Yelawolf On ‘Shady XV’ And His Evolution Since ‘Trunk Muzik’

It's been nearly four years since Yelawolf put out a album. Fours years without a solo project can be crippling to an MC's career but Wolf manages to keep his name afloat. Since the release of his major label debut album Radioactive, Yelawolf has remained relevant in hip-hop by releasing collaborative projects with Ed Sheeran and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and dropping his Trunk Muzik Returns mixtape, a followup to his breakout mixtape that landed him a deal with Shady Records and a spot on the 2011 XXL Freshmen cover.

Since 2012, the Gadsden, Ala. native has been working rigorously on his sophomore album, Love Story. But this time around he's doing things on his own terms. On Love Story, Wolf plans to give a body of work that he deems is completely his, all while lending his talents to Eminem for Shady Records' upcoming double dis compilation, Shady XV. While on the road, Yelawolf hopped on the phone with XXL to discuss Shady XV, his upcoming album Love Story and the upcoming five year anniversary of his breakout mixtape Trunk Muzik. —Emmanuel C.M.