For Yelawolf, it was a long 3-year journey to get to the
release of Love Story and to finally make a statement in hip-hop about why he
deserves to be mentioned with some of the greats. However, before dropping Love Story Yelawolf dabbled in a number of side projects, working with
artists like Travis Barker from blink-182 and singer Ed Sheeran. Some would say
that it was Yelawolf’s way of trying to finally find a sound of his own that
makes him stand out from the rest of the hip-hop community. In my opinion,
Yealwolf had spent too much time on his debut album “Radioactive” trying to
create a big time hit song, rather than focusing on making a cohesive project. However, Love Story changes all that and it’s clear with this project that Yelawolf is
making the music he wants to make, whether critics like it or not. The Johnny Cash of Hip-Hop
It’s no secret that Yelawolf is a proud southerner, born and
raised in the swamps of Alabama and it’s clear with this album he decided to
channel his roots as well as influences as a kid. For me, this wasn’t the
stereotypical “hip-hop” album. As a listener you hear a bunch of different
sounds and instruments that are not common to rap music. Instruments like the
banjo, acoustic guitar, and even on the song “Fiddle Me This” which closes out
the album, we hear a fiddle playing in the background in what sounds like a
square-dance going on, a sort of celebration and liberation for Yelawolf
finally being able to release a project he can be proud of. It’s an
unconventional genre blending project of a variety of sounds. With the song “Love
Story” we hear some country, some blue grass, some rock n roll all meshed
together with Yelawolf’s amazing lyrical skills and outstanding production.
Yelawolf Gets Personal
One thing I take away from Love Story that left me loving
this project so much was the sheer openness and realism in his lyrics. A song
like “Empty Bottles” is a more introspective song that climbs into the mind of
Yela and his addiction to alcohol and gives the listener an understanding of
why Yelawolf is picking up the bottle so often. Another song like “Have a Great
Flight” which showcases the slow country blue grass style with touching lyrics about
his great-grandmother who passed away recently. Yelawolf holds nothing back and
wants his fans and listeners to really understand this journey he has been on
and to understand his quest for happiness and success.
Overall, for me this is one of the best albums of 2015 and I
think the mix of genre blending, powerful lyrics and thunderous production all
make this album a definite listen for anyone, not just Yelawolf fans
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