S. Samuel
Rap newcomer YelaWolf has confirmed recent reports of being signed to Interscope Records and said he is open for a collaboration with new label mate Eminem.
According to Yela, he passed up opportunities to ink deals with Atlantic and Def Jam for Jimmy Iovine’s famed label.
“I’ve probably been through every label in the past couple of years,” laughs YelaWolf. “I don’t think we missed any. But after SXSW, it just got really heated, you know? Prior to that we had taken a few meetings, but we decided to just hold out and go knock it out there, see where it took us…I think it’s completely fair, especially now that I’m at Interscope [to be compared to Em.] There’s only been one internationally successful white rapper, so it’s human nature. Obviously I don’t know him as a person yet, but based on his lyrics and the music that he’s put out, there’s definitely a common ground of troubles. I’m absolutely up for it. I would love to work with Em. I’m a fan, so I’m definitely going to pitch it. I gotta take advantage of where I’m at.” (Billboard)
Yesterday, the rapper addressed speculation on his label status via Twitter.
“There’s been a lot of speculation about who I’ve signed with over the past few days, but my label has always been Ghet-O-Vision,” he wrote. “We all worked hard to get to this stage. I’m still Ghet-O-Vision but we’ve partnered with another team that will help push what we’ve been doing further…Interscope Records saw our vision and liked it and that’s who we went with. #hallerrrratcheee !!!!! GHETOVISION / INTERSCOPE .. LETS ROCK !!!!!!!!!!” (YelaWolf’s Twitter)
Hip-Hop personality Miss Info sparked the rumor mill with reports of his Interscope deal earlier this week.
A big birdie tells me that Yelawolf has officially signed to Interscope Records. Again, buzz+climate created a bidding war, but it seems Jimmy Iovine was highly motivated. Congrats to the Alabaman! Now usually I just pretend to be interested in people, but I’m honestly intrigued by this fellow (and I enjoy his Zannel). (Miss Info TV)
The rapper has already displayed his emcee skills as of late with a few notable collaborations.
Hip-hop’s still unsure how to solve a problem like Yelawolf. On Juelz Santana‘s “Mixin’ Up the Medicine,” he sang the pilfered-from-Dylan chorus. On Slim Thug‘s “I Run,” he was saddled with interpreting A Flock of Seagulls. But being the go-to white guy to use when it’s clever to do so is an empty fate. He deserves to be more than a curio. (New York Times)
Check out YelaWolf’s “Box Chevy: Part 2” music video below:
