Biography
Everlast & Yelawolf is a collaborative project uniting two veteran figures in genre‑blending hip hop: New York–born rapper/singer Erik Schrody, better known as Everlast, and Alabama rapper Michael Wayne Atha, known as Yelawolf.[4][6] Everlast first rose to prominence in the early 1990s as frontman of the Irish‑American rap group House of Pain, whose hit “Jump Around” became a defining anthem of that era, before reinventing himself as a gravel‑voiced, blues‑ and folk‑inflected solo artist with the Grammy‑winning crossover single “What It’s Like.”[6] Yelawolf, raised between Alabama and Tennessee, came up later from the Southern underground with a hard‑edged mixtape run that crystallized on his breakout project “Trunk Muzik,” eventually leading to major‑label deals with Interscope and Shady Records and cementing him as a key architect of modern country‑rap and Southern hip hop.[2][3][4]
Bringing these backgrounds together, the Everlast & Yelawolf collaboration extends both artists’ long‑standing interest in mixing hip hop with Americana, rock, and country textures, with Everlast’s blues‑ and rock‑leaning songwriting dovetailing with Yelawolf’s rural storytelling and high‑velocity rap cadences.[2][3][6] Their joint work sits comfortably within country hip hop and Southern hip hop, reflecting Everlast’s earlier experiments with country‑rap on solo records like “White Trash Beautiful” and Yelawolf’s later, more fully realized fusion on projects such as “Love Story,” all filtered through the perspective of two road‑tested lyricists who have each navigated major‑label systems, independent releases, and stylistic reinventions.[2][3][6] As a pairing, they underscore the throughline between early 1990s rap‑rock crossovers and the contemporary country‑rap movement, highlighting how hip hop’s narrative grit and country’s working‑class storytelling can be woven into a shared aesthetic.
Beyond stylistic overlap, Everlast & Yelawolf embodies a kind of cross‑generational dialogue within hip hop’s broader fusion history, connecting Everlast’s House of Pain era and late‑1990s acoustic rap‑blues to Yelawolf’s 2010s country‑trap innovations and Nashville‑based output.[2][3][6] While each continues to maintain an active solo identity—Everlast as a singer‑songwriter with strong blues and rock leanings, Yelawolf as a prolific emcee associated with the Slumerican brand—their collaboration emphasizes mutual respect for live instrumentation, storytelling, and the melding of outlaw, punk, and country attitudes with classic rap technique, reinforcing their reputations as boundary‑pushers rather than trend‑chasers.[2][3][5][6]
Fun Facts
- Everlast, born Erik Schrody in Valley Stream, New York, is of Irish‑American background and won a Grammy Award for his crossover hit "What It’s Like," which helped define his post–House of Pain solo identity.[6]
- Yelawolf, born Michael Wayne Atha in Gadsden, Alabama, spent part of his youth between Alabama and Tennessee and later experienced periods of homelessness, including a stint in Berkeley, California, before committing fully to music.[1][3][5]
- Before his major‑label breakthrough, Yelawolf experimented with a "futuristic country hip‑hop rock band" in Atlanta that featured both a DJ and a Black fiddle player, foreshadowing his later signature blend of country and rap.[3]
- Everlast’s 2004 solo album "White Trash Beautiful" carried an almost country‑rap feel, predating the mainstream country‑rap wave and aligning conceptually with the hybrid direction Yelawolf would pursue a decade later.[2][6]
Musical Connections
Mentors/Influences
- Early New York hip hop and rock scenes (for Everlast) - Everlast’s style was shaped by late‑1980s/early‑1990s New York hip hop and rap‑rock culture, which informed his work with House of Pain and later his fusion of rap with blues, rock, and country‑tinged songwriting. (House of Pain catalog; solo album "Whitey Ford Sings the Blues"; later country‑rap‑leaning album "White Trash Beautiful") [Late 1980s–2000s]
- Southern hip hop and country music (for Yelawolf) - Yelawolf has cited the influence of Southern hip hop acts and the country and rock music he absorbed growing up in Alabama and Tennessee, which became the backbone of his country‑rap fusion.[1][2][3] (Mixtapes "Trunk Muzik" and "Trunk Muzik Returns"; albums "Radioactive" and "Love Story") [1990s–2010s]
Key Collaborators
- House of Pain (Everlast) - Everlast’s original breakthrough came as frontman of House of Pain, collaborating closely with DJ Lethal and Danny Boy on hard‑edged early‑1990s hip hop that later informed his sensibility for fusing rap with rock and other styles.[6] (House of Pain albums including the self‑titled debut featuring "Jump Around") [Early–mid 1990s]
- Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment and WLPWR (Yelawolf) - Yelawolf’s early career development was tied to producer WLPWR and Ghet‑O‑Vision, where they crafted the "Trunk Muzik" mixtape that established his aggressive Southern sound and opened the door to major‑label deals.[3][4] (Mixtape "Trunk Muzik"; EP "Arena Rap") [Late 2000s–early 2010s]
- Major‑label partners and cross‑genre collaborators (Yelawolf) - Following "Trunk Muzik," Yelawolf signed with Interscope and Shady Records and released his debut album "Radioactive," later branching into collaborative EPs with rock drummer Travis Barker and pop singer‑songwriter Ed Sheeran as he refined his country‑rap hybrid.[2] (Album "Radioactive"; collaborative projects with Travis Barker; EP "The Slumdon Bridge" with Ed Sheeran) [2010s]
Artists Influenced
- Country‑rap and crossover hip hop artists - Everlast’s blend of hip hop with blues, rock, and country elements on solo records, and Yelawolf’s later, more explicitly country‑rap output, have been cited as touchstones for artists exploring similar fusions between rap and Americana or country aesthetics.[2][6] (Everlast’s "What It’s Like" and "White Trash Beautiful"; Yelawolf’s "Trunk Muzik Returns" and "Love Story") [Late 1990s–2020s]
Connection Network
Discography
Albums
| Title | Release Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Love Story | 2015-04-21 | Album |
| Ghetto Cowboy | 2019-11-01 | Album |
| Trunk Muzik 0-60 | 2010-01-01 | Album |
| Mud Mouth | 2021-04-30 | Album |
| Give 'Em Hell Until You Get to Heaven | 2025-05-30 | Album |
| Trunk Muzik 3 | 2019-03-29 | Album |
Top Tracks
- 1Train (feat. Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson & Big K.R.I.T.) (LONG.LIVE.A$AP (Deluxe Version))
- You and Me (Ghetto Cowboy)
- Till It's Gone (Love Story)
- Best Friend (Love Story)
- Pop The Trunk (Trunk Muzik 0-60)
- Unlive - with Yelawolf (Whitsitt Chapel)
- Daddy's Lambo (Trunk Muzik 0-60)
- Catfish Billy
- Searching for Heaven
- American You (Love Story)
External Links
Heard on WWOZ
Everlast, Yelawolf has been played 1 time on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.
| Date | Time | Title | Show | Spotify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 14, 2025 | 22:57 | Put Your Lights On 2025 - Acoustic Versionfrom Eat At Whitey's (25th Anniversary) | What's Neww/ Duane Williams |