Yelawolf at the Barrymore Theatre
Yelawolf
With the exception of Mac Miller, Alabama rapper Yelawolf has had the quickest rise to mainstream fame amongst his 2011 XXL Freshman Class. After his early 2010 mixtape, Trunk Muzik, saw him splitting the difference between UGK and Eminem, he signed to Interscope for the reissue, the even better Trunk Muzik 0-60. After some label shuffling, he landed at Eminem's Shady Records, and in late 2011 released Radioactive, his big budget solo debut. Radioactive's reception might not have matched that of Em's albums, but Yela has a reputation as a road horse, more or less continuously touring—both as an opener for the likes of Wiz Khalifa and a headliner in his own right—since he started catching hype two years ago. Judge for yourself if he lives up to it when he bring his live show back to Madison March 2 at the Barrymore. Tickets are $20 and go on sale Jan. 27.
