{"id":28113,"date":"2014-12-17T23:44:39","date_gmt":"2014-12-18T04:44:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/?p=28113"},"modified":"2014-12-17T23:44:39","modified_gmt":"2014-12-18T04:44:39","slug":"musical-interlude-southern-rap-with-yelawolf-rittz-big-henry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2014\/12\/musical-interlude-southern-rap-with-yelawolf-rittz-big-henry\/","title":{"rendered":"Musical Interlude: Southern Rap With Yelawolf, Rittz, Big Henry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last night, I grabbed my concert friend Jessie<\/a> and we hustled to the front row of the Gramercy Theatre<\/a> to see country rapper Yelawolf. Yelawolf is having a hot moment with his song “Till It’s Gone<\/a>,” which was used in the second episode of the seventh (and final season) of Sons of Anarchy<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

I’ve seen Alabama-born Yelawolf twice before but this concert took place in much better circumstances. The first show, in Brooklyn in 2012, was disrupted by a massive nor’easter<\/a>. The second time I saw Yela was when he opened for Eminem at a small G-Shock-hosted show in 2013<\/a>. That audience seemed kind of corporate, and unfamiliar with Yelawolf, and stayed pretty quiet. The peeps at Gramercy Theatre knew damn well who he was and got rowdy.<\/p>\n

\"yela2resize\"

Yela up close and personal.<\/p><\/div>\n

Jessie and I were glad to have the front-row fence to hang onto when people in back of us got pushy. The other advantage of being up front at a Yelawolf concert? You’ll get cooled down by the beer that he always throws into the crowd. That’s his thing, y’all. Don’t get too close if you’re uptight about a beer bath. This time, our position also gave us a good view of Yela’s three young children<\/a> to the side of the stage, dancing around to songs like “I Wish<\/a>” (with the lyrics “I wish a motherfucka would<\/a> …”) and crystal-meth-mentioning “Billy Crystal<\/a>.” Some dads’ jobs are more interesting than others.<\/p>\n

\"yela3resize\"

Putting his back into it.<\/p><\/div>\n

My favorite thing about a Yelawolf concert is when he performs “Throw It Up,” which is the song he did with Eminem and — more importantly — my gorgeous rapper friend Gangsta Boo<\/a>. I’m getting a little bitter that I’ve seen him perform three times with a recording of her vocals, and not Boo herself. I want to see Yela AND Boo live.<\/p>\n