Yelawolf facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yelawolf
Yelawolf performing at Slumfest 2019
Background information
Birth name	Michael Wayne Atha
Born	(1979-12-30) December 30, 1979 (age 45) Gadsden, Alabama, U.S.
Origin	Antioch, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop rap rock country rap Southern rock
Occupations	Rapper singer songwriter record producer
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Slumerican Shady Interscope DGC Ghet-O-Vision Columbia

Michael Wayne Atha (born December 30, 1979), known as Yelawolf, is an American rapper. He was born in Gadsden, Alabama, and grew up in Antioch, Tennessee. He started his music career in 2005. He released four mixtapes that were well-liked locally. His fourth mixtape, Trunk Muzik (2010), helped him become more widely known. This led him to sign a record deal with Interscope Records. He then re-released the mixtape as Trunk Muzik 0-60 (2010).

Yelawolf later joined Eminem's Shady Records label. He released his second studio album, Radioactive (2011), which reached number 27 on the Billboard 200 music chart. His third album, Love Story (2015), was a big hit, reaching number three on the chart. It included the popular song "Till It's Gone," which sold over a million copies. His next albums, Trial by Fire (2017) and Trunk Muzik III (2019), also did well. His sixth album, Ghetto Cowboy (2019), was his first album released independently.

Early Life and Background

Michael Wayne Atha was born on December 30, 1979, in Gadsden, Alabama. He has said he represents "the core of America." Yelawolf shared that his stage name was inspired by his father. As a child, Atha moved around a lot. He spent much of his time in Antioch, Tennessee. He went to Carter Lawrence Middle School in Nashville. He said that during this time, "hip hop started making sense to me."

Yelawolf explained his stage name. He said "Yela" is a Cherokee word for "sun." He combined it with the English word "Wolf." He said this name shows the two sides of his personality. One side is his "light" or intellectual side. The other is his "dark" or survivalist side.

Music Career Milestones

Starting His Music Journey (2005–2009)

In 2005, Yelawolf appeared on the The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliott TV show. After the show, he released his first independent album, Creekwater, in 2005. Later that year, he released his first mixtape, Pissin' in a Barrel of Beez. Two years later, Yelawolf signed with Columbia Records. He released the song "Kickin'" from an album that was never officially released. He left the label later that year.

After leaving Columbia, Yelawolf released two more mixtapes. These were Ball of Flames: The Ballad of Slick Rick E. Bobby and Stereo: A Hip Hop Tribute to Classic Rock. In 2009, he signed with Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment. He then released his first extended play (EP) called Arena Rap.

Rising to Fame with Trunk Muzik and Radioactive (2009–2011)

In 2009, Yelawolf started working with producer WLPWR on his mixtape Trunk Muzik. When it came out in January 2010, it helped him gain many fans online. Later that year, Yelawolf signed a big record deal with Interscope Records. He then re-released the project as Trunk Muzik 0-60 on November 22, 2010. This became his most praised work at the time. In 2010 and 2011, he became more famous by appearing on albums by other rappers. These included Big Boi, Paul Wall, Tech N9ne, and Travis Barker.

In March 2011, Yelawolf was on the cover of XXL magazine with Eminem. This confirmed his record deal with Shady Records. He was also named one of XXL's Top 11 Freshmen of 2011. On April 14, 2011, Yelawolf announced his first Shady album would be called "Radioactive." He released the first official song from the album, "Hard White (Up in the Club)," on August 8, 2011. This song featured Lil Jon. The album was released on November 21, 2011. It featured music from Eminem, Kid Rock, Lil Jon, and Fefe Dobson.

New Projects and Collaborations (2012)

In 2012, Yelawolf released a song called "Happy Father's Day" to celebrate Father's Day. He also announced his fifth mixtape, Heart of Dixie.

In August 2012, Yelawolf announced an EP with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. It was called Psycho White. The first song from the EP, "Push 'Em," was released on September 12. The EP was finally released on November 13, 2012. It sold 15,000 copies in its first week. Yelawolf and Barker hinted that they might make a second EP together.

Trunk Muzik Returns and Love Story (2012–2015)

On March 20, 2012, Yelawolf announced that he started working on his third studio album, Love Story. He later decided to release a sequel to his 2010 mixtape Trunk Muzik. This new mixtape was called Trunk Muzik Returns.

On February 5, 2013, Yelawolf released the first song from Trunk Muzik Returns, called "Way Out." The mixtape was released on March 14, 2013. It had ten new songs and featured other artists like Raekwon and ASAP Rocky. All the songs were produced by WLPWR. On October 18, 2013, Yelawolf released his seventh mixtape, Black Fall, on October 31, 2013. This project had 5 songs and was produced by DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia.

On January 28, 2014, Yelawolf released the first song from Love Story, called "Box Chevy V." He also said Love Story would be released in May 2014, but it was delayed until April 2015. During this time, Yelawolf released weekly freestyles. These songs used parts of classic rock songs from bands like Pink Floyd and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Yelawolf said these freestyles were like a "mini-sequel" to his 2008 mixtape, Stereo.

Eminem was the only guest artist on Love Story. He also helped produce the album with Yelawolf. This album was the first time Yelawolf produced music since his 2005 album Creekwater. Love Story included "Till It's Gone," which is Yelawolf's most successful song so far. The album reached number 3 on the American Billboard 200 chart. It sold 61,000 copies in its first week. Many fans loved the album, but some critics had mixed feelings because it blended country and hip hop music. Two songs from the album, "Till It's Gone" and "Best Friend" (which featured Eminem), have been watched over 100 million times on YouTube. They also received Gold certifications, meaning they sold 500,000 copies.

Trial by Fire and Hotel (2016–2017)

On September 22, 2015, Yelawolf announced his fourth studio album, Trial by Fire. He said the album would be darker than his previous one. He also produced it himself with his band members DJ Klever and Bones Owens.

In late 2016, Yelawolf worked with producer Jim Jonsin. On October 10, 2016, they released a free EP called Hotel. The name "Hotel" stands for "House Of The Endless Life." Jonsin and Yelawolf produced all the songs on it.

The first two songs from Trial by Fire, "Daylight" and "Shadows," were released in late 2016. Yelawolf started a tour to support the album. However, during a show, he broke some equipment. This led to his band members leaving. He also had an argument with a fan and canceled the rest of his tour dates. After this, Yelawolf took a break from public life for over six months.

On June 6, 2017, Yelawolf announced he was returning to music. He released the third song for Trial by Fire called "Row Your Boat." He also started another tour called the "51/50" tour. This name refers to a term used for people who might be a danger to themselves. During this tour, Yelawolf went back to all the cities where he had canceled shows. He offered free tickets to those who had bought them before. After several delays, Trial by Fire was finally released on October 27, 2017.

Trunk Muzik III and Ghetto Cowboy (2018–2021)

Trunk Muzik III, the third album in the Trunk Muzik series, was first mentioned in mid-2017. Yelawolf started working on it with his long-time producer WLPWR. This album also included production from DJ Paul and Jim Jonsin. Trunk Muzik III was Yelawolf's fifth studio album released under Shady Records. On July 27, Yelawolf began a tour to support the album. During the tour, he announced that Trunk Muzik III would be his last album with Eminem's label Shady Records.

The album features a song with Machine Gun Kelly called "Rowdy." This song helped end a disagreement between the two artists that started in 2011. The song gained attention when it was mentioned in a public disagreement between Machine Gun Kelly and Eminem. Yelawolf released weekly freestyles leading up to the album's release. The album was released on March 29, 2019. It featured artists like Caskey, Doobie, Rittz, and DJ Paul.

After finishing Trunk Muzik III, Yelawolf started working on his sixth studio album, Ghetto Cowboy. This was his first album not released under the Shady Records label. Instead, it was released under his own independent label, Slumerican. Yelawolf dyed his hair red, saying it was a tribute to Opie Taylor from The Andy Griffith Show. The first song from the album, "Unnatural Born Killer," was released on August 9, 2019. In late 2019, Yelawolf started "The Ghetto Cowboy Tour" to support the album.

Recent Music (2021–Present)

On February 19, 2021, Yelawolf released Yelawolf Blacksheep. This was an 11-song mixtape with fellow rapper Caskey. The first song from it, "Been a Problem," came out on February 5, 2021.

In March 2021, Yelawolf announced his April Onslaught event. He planned to release four albums in April 2021, one each week:

• TURQUOiSE TORNADO, released April 9, 2021
• Slumafia, released April 16, 2021
• Mile Zero, released April 23, 2021
• Mud Mouth, released April 30, 2021

Out of these four, only Mud Mouth was an official studio album. The others were collaborations with artists like Riff Raff, DJ Paul, and DJ Muggs.

On March 11, 2022, Yelawolf surprised fans by releasing a rock project called "Sometimes Y" with Shooter Jennings. This was a change from his usual music style. Even though Mud Mouth was said to be his last rap album, Yelawolf returned to rap with a double-album called "War Story" on June 7, 2024.

Musical Influences

Yelawolf's first experience with hip-hop came from his mother's boyfriend. He was a sound designer for Aerosmith when the Run-DMC version of "Walk This Way" was released. Run-DMC visited his childhood home and gave him Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill cassette tapes.

He has said that Outkast is his biggest influence for mixing different sounds. He often mentions that Outkast's albums ATLiens and Aquemini are among his favorite hip-hop records. He also shared that the hip-hop group Dungeon Family greatly influenced his production style. Other influences include J Dilla, Pete Rock, CL Smooth, Black Star, Hieroglyphics, and Digable Planets.

Some of Yelawolf's other musical influences are Johnny Cash, Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kraftwerk, The Doors, Fleetwood Mac, Metallica, Portishead, and N.W.A. Yelawolf also likes how Kid Rock mixes country music, rock music, and hip hop. He also looks up to his long-time friend and mentor Eminem.

Yelawolf is also a skateboarder. He has appeared in professional skateboard videos. For example, he performed a 360° kickflip in the video "Last of the Mohicans" (2008). Pro skaters Paul Rodriguez and Terry Kennedy appeared in Yelawolf's music video for "Good to Go" featuring Bun B.

Slumerican Record Label

Slumerican is an American independent record label. It focuses on hip hop music. Yelawolf started it in 2012. The label has artists like DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia, Bubba Sparxxx, and Rittz. Slumerican also sells merchandise and has a store in Nashville, Tennessee.

Albums Released by Slumerican

Personal Life

Yelawolf has three children named Phoenix, Tariq, and N'Deyah from a past relationship.

In July 2013, Yelawolf got engaged to singer Fefe Dobson. They got married on September 27, 2019, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Discography

Studio Albums

• Creek Water (2005)
• Radioactive (2011)
• Love Story (2015)
• Trial by Fire (2017)
• Trunk Muzik III (2019)
• Ghetto Cowboy (2019)
• Mud Mouth (2021)
• War Story (2024)

Compilation Albums

• Shady XV (with Shady Records) (2014)

Solo EPs

• Arena Rap (2008)
• Trunk Muzik 0-60 (2010)
• Hotel (2016)

Collaborative Albums

• Yelawolf Blacksheep (with Caskey) (2021)
• Turquoise Tornado (with Riff Raff) (2021)
• Mile Zero (with DJ Muggs) (2021)
• Sometimes Y (with Shooter Jennings) (2022)

Collaborative EPs

• The Slumdon Bridge (with Ed Sheeran) (2012)
• Psycho White (with Travis Barker) (2012)
• Black Fall (with DJ Paul) (2013)
• Catfish Billy x Cub Cook Up Boss (with Cook Up Boss) (2017)
• Catfish Billy x Cub Cook Up Boss Slum Trap (with Cook Up Boss) (2019)
• Slumafia (with DJ Paul) (2021)

Mixtapes

• Pissin' in a Barrel of Beez (2005)
• Ball of Flames: The Ballad of Slick Rick E. Bobby (2007)
• Stereo: A Hip-Hop Tribute To Classic Rock (2008)
• Trunk Muzik (2010)
• Heart of Dixie (2012)
• Trunk Muzik Returns (2013)

Images for kids

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  Yelawolf performing at Slumfest 2019

See Also

In Spanish: Yelawolf para niños