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Yelawolf has had a serious buzz for a while now. Mixtapes, followed by BET Cypher appearances and finally signing to Eminem’s Shady Records has made the Alabama rapper hot property before his debut even dropped.
And now it’s here, but Radioactive might not be what most fans were expecting from the quick spitting MC.
Throw it Up (with Eminem & Gangsta Boo), Get Away (with Shawty Fatt & Mystikal) and Hard White (with Lil John) hark back to the Southern slang/machinegun fire flow combination of Trunk Muzik.
But tracks like Made in the USA, Drowin’ up in the Gutter and the Killer Mike assisted Slumerican Shitizen, have Yelawolf pondering on the ills of society and this social rap may come as a bit of surprise to fans of the razor tongued emcee.
These tracks aren’t bad, but the differentiating styles lead to the album having a compilation feel, rather than a running theme that knits it all together.
The features are solid; Kid Rock, Eminem, Mystikal and Gangsta Boo all stop by to share the booth with Yela, and the production (although again a mix of styles) is solid throughout.
As a debut it’s pretty decent, there is some experimentation that doesn’t fully connect but overall Radioactive is a good platform for a young and exciting rapper to showcase his abilities to a wider audience.