because he’s white…if I’m bein’ honest. I think he’s one of the hottest new rappers out, but it’s easier for a white guy rapping about skateboarding to be put in a box then a black guy rapping about skateboarding, just one of those pesky social norms. Pharrell and Lupe can do it and not necessarily lose their crossover appeal because various ethnicities are going to think, wow this is different, but still have respect for their other subject matter. Meanwhile if a white guy raps about skateboarding it’s not far fetched to believe the sentiment is more likely to be…oh, a white boy, rapping about skateboarding, how typical…and at the same time people are ignorant enough to allow that one aspect of his catalog to disuade them from even venturing out to listening to the rest of what he has to speak on. Jus’ my opinion. P.S., good look with getting the album dropped by THIS summer, like dude below me said…Shadys\ Records record of releasin’ artists is shady. Pun intended. Hope it does come out tho.
I really could give a fuck about that whole skateboarding shit cause it’s irrelevant to the fact that this dude is wack and got outshined by TWO muthafuckas on his own track…& that hook is garbage straight up!!…Em need to focus on getting Slaughterhouse better beats cause this dude is a bad investment
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Translation 1 (to win black fans):
“I’m white, I already have to deal with Eminem comparisons, why back myself further into a corner with skateboarding?”
Translation 2 (to keep white fans):
“Skateboarders think Lupe Fiasco and Pharell are posers dude, but I’m totally not a poser, okay bro?”
LOL
He’s a cornball…What it is is that Lupe and Pharell just used it as a gimmick to seem cool. They obviously aren’t that good at skateboarding (and neither is this douche) or they would be getting Tony Hawk money…Just because you’ve ridden a skateboard before doesn’t make you an expert on the subject. Plus it has nothing to do with hip hop…
How the hell do you know any of that? If you have actually read any other interviews with him then you’d know he’s been doing it for years so yea he probably does know a thing or two about it.
he’s actually sick with it watch his videos u see hime skating in them all the time his tricks is clean n crisp dont b a fucking douche
http://www.skatevideosite.com/skatevideos/dgk-da-playground/watch/1742
Fast forward to 0:55. He can skate
if he can exploit weed he can exploit skateboarding
get ur money playa!!
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this dude is obviously to busy blasting gats and popping trunks and shit to have time to write about a piece of plywood on wheels.. besides, “fuck you” by yelawolf was a lyrical masterpiece compared to lupes “kick push”, everyone who has an ear for music would know that…………. ;0
psych.
Skateing is gangster. skateboarding is what real g`z do when their finished slanging thier dope and blasting gats!
faggetry
Haha are you serious some of you ass faces will eat your own words “wasting time on yelawolf ” are you fuckin dumb he’s got the best at his back now n ever since I heard him I’ve heard nothing but progression ..just cause. Every flow ain’t radiobound don’t mean its “lamsome of y’all sound like jelus like Shit …believe me When I say you’ll be seeing much more of yela. He has made a footprint n he will continue to track a milestone at a time ..God I love haterz!!
fuck yall that doubt yelawolf he is a great rapper and he is a good skateboarder he even shows on a music video him ollien up this huge thing that was sickkk i wish i could ollie that high… 😀