Born Michael Wayne Atha on 30 December 1979, this hip hop star is known artistically as Yelawolf. The Gadsden, Alabama native is half white and half Cherokee, Yelawolf being a reference to his Native American roots.
Atha’s original plan in life was to be a skateboarder but several injuries forced him to retire the dream and focus on music. As a kid his family moved around a lot, and he was especially influenced by the hip hop scene in Tennessee.
Atha gained popularity on television while on “The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliot” in 2005 and released his album “Creek Water” later that year. Columbia Records picked up Atha several years later and he released the single “Kickin’.” Atha’s luck with Columbia was short-lived however and he was dropped from the label.
Under Ghet-O Vison Entertainment Atha released four mixtapes from 2008-2010, the last one called “Trunk Muzik” which attracted the attention of Interscope Records. On 22 November 2010 the album was re-released as “Trunk Muzik 0-60.”
Along with a contract with Interscope Records, Atha was also signed to Eminem’s label Shady Records in 2011. His debut album on the label was “Radioactive” which was released on 21 November 2011 after a few leaked songs were removed from the final playlist. “Radioactive” reached #27 on the Billboard 200.
Yelawolf’s most recent album “Love Story” came out in 2014 with single “Till It’s Gone” making an appearance on the television hit “Sons of Anarchy” soundtrack. Atha attributes his love for classic rock to his mother whose favorite bands 10,000 Maniacs, Led Zeppelin, REO Speedwagon and Yes inspire him in his own songwriting.
Don Toliver
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