Yelawolf - Radioactive

Seeing Yelawolf supporting Wiz Khalifa earlier this month pushed my anticipation for his debut into overdrive. Now the fateful day is upon us, I have been feverishly listening to Radioactive in order to find out whether the Shady Records signee is worth the hype.


'Radioactive Introduction' kicks off proceedings, the subdued beat allowing the listener to focus on the Alabama MC's complicated rhyme patterns. 'Get Away' follows, the track settling into a standard Southern banger with a welcome guest verse from new Cash Money Records member Mystical. In general, the features on the album are a surprise. There is no appearance from any Slaughterhouse members, Yela relying mainly on newcomers such as Shawty Fatt and Rittz to assist his project. This is not necessarily a drawback of the album, the effect achieved is that of a rough and ready Southern collection of songs. Rittz in particular shines on the blaring 'Growin' Up In The Gutter', the track used as an opportunity for the two MC's to explore darker, experimental themes. That is not to say that all the guests are as obscure. Eminem (as well as Gangsta Boo) drops by on 'Throw It Up'. The catchy, piano driven beat compliments the two white MC's, though the Gangsta Boo verse and chorus seems slightly out of place. Eminem's effort doesn't rank among his best work, though as expected there are plenty of quotable lines. The best collaboration is undoubtedly with Killer Mike on 'Slumerican Shitizen'. Here Yelawolf engages with deeper subject matter, discussing the political alienation he feels from the state. Less successful, but with similar themes, is 'Made in the U.S.A'. Yela laments the materialistic nature of modern America, but his serious message is undercut by a poppy hook. A drawback of the project is that it occasionally seems tailored towards radio exposure, sometimes at the expense of musical quality. Better examples of this are the Diplo produced 'Animal' and Kid Rock assisted 'Let's Roll'. Both of these tracks would not be out of place in a club or on the radio, but neither feel like cynical cash ins.


Lead single 'Hard White' is a tribute to the heyday of crunk, with Lil Jon producing his most compelling beat in years. The best track on the album, however, is 'The Last Song'. Over a mellow instrumental, Yela laments the fact he cannot celebrate his success with his absent father. The song also contains some touching reflections on his relationship with his mother, similar in tone to J Cole's 'Breakdown'.


Track by Track:


1. Radioactive (Intro) 7/10
2. Get Away (Feat. Shawty Fatt & Mystikal) 7/10
3. Let's Roll (Feat. Kid Rock) 8/10
4. Hard White (Up In The Club) (Feat. Lil Jon) 8/10
5. Growin’ Up In The Gutter (Feat. Rittz) 8/10
6. Throw It Up (Feat. Gangsta Boo & Eminem) 7/10
7. Good Girl 7/10
8. Made In The U.S.A. 6/10
9. Animal (Feat. Fefe Dobson) 7/10
10. The Hardest Love Song In The World 7/10
11. Write Your Name 7/10
12. Everything I Love The Most 8/10
13. Radio 6/10
14. Slumerican Shitizen (Feat. Killer Mike) 8/10
15. The Last Song 9/10


The Verdict:


Despite some ill advised pop leanings, Yelawolf has created perhaps the standout debut of the year. The album showcases the enormous potential of the Alabama born MC, while also displaying a surprisingly mature approach on certain tracks. The future certainly looks bright.


8/10

Wiz Khalifa - O2 Academy, Glasgow. 2/11/11

(Top quality image used with generous permission by Alexander Whittington.)

It was time for my second visit to the Academy within a month.Yelawolf had already started his supporting set when we entered the impressively full venue, his unmistakable quick fire nasal delivery floating to the back of the room. The Alabama MC's performative experience shone through as he whipped up the crowd in a way rarely achieved by those second on the bill. Lead album single 'Hard White (Up in the Club)' received a warm reception, as did a timely A capella rendition of his recent BET cypher appearance. Removing his vest to reveal a heavily tatooed torso (an action that was going to become somewhat of a theme as the evening progressed), Yela provided a menacing performance of personal favourite 'Pop Tha Trunk'. This was preceded by a bizarre interlude in which his DJ played a medley of The Doors, some Johnny Cash and then wrapped it up with some Eazy E. That aside, Catfish Billy left the crowd feeling strong anticipation for Radioactive (November 21st for those of you that are interested) Clocking in at nearly 45 minutes, the MC leaped from the stage for some crowd interaction for his final song. The future is looking bright for Shady Records signee.

An impressively short 20 minutes later, Khalifa took to the stage. Sharply attired in a fitted plaid shirt, Wiz launched into a selection of the weed induced mixtape material that propelled him to internet stardom. A nod to his British audience resulted in a sample of Tinie Tempah's 'Till I'm Gone', along with a performance of new track 'Young, Wild and Free'. The rapper pranced spasmodically across the stage, contorting his body playfully into an all manner of interesting shapes. The crowd was treated to a demonstration of Khalifa's karate skills, and an unnecessarily enthusiastic sensual self-rubdown of his tiny frame as the Pittsburgh native energetically clowned his way through the performance. As a result, the backing track was often employed to provide musical support, filling in the gaps when Wiz was otherwise engaged.
An uncharacteristically mundane interlude followed, Khalifa hammering home the point that we were all part of his 'Taylor Gang'. Members of his crew then flooded the stage, swathed in Taylor Gang memorabilia as a stomping performance of the song of the same name was performed. The track ended with the Wiz being 'shot down' by his light show, the rapper jerking his body in time with the gunfire.
The second half of the gig was devoted to gold selling album 'Rolling Papers'. The more chilled out pop oriented tracks required less exuberance, so Khalifa took the opportunity to use the microphone stand to showcase his vocal range. Favourites such as 'No Sleep', 'Fly Solo' and drug ode 'On My Level' were performed with aplomb, the rapper stumbling across the stage in accordance with his lyrics.
Single 'Roll Up' entered the set list as the performance wound towards the inevitable last song. The lights took on an appropriate hue as Wiz performed 'Black and Yellow', the song that propelled him to global stardom. He then ran off stage, his DJ coaxing him back for one last effort. 'Cameras' proved to be a suitable anthemic encore track, the crowd leaving the Academy with a definite buzz. In short, Wiz Khalifa showed Glasgow exactly why he is regarded as one of hip hop's most charismatic new stars.