S. Samuel
Rap newcomer Yelawolf has revealed a recent sit-down he had with Interscope lablemate Eminem and what advice he received from the former drug addict.
According to Yela, Em gave him some tips for kicking back on his alcohol consumption.
“It was overwhelming at first,” Yela said in an interview. “I thought, ‘I’ll just be cool,’ but when I saw him it was different. This dude is like history. I felt the same when I met Big Boi and [Andre] 3000. These megastars and culturally-influential people, the first couple minutes you’re just in awe…We talked about shows and touring and sh*t…I like to drink a lot, but I sobered up. I got some advice from him about getting sh*t under control based on his experiences…I just gave him my story — where I was from, how my music developed, and I let him listen to some material on the new album…He did me the honor of letting me hear his sh*t before it came out and it was dope.” (Rap-Up)
Producer Jim Jonsin recently opened up about Eminem’s initial impressions of Yela.
“I’m really excited about Yelawolf, he just signed to Interscope and I actually played a video for Eminem of Yelawolf, ‘Pop The Trunk,’ and he really liked it,” Jonsin revealed in an interview. “It was really cool because I’ve been a fan of him for a long time, he’s like a little brother, I really have love for that dude. And seeing him come through, struggle and all, I played him the video — he watched the whole video and was really impressed and I told Yela about it and he was like, ‘Get the f*ck out of here!’ and I was like, ‘No, no, he watched the video and loved it.’ It’s cool that he signed to Interscope because Em’s on Interscope…I played him the video and played him [another] video after and he was like, ‘Wow, that’s the sh*t.’ He really liked it, he was honest with his opinion on it and I like that…he was like, ‘Yo, this dude’s serious.'” (Rap-Up TV)
Last spring, Yela talked about being signed to Interscope and the inevitable Eminem comparison.
“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)
Earlier this month, the rapper discussed battling stereotypes in hip-hop.
“I still face it at every show, dog. There’s always somebody. It never fails, never. Until I’m selling out my own shows and I’m going to be demo-ing for somebody. And somebody is not going to like me because I’m a white boy on stage rapping and I look different. That’s something I will experience until everybody that came through the door came to see just me. I’m used to it though, when you’re traveling with groups, you just have to be prepared to deal with it. Do your best to snap and walk off the stage holding your nuts. Always! That’s how you got to be. I grew up in Alabama so I’ve heard and seen it all. Knowing your talent is probably one of the keys to be successful.” (VIBE)
Check out a recent Yelawolf interview down below:
