Though Eminem and Yelawolf grew up on different sides of the country, the adversity they’ve overcome is their common bond. It took some close friends to push Marshall onto the music of Alabama’s backwoods b-boy, but after one listen it became clear to him Yelawolf was destined for Shady. Now aligned on the same team at Em’s revamped Shady 2.0, Yela’s debut LP, Radioactive, rests in their hands.
For VIBE’s year-end issue, we sat Em and Yela down together in the Motor City for their first joint interview ever. Editor At Large, Erik Parker fired away to help us gain some insight on where their paths cross and split. In our exclusive interview, the posterboys of colorless hip-hop opened up about their views on race, past issues with substance abuse, similarities and differences.