Michael Wayne Atha (born December 30, 1979), better known by his stage name Yelawolf, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, fashion designer, and entrepreneur. Born and raised in Gadsden, Alabama, Atha embarked on his career independently in 2005, releasing one extended play (EP) and four mixtapes until 2010. It was not until 2010’s Trunk Muzik EP that Yelawolf started to gain mainstream attention. The same year, Yelawolf signed a record deal with Interscope Records. His first release on a major label was a somewhat reworked Trunk Muzik, titled Trunk Muzik 0-60, which shared six tracks from Trunk Muzik.
In January 2011, Yelawolf signed a recording deal with Eminem’s record label, Shady Records, and released his second studio album, Radioactive on November 21, 2011. The album debuted at number 27 on the Billboard 200. Yelawolf released a sequel to his breakthrough mixtape Trunk Muzik, titled Trunk Muzik Returns, on March 14, 2013. His third album, Love Story, was released on April 21, 2015. His fourth album, Trial by Fire, was released on October 27, 2017. His fifth album, expected to be his last under Shady Records, Trunk Muzik III, was released on March 29, 2019. His sixth studio album, Ghetto Cowboy, and first independent studio album since signing to Eminem’s imprint, was released on October 31, 2019.