[MUSIC] THE SAVAGE ANIMAL "The Videography of Yelawolf"
02.06.13
BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
I first heard about Southern rapper Yelawolf about a year and a half ago. He was first getting some mainstream love and he really only had two or three videos. I dug what I heard and figured it would only be a matter of time before he blew up huge. Over the past year or so I’ve heard that he signed with Shady Records, has appeared in a lot of articles, and has worked with a lot of cool people. He’s still one of the most interesting and fresh new faces of hip hop I’ve recently seen.
His album is doing well, he’s got the support of some big names, and things keep moving forward in his career. But what about his music videos? Like a lot of popular and in-demand rappers he has popped up as a guest on quite a few tracks out there and has collaborated with others. Today I’m going to look at his solo videos…
Track: "Pop the Trunk”
Album: ”Trunk Muzik 0-60”
Year: 2010
Director: Motion Family
In the debut single, Yelawolf gets his message and image out there. Through very nicely shot and cut scenes of his mother chopping up meat with a skinned deer behind her, his stepdad shooting a burglar with a shotgun, and then some drama and scuffles at a local liquor store. The one thing I took from that last part is that “thugs” look ridiculous trying to run away while holding up their sagging jeans. In all seriousness, this video is pretty well done for the first time out. It captures the Southern backwoods type of vibe nicely. It’s a weird line to teeter on. Normally that kind of atmosphere produces more country or at least some deep twang. You don’t get that with Yelawolf. It comes off like he’s a “dude from the streets” living in in the hills. It could come off really fake and artificial, but it doesn’t. You feel this is the dude’s normal life and he’s just doing his thing. Really interesting and promising first impression. Rating: 7.0
Track: "I Just Wanna Party" (featuring Gucci Mane)
Album: ”Trunk Muzik 0-60”
Year: 2011
Director: Motion Family
This is a pretty normal scenario for a rap video. It’s a house party where people are getting drunk, hot chicks are dancing, back-handed peace signs, and rappers getting all up in the camera. There is a nice and quick cameo by Big Boi too. It is a typical set up for a video, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s not at all. Just because the concept is a little played doesn’t mean the production, the energy, the shots, and the editing aren’t well done. Videos like this can get boring, but this one keeps your attention and head banging. Not bad at all. Rating: 7.5
Track: "Daddy's Lambo"
Album: ”Trunk Muzik 0-60”
Year: 2011
Director: Mike Mihail
Everyone wakes up from a chaotic party. I’ll assume not the party from the “I Just Wanna Party” video. Yela ends up hooking up with a party girl as the sun is coming up. We find out that this party girl comes from money and her dad has a Lamborghini. Guess who wants to drive it? We cut to shots to them in the lambo driving around and having a good time. The green screen background for the driving is cool looking. Yela eventually dips on the chick, steals the car, and then takes it to a chop shop. It kept my attention, it told a story, and it was well done. I got nothing to really complain about. Rating: 7.0
Track: "Hard White (Up In The Club)" (featuring Lil Jon)
Album: ”Radioactive”
Year: 2011
Director: Motion Family
Yelawolf enters a club here Lil’ Jon is there being hyped up. Yela gets on the stage and lets loose with the track, sings in the middle of the crowd, and all around. There is a lot of whiskey, girls dancing, what looks like jello wrestling, and just a good time. The energy and the aggressive party vibe works nicely in this. The direction and shots are great, especially that slo-mo ass slap like three and half minutes in. Rating: 7.0
Track: "Let's Roll" (featuring Kid Rock)
Album: ”Radioactive”
Year: 2011
Director: Motion Family
I like Kid Rock. I might not get into all of his recent stuff, but I generally appreciate his work. That said, him being involved with a new and upcoming rapper made me a little nervous. Does it mean Kid Rock is cool because he’s hip to Yelawolf OR does it mean Yelawolf is going to get lame now. I’m pretty confident it’s Kid Rock knowing what’s up. The video is fun. Yela and Rock cruise around and have a good time just chilling out. We get cuts of life and people doing their thing. They spend a bit on a roof top and then to a night time party where everyone is having a good ol’ time. It’s a pretty casual video, but like all of these videos so far… really well done. I guess my only gripe was why wasn’t Kid Rock at that night time party? Seeing him in that kind of atmosphere would have been cool. Rating: 6.5
Track: "Marijuana”
Album: ”Trunk Muzik 0-60”
Year: 2012
Director: Figz, Yelawolf
Layers, old washed out film look, crazy coloring, and bouncier cuts make this video easily the most stylized video so far. We see a lot of quick cuts of weed and what seems to be a weed heist. Yela snatches a big bag and rushes off with a friend. As time goes on, it’s not really a “heist” but rather a really elaborate pick up and drop off. It covers the business and annoyed illegal side of it, but also the casual fun and good it bring. The finally goes down and fun is had by all. It’s a trippy video, but it still has a point and a plot. It ends up being a little ode to weed in the form of a short video. How the video breaks down for at the end is pretty bad ass. Rating: 7.5
Track: "Gutter”
Album: ”Radioactive”
Year: 2012
Director: Tyler Clinton, Michael Wayne
This is a short horror film for the song “Growin’ Up in the Gutter” and it’s pretty intense. The video slowly opens up with a boy sitting in a chair while a woman, assumingly his mother, turns on a projector. Bright flashes of light and wind come from whatever they’re watching as the camera really slowly creeps forward to the strained face of the child and upward over the woman’s shoulder. We finally see what’s on the screen and it’s tons of vulgar and horrible stuff involving killing animals, beheadings, war, and tons of horrendous stuff. The camera warps and we go back to the same room, but now it’s a creepy guy sitting in a dress. I think we’re to assume it’s the same kid, but older and really fucked up in the head. He wanders out of the room and into another one where he sits by a creepy painting. It cuts back and forth to shots of him chasing after and attacking a woman. She tries to run away, but he just toys with her for a while before ending her. It’s all really fucking graphic and disturbing. The man finally leaves this house in the guise of a gutter service man. He hops his in van and slowly and surely creeps away from the nice little subdivision. Wow. Rating: 8.5
