Do you have any idea how Yelawolf struggled in life before he achieved his current success?
| Net Worth: | $4.5 million |
| Age: | 40 years old |
| Born: | December 30, 1979 |
| Country of Origin: | Gadsden, AL, United States |
| Height: | 6 feet |
| Source of Wealth: | Rapper, singer, songwriter |
| Last Updated: | 2020 |
Michael Wayne Atha, popularly known as Yelawolf, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to stardom after signing with Eminem’s Shady label and releasing his office debut, Radioactive, by the end of 2011.
As of 2020, Yelawolf’s net worth is estimated to be $4.5 million.
Early Life of Yelawolf
Michael Wayne Atha was born in Gadsden, Alabama on December 30, 1979, His mother, Sheila Mitchell, was only 16 years old when she gave birth to him. During his childhood, Yelawolf and his mother moved often so he attended multiple schools.
His interest in hip hop music started when he was in Antioch, Tennessee. He said that hip hop started making sense to him during that time and it was the time when hip hop made sense culturally.
Atha also said that the introduction to hip hop came because of his mother’s boyfriend, which happens to be a sound designer for Aerosmith. He made friends with the hip hop ground Run-DMC, which is extremely popular back then. He recalled that Run-DMC has been visiting his home and gave him some Beastie Boys’ Licensed to III tapes.
His stage name Yelawolf came from his father who is a Cherokee. The word “Yela” is a Cherokee word for “Sun” and the English word “Wolf” represents his intellectual and survivalist personality.
Yelawolf’s Brief Career Path to Wealth
Yelawolf’s career started in 2005 when he became a part of the reality series The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliott. When he was eliminated from the show, he released his independent debut album entitled Creekwater. Two years later, he signed with Sony BMG for the release of his promotional single Kickin.
In 2010, he made an appearance on Bizzare’s album Friday Night at St. Andrews and many speculated that he was leaning towards Eminem’s Shady Records.
This speculation became a reality in 2011 when his signing with the label was announced. In the same year, his official second debut album Radioactive was released.
The album became a hit after the hip hop magazine The Source gave it a 4.5 out of 5 mics. It was released on November 21, 2011, and reached #13 on Billboard 200 the following week.
The album’s production featured Eminem, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Diplo, Jim Jonsin, Pooh Bear, The Audibles, and WLPWR of SupaHotBeats. There are guest shots from famous personalities like Eminem, Lil John, Fefe Dobson, Shawty Fatt, Killer, Mike, Rittz, and more.
During a 2013 tour with Hopsin, he showed a preview of his album Love Story, but it was released in 2015 because Shady Records celebrated its 15th anniversary.
In 2017, he released the single Punk featuring Barker and Juicy J. In March 2019, he released the Trunk Muzik, Vol.3 featuring guest appearances from Rittz, Machine Gun Kelly, and more.
As of 2020, Yelawolf’s net worth is estimated to be $4.5 million.
Career Highlights
- Creekwater (Album, 2005)
- Kickin’ (Promotional Single, 2007)
- Radioactive (Album, 2011)
- Love Story (Album, 2015)
- Punk (Song, 2017)
- Trunk Muzik, Vol.3 (Mixtape, 2019)
Favorite Quotes from Yelawolf
“I’m not ashamed of anything that I’ve done because when I did it, I was passionate about it and I was doing it for a reason.” – Yelawolf
“Hip-hop is the only music in the world where you can take any instrument and make it hip hop. It’s anybody’s music. It’s what you make of it. That’s for anything you do in life.” – Yelawolf
“Everybody needs a release. Sometimes people mosh at my shows. That inspired me to make records to get the people more crunk. People need a release and I enjoy being an artist that can do that for people.” – Yelawolf
“I equally love both, classic rock and hip-hop. I love all music, really, and I really use classic rock a lot. I’m heavily influenced by that melodically in my music. I can’t really separate the two.” – Yelawolf
“My grandmother, grandfather, my mom – we’ve always been driven by laughter. It’s what held us together. Thanksgivings, any kind of family get-together, we usually end up in tears.” – Yelawolf
Lessons Learned from Yelawolf’s Life
Now that you’ve read about Yelawolf net worth and how he pushed through all the odds even if life tried to put him down multiple times, here are some sound lessons you learn a thing or two about his success as an artist.
Use your Failures to Learn
Yelawolf failed multiple times in his life. After being eliminated from the reality show The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliott, he used his failure to push through and enter the music industry. Since he was already known because of the show, he used it to his advantage and released an independent debut album.
He learned from his failures and capitalized on the fame that he obtained from the reality show. In life, you can always turn something negative to a positive one as long as you have a positive mindset.
Follow Your Passion
He is passionate about rap music and he followed it until he achieved success. As long as you are passionate about something, you will eventually achieve success if you pursue it.
Don’t Let Your Past Dictate your Future
Yelawolf did not have a great childhood. He transferred from one school to another because they had to move to different places. He didn’t have a permanent friend because they move often.
He did not let his past dictate his future and he found a way to improve himself and prove to everyone that he can do it.
Conclusion
The songs that he managed to release and being a part of Eminem’s Shady Records boosted Yelawolf’s career. Yelawolf net worth of $4.5 million won’t be possible if not for his perseverance and dedication to his craft.
