Perhaps it’s today’s appealing DIY climate and the distrust of big labels but Yelawolf, the self-proclaimed ghetto cowboy, announced back in August that Trunk Muzik 3 would be his last album released through Eminem’s imprint. With no apparent beef boiling between the Alabama bad boy and Marshall Mathers, Yela still decided to part ways with Shady Records to focus on his Slumerican label and hopefully his own career (which has been at a stand-still for the past few years). He regained a little momentum with 2017’s fairly impressive Trial by Fire album but the past decade hasn’t necessarily been coming up Yela.
That’s not to say the Bama boy can’t get busy on the mic as he raps his ass off all across TM3. The eyebrow-raising moments appear right away on “Catfish Billy 2” where Yela shows witty wordplay with lines like “Cubic zirconium rocks in my earrings/Give me that stone and a mobile phone/And I carry that gem like me and Irene” as well as anti-industry bars like “I do not hang at the same club in the same town every damn night/I am not making hip-hop for the hip-hop award show or the ‘Gram likes.” If it wasn’t already crystal meth clear to anyone pressing play, the overarching theme on TM3 is that Yelawolf is firmly against the phoniness and politics of modern rap.
This southern angst shines through brighter than his complexion especially on “Rowdy” where Yela is assisted by a fellow Middle American spitter, MGK. Over an abrasive DJ Paul beat, the two white boys wild out with tough talk galore (or “that white trash hood shit” as he calls it) that turns out to be one of Yela’s most re-listenable tracks in years. “No Such Thing as Free” with Caskey and Doobie rings off with the same rhyme reciprocity and Locke’s trap-didgeridoo hybrid instrumental demands a replay or two. The more these songs are listened to, the easier it is to see why Yelawolf was so appealing a decade ago; he’s mischievous, rather reckless and not afraid to challenge the status quo.
For the amount of fun hillbilly banter Yela aimlessly dishes out on the album’s 14 tracks there are songs like “Addiction” that give some substance (pun intended) to Yela’s ill-behaved narrative. He references himself in the third person, taking a hyper-self-aware look at his life as an addict. Lines like “That boy wouldn’t hurt a fly, he wouldn’t paint a pumpkin/Now he’s a maniac, pack of serrated blades/Carvin’ his name into his skin in a perverted way/Went from a chicken to a bird of prey” are hauntingly vivid.
The best part about Yelawolf is his unwavering honesty and dedication to authenticity (he preaches it on damn near every song). However, there are instances where he curiously attempts to make pop-esque cookie cutter tracks that naturally fall dead flat. “Over Again” endeavors to merge soft-spoken poem vocals with a cheesy R&B chorus and “Like I Love You” is a poorly executed ode to the fairer sex that renders itself repugnant rather than romantic. He bodes much better when he sticks to his own legally purchased hunting guns.
Yelawolf’s catalog over the past decade is far from perfect but has some admirable moments where the unwavering authenticity makes up for the shaky execution. TM3 is just that; an album that tries its hardest to be as ‘Bama as possible with some stumbles along the way. Nothing new about Yela can be taken away after pressing play on this album but what’s hammered home is that Yela isn’t letting up anytime soon.
[apple_news_ad type=”standard”]
This album is hella fire. Its next kamikaze good ??????
The album is great. Especially the one with MGK. I love everything about.
The shit is fire its what hip hop needs
Great album… Plus, He got the G.O.A.T producer on the album!
Wack
Your wack
Naw it’s called R. A. P. skillz, talent, not sellin out with some weak ass lyrics on repeat to a catchy hook.
THIs shit is absolute fire. Fireeee
Yelawolf is a dope ass rapper… Gold standard but underrated… I fucks withim
Supreme bullet for what’s now a trilogy. Put it in the blue books, hood of the catalog, grill of the crate! This will be one that always comes up quick in a Yeller conversation. Dig. TC?MN!!
Dope
5/5… Felt old school southern rap with yelas mad skills. Referenced no limit lol. I can appreciate that.
He’s on point listen to him every night while at work!!!
Love this album. Huge Yela fan
Good album from Yelawolf. Not as good as original Trunk Muzik.
Needs go get back to Love Story stuff if it’s commercial success he wants. If not just keep it going. Great stuff.
Yela was someone I underestimated when he first came out I was like nah that’s not my type of hip hop. But once I started listening to his trunk music then ratioactive albums I was hooked. Also ever track with Rittz he makes a s fire. Slumafia! I like how TM3 showcases hidden talents from Caskiys and doobie. MJK kills it and DJ PAUL HAS SOME BANGERS FOR SURE. Yeah hoe! Elvis messy is one of my favorites yela is definitely one of my favorite and I’d like to see him and Rittz back on tour together
Since day one he was fire well slept on under rated the boy is up there with the top dogs he is i sane with the flow wordplay crazy
Yelawolf is in a league of his own..a lot of his music I have to listen to over and over before it grows on me..he’s so deep..tm3 is a banger!! Yelawolf us on fire right now! I think he’s got a lot of good stuff on the way.. SLUMERICAN!!
Amazing album as expected. Different than love story, which I enjoyed. He has really become his own over the last 20 years. Glad to be a part of the movement. Slumerican
great album with tons of variety from song to song
It’s his best project since Trunk Music 0 to 60! Complete project I mean he has bangers, on all his stuff. But I can play this without any skips. Except for rhowdy I hate that track.
This album is hard as MF-er! Whoever wrote this article F’d up BIG TIME! Can’t stop playing it. It’s articles like this that gives Southern artists bad names!
cowboys aint hiphop
Man yelawolf is more hip hop then 100% of people who get big today. Hip hop is universal but the biggest defining factor that created hip hop was struggle and the energy that radiated. Trust me you don’t have right to speak on anyone’s struggle from your keyboard bruh yelawolf a real one
Preach!
if you love yelawolf, you’re gonna really enjoy this album…there’s so much good stuff on here…
Dope album. Not without issues, though… A few tracks I just can’t help but skip. Rowdy is one of them.
I liked it, he wont ever top Love Story though.. And catfish billy 2 was not nearly as good as the first one, which is arguably his best track live
I saw him live recently and he played the both back to back, I think Yelawolf makes music that’s intended for live shows, they were both insane
New fan??, been blastin tm3 errday, this mf can RAP! glad to see actual talent back in the spotlight
So are you a new fan, or are you asking if somebodys a new fan?
Great album, only 2 or 3 skips/less listened. And the non skips are all brilliant for such varied reasons.
This is clearly the weakest in the Trunk Muzik series but is still pretty decent
This is the album that if you can’t feel that shit rattling your soul, then you ain’t part wolf. Bro, “Like I love you” is only something a real mothafucking player would get. No wonder you are lost…
His truth…his passion…..his beats, his amazing talent shines through in this album! A million stars out of 5 stars! Keep doing what you are doing! Can’t wait for more!
Whole album is fire just like all his music
I can’t say enough good things about this album.
I skip 2 tracks on this one… Like I love you, and Rowdy… Yela’s verse on Rowdy is incredible, but it’s ruined by MGK’s childish “ho”s and “bitch”s .. fisher price compared to Yela’s grown man flows. I think the chorus might have worked better if MGK wasn’t on it.. maybe even better if he could have worked with Big Boi or someone better than MGK.
Like I love you just felt like a miss. I’m not sure what happened, but I think if Yela let it bake longer and tweak it, it could have worked… but now we have “Ghetto Cowboy” which is 5/5 front to back… but I still can’t give this a 4… I promote artists experimenting… how else do you learn. so 5/5 for bravery and genius talent.
I would love for him to work with KoRn on a true metal song.
Love story was the last yelawolf album that really spoke to me I haven’t heard anything after that tho cause I felt like he was going in a different direction with his music. But tm3 is hard af I just don’t like rowdy cause of mgk lol eminem should of taken his verse off the album lol
I think this guy is an eminem level rapper-oh wait he was signed to shady records! Of course this album is fire. especially catfish billy 2. He already was on my top list, now he’s number one for me.