Yelawolf: Country Music (Interview)

[Lunatic]

http://www.wordofsouth.com/2010/01/11/yelawolf-country-music-interview/


WordofSouth.com: www.WordofSouth.com is chilling right here with Yelawolf. First thing's first - how did you mix skateboarding and rapping? Is it all apart of the same lifestyle for you?

Yelawolf: I grew up skateboarding. I think I first started skateboarding when I was 7. When I moved to Nashville for a few years away from Alabama, I became really heavily into the hip-hop culture and stayed on my skateboard. Underground skate videos being put all over the west coast and east coast hip-hop scene helped. Otherwise, I would have never heard hip-hop. Through skateboarding, I got to the roots of hip-hop. To me, their one in the same.

WordofSouth.com: Not just skateboarding, you have a love for old school rock and roll. How does that influence the type of hip-hop you make?

Yelawolf: I'm influenced by all music. As far as classic rock goes, my mom got pregnant for me when she was 15. She was a country girl from Alabama who was really into classic rock. I was raised on that sound. She was dating a boyfriend for years who was on tour with Aerosmith on the "Walk this Way" tour. He brought some of the road crew out to Alabama to stay with them. They brought me t-shirts and some Beastie Boys and Run DMC music. That's actually how I got my first listen of hip-hop. To fast forward a few years, I was in Nashville just head first into hip-hop. My roots are definitely classic rock. It really is the melody that I get from classic rock. I love the concepts and story telling.

WordofSouth.com: Being raised by your mother in Alabama who was a classic rock fan and her dating someone on tour with Aerosmith, at what age did hip-hop come into the picture?

Yelawolf: I was in the fifth grade when I wrote my first rap. That was at little school in Nashville, Tennessee. We got busted down to the projects to go to school in downtown Nashville. I was up on hip-hop and knew what it was by then. It was there when I learned the culture because I didn't know about the culture until I went to school there. It started making sense to me and I fell in love with it. My friends and skateboard obviously and where I lived at the time all contributed. Obviously then, I was emulating artists I was all about at the time - NWA, Ice Cube, UGK, Three 6 Mafia and shit like that. It wasn't until later on in life when I understood how to put my own story into it; up until I was 19 when I really started understanding to put my own story and my own perspective into hip-hop.

WordofSouth.com: Those names - Ice Cube, UGK, NWA, and Three 6 Mafia - are those names you enlist as your primary musical influences?

Yelawolf: They were definitely crucial. Through skateboarding videos again, that brought me Hieroglyphics. The whole west coast underground sound is what I loved. Underground groups out of New York as well. Producers like DJ Premier played roles. I loved Nirvana equally as well. It was around ‘93 when I got a grip of what I really was into.  NWA's era was influential in my life but I was still learning about myself. 1993-1995 I started really getting into what I liked specifically. I was really inspired by the Hieroglyphics and their sound along with UGK, Three 6 Mafia - all those things combined.

WordofSouth.com: I like how you specifically said the underground west coast sound. We're you not really into the mainstream stuff going on at the time?

Yelawolf: When I was younger, I really alienated anything that was "mainstream." I didn't care; I didn't even give it an opportunity back then. I was so stubborn and all I really fucked with was underground music. If it was called underground, that was cool to me. Whether it was or not at the time, that's what I was influenced by. I was still skating obviously and I got to write graffiti; the whole b-boy shit. I still surrounded myself with the culture at the same time.

WordofSouth.com: You've mentioned Three 6 Mafia a few times in this interview. It was in Nashville where you really became a hip-hop head. Now that you're really doing this, is it a goal of yours to work with Three 6 Mafia? 8Ball & MJG as well?

Yelawolf: Yeah, I would love to work with those dudes. UGK, Three 6 Mafia, 8Ball & MJG, Skinny Pimp, Nappy Head & Gold Teeth - even like old classic underground Tennessee shit like Eric McAnally, Southside Hustler and so on. Obviously I would love to work with anybody who I was blown away by when I was younger. That's for sure.

WordofSouth.com: Moving forward to what's going on now, how did you hook up with Juelz Santana for "Mixing up the Medicine?"

Yelawolf: I have a band and my violin player Ashanti had been working with this producer named Kane [Beatz]. Ashanti introduced me to Kane [Beatz] and he's the producer who came up with that record. He needed a voice for that Bob Dylan cover and I fit the bill. I had just recently put out my "Studio" mixtape which was a tribute to classic rock with DJ Ideal. You should check that out if you haven't. People heard that I can pull off that sound so Kane as a producer, he just picked me out to come do it. I lucked out but there was really nobody else that could do it anyway.

WordofSouth.com: Speaking of knowing you could do it, it wasn't the first time you were tapped to cover a predominant sample. How did the "I Run" record with Slim Thug & Jim Jonsin come about?

Yelawolf: I and Jim Jonsin became friends a few years ago when I was signed to Columbia briefly. During that time when I was there, we recorded an album and K.P. [Kawan Prather] introduced me to Jim Jonsin and he flew me to Jim Jonsin in New York to work on the album we were gonna' put out with Columbia. We just became tight and kept in touch over the years. Fast forward a few years after working with Jim Jonsin and going out to Miami and just kicking it, being around, "Stereo" got nominated for mixtape of the year at the Ozone awards. We got 5/5 in the magazine. I was nominated for that award and I went out there for the Ozone awards with Jim Jonsin. It started getting crazy inside, people were whiling out so we went to the studio - me and Jim Jonsin. I didn't even know what we were doing; we were just going to the studio. On the way to the studio, he was telling me had a record and was trying to work the sample in. I just put my twist on it. We went to the studio and laid it. Slim Thug came through and he loved it. That's just how it happened.

WordofSouth.com: Speaking of being good friends with Jim Jonsin, is the group with Jim and Bubba Sparxxx still a go?

Yelawolf: Dude, I would love to think so but I haven't spoken to Bubba in so long. I haven't really even spoken to Jim in so long particularly about that situation. Bubba got MIA for a while. He had to deal with some family issues. I still haven't spoken to them about that. Since then, motherfuckers from Atlanta took the name. Now there's this group in Atlanta that call themselves Mama's Mustache. I don't know about that.

WordofSouth.com: I guess that was your original group name with Jim Jonsin and Bubba Sparxxx?

Yelawolf: Yeah, Mother's Mustache. An artist from Atlanta who is friends with Bubba suggested we use that name and we all fell in love with it. Ever since then, somebody got the name from the same dude.

WordofSouth.com: I've heard about them - there Dungeon Family affiliates.

Yelawolf: Yeah, put two and two together - the artist is all their people.

WordofSouth.com: I see what you're talking about. Let's get into the upcoming album. Is there a title or release date in place?

Yelawolf: "Trunk Music" is the name of the mixtape coming out. DJ Burn One is hosting it. 99% of it is produced by Will Power of Super Hot Beats. It should be dropping before Christmas. It's the best rap shit I've done thus far. I had been experimenting the last two years with the classic rock tribute and then I did "Arena Rap" with Ghet-O-Vision. We put together "Arena Rap" but now we're back to just doing raw rap shit. It's definitely my best. My last rap shit project was "Ricky Bobby: Ball Of Flames."

WordofSouth.com: "Trunk Music" is the upcoming mixtape being released before Christmas and its being mainly produced by Super Hot Beats. Are you holding down the fort on there or are there any guest appearances?

Yelawolf: The Raekwon record will be on there. Diamond formerly of Crime Mob is on there. The Juelz record, I don't know what's up with that. We were gonna' put that record on there with my remixed verse but you know about politics. Any other feature at this point, I can't name because it's not signed and sealed but we are working on a couple of other ones.

WordofSouth.com: What do you feel you can bring to the table that other MC's haven't already?

Yelawolf: Perspective. A lot are not doing that at this time. Besides that, I'm still rapping. I'm not the first white boy to do it. I still have beats and lyrics. What I do have and can bring is this perspective. I'm the only person that has lived this life. My raps are in relation to my life experiences.  That alone sets me apart from everybody in the world.

WordofSouth.com: Good answer. Are you going to be working with artists from Alabama?

Yelawolf: Oh yeah. I've worked on the underground. I just did a record with Slow Motion Sounds from Huntsville not too long ago. I've worked with Six Trey in the past. I did a record in Miami with Rich Boi and Jim Jonsin. That's it man. I'll do anything for the home team.

WordofSouth.com: We're gonna' end it on that note. Thanks a lot for your time Yelawolf. Do you have any last words for www.WordofSouth.com before I let you go?

Yelawolf: Nah, just peace out. make sure you pick up that "Trunk Music."

 

- INTERVIEW BY: Justin Melo

[stillinrehab]

Good read man! This dude has some dope music I really dig it! Him, Freddie Gibbs, Hayes and Pill are the future!

[Lunatic]

Good read man! This dude has some dope music I really dig it! Him, Freddie Gibbs, Hayes and Pill are the future!

Playa, I STAY working with the best of up and comers. Look at ya list 

Yelawolf - here's his interview
Pill - I interviewed today
Hayes - an interview in the near future is looking possible
Freddie Gibbs - I must find this cat's manager/publicist lol.

[stillinrehab]

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.1473/title.freddie-gibbs-out-the-boxframe check this out for some dope info and to avoid any repeats... hes on facebook so maybe you could hook something up on there... He is the dude that gets at me the most and just dropped an 80+ track mixtape! Its pretty much old stuff all the way through to new and it shows what Interscope could have had blowing all over the radio had they put him out and held on to him!