With the ingredients of a record label’s wet dream, Yelawolf continues in the grand white-trash tradition of mentor and label boss Eminem. Cementing his persona, the Alabama wordsmith has a thick country twang and tattoos. After several acclaimed mixtapes, Yela adapts his formula to the grand stage that has birthed the likes of 50 Cent on his Shady Records maiden voyage, titled Radioactive.
Whether he succeeds or not depends on what you appreciate about his style. His rapid-fire flow is stamped all over the 15 cuts on offer, while slightly simplified. On one of the album’s most calculated moments, Let’s Roll, he is accompanied by fellow white-trash specialist Kid Rock on for a mostly quality anthem. If you like his tales of growing up southern and dirt poor you’ll definitely get your fix. The height of this would be the cinematic Made In The U.S.A, spitting lines like “single mother child raising, from a stripper pole swinging/daughter’s in the red light, coats for the cold season.”
Somewhat appropriating his mentor’s formula, Yelawolf looks to have his own Love The Way You Lie moment on cuts like The Hardest Love Song In The World, which sound too calculated for their own good. While not everything on Radioactive clicks, it’s hard to not root for this talented underdog. Whether his style can evolve and stand the test of the time remains to be seen and heard.
BY ANDREW ‘HAZARD’ HICKEY
Best Track: Everything I Love The Most
If You Dig This, You’ll Like: Recovery EMINEM, Stankonia OUTKAST, Ridin’ Dirty UGK
In A Word: Promising
