S. Samuel
Shady Records' Yelawolf recently reflected on his status in the hip-hop game and how much of an impact Eminem has had on his hip-hop career.
Not even a full year under the Shady Records flag, Yela said Em has influenced him for years.
“Marshall, without even knowing, has been a mentor for a long time. I haven’t really steered away from my goal,” Yela said referring to Em by his government name. “I never told people what I wanted to do with my career. On a very personal level, I just stayed at it. But I did put it on my vision board that I wanted to be a part of Shady. I wanted to sit down with him because I knew he would understand where I was coming from. Even coming from Alabama, there were a lot of similarities. It was just two different musical influences in a sense. It’s all hip-hop, the genre of hip-hop that he was raised on and the genre that I was raised on, but still culturally and struggle-wise, there was so much in common. I figured that he would understand where I was coming from. At the very root of it, the attention that I pay to the skill level. I want to be the best that I could possibly be and be as honest as I could possibly be.” (Global Grind)
He also said Em has not tried to steer him or provide career-based tips.
“He doesn’t really give me personal advice. We don’t have conversations like that. He just said welcome to the game. I’ve told him that I’ve gone through specific situations with radio and having a hard time opening up. The only thing he ever said really was just ‘Welcome to the game, buddy.’ A lot of great advice just goes without saying. I’ve watched him, which has been a huge influence. He doesn’t have to say much. He says so much with his music and his career. I pay attention and I’m humble when I’m around him in the studio soaking it up.” (Global Grind)
Yela’s long-awaited Radioactive Shady Records debut hit the sales chart last month.
Shady Records’ rapper Yelawolf’s Radioactive also debuted on the chart this week landing at No. 27. With seven days in the books, his new LP has pushed out 40,900 records. (SOHH Sales Wrap)
Em officially inked Yelawolf and rap quartet Slaughterhouse to Shady last January.
Eminem is back in more ways than one. The Detroit lyricist is reviving his Shady Records company, and Wednesday (January 12) he announced the signing of two new acts: underground supergroup Slaughterhouse and upstart rapper Yelawolf. Cashis and D-12 remain on the roster, but Em made no secret of wanting to bring new life to his company. “Yelawolf and Slaughterhouse, it’s kinda phase two of Shady,” Eminem explained in a statement. “It’s the new generation of Shady Records, and as we’re trying to rebuild our label, it’s exciting for hip-hop, and with all of these forces coming together and with what everybody’s capable of on the mic, it’s gonna be fun.” (MTV)
Check out some recent Yelawolf footage down below:
