Yelawolf takes a swig from a bottle of his Creek Water branded Whiskey at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Nov. 5, 2019. (Photo by Shedrick Pelt)
A substantial part of growth is change, but that change doesn’t necessarily have to come with a consequence of losing yourself. Those more fierce qualities about you, sometimes less than agreeable, don’t have to be muted to move forwarded.
If one artist that has proven this over the last 10 years, it’s Yelawolf. He’s still the trunk-rattling, rappin-ass white boy from Alabama who introduced himself to us with his 2010 debut Trunk Muzik. His music still evokes tangled emotions and transports us to dark arenas where the blending of rock and rap feels like a cosmic effort. He’s brought along his Slumerican family for this personal and intimate nation-wide tour in support of the new album Ghetto Cowboy.
Stream Yelawolf’s album Ghetto Cowboy on Spotify:
On Nov. 5, at The Fillmore Silver Spring, the Ghetto Cowboy’s tour bus pulled up and popped the trunk. The sold-out crowd welcomed the opening act. Wild the Coyote, the guitar slinging, mustache-wearing showman, gave use everything we didn’t know we wanted in his modern western tales of strife, and Badd Wolf, mechanical ear gauges and all, gave us calculated bars that complimented Wild in every way.
Stream Wild The Coyote & Badd Wolf’s Old Man on Spotify:
Gracing the stage on their first U.S. tour, Dallas natives The Outfit Tx. Mel & Jayhawk — childhood friends since the age of six — were hella excited for the opportunity and you could see it in their high energy performance. The Texas culture was bubbling over in their lyrics and outfit styling. Needless to say they showed up and showed out, the perfect lead up to the night’s headliner.
Watch the official music video for “BEZERK” by Outlaw Mel on YouTube:
Red taillights from a 1979 Chevy illuminated a pitch black stage. Tour DJ and frequent collaborator KLEVER chopped up records from the back seat bathed in a red glow. The bassline dropped and Yelawolf bounded on stage wearing coke-white cowboy boots! His verbal assault hadn’t changed a bit and the perfecting of his craft was evident. The rhythm of his rhymes matched the cadence of a Tommy Gun, breath control unmatched by any artist in the game.
The idea that anyone would call this a comeback is bullshit. Yela never left. He’s been tucked away, pondering, evolving, stewing — and his art reflects that. In a touching token to close out the night, Yelawolf brought his longtime partner out to toast their new marriage with a swig from a bottle of his Creek Water branded Whiskey.
It was a night to remember. Below are images of Yelawolf, The Outfit Tx, Wild The Coyote, and Badd Wolf at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Nov. 5, 2019. All images copyright and courtesy of Shedrick Pelt.
