Yelawolf

“Where I'm from is like 'Hustle & Flow' versus '8 Mile.' It's that really grimy, box-Chevy, dope-boy, working-class music.”

“For real, some of my favorite music is Mexican. It's something about the bassline and the drumming. I can't even speak Spanish, but that's probably why I like it so much.”

“Anyone can relate to struggle, whether you're European or Asian. Anyone can relate to having to get up and go to work and eat.”

“I just picked up a lot of classic-rock, melodic influence from my mom, music that she listened to, like 10,000 Maniacs, Led Zeppelin, REO Speedwagon and Yes.”

“I don't go to clubs and throw money and pop bottles. That's not my thing, no disrespect.”

“I'm never scared what people are gonna think about music that I make.”

“This is hip-hop. If you've got something you want to rap about, just rap about it, man.”

“I can tell you that when you're willing to give your life up to see a dream through, the reward is great.”

“Shady's great; I love Shady Records.”

“I'm from the South, and there's a different understanding of how to chop. There's a syllable play. It's a delicate art. Your accent has a lot to do with it. If you're from a certain area, words don't roll of your tongue as slick.”

“You don't want to get stuck with a record that you've done with someone that you feel obligated to put out - that's not really dope, just because you made an effort to get together and work.”

“Just because a rapper is white, I don't feel the need to attack them.”

“'Yela' represents hunger, life, light, fire, power. 'Wolf' speaks to my fighting spirit. The soul I put in my music.”

“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.”

“I think any artist that's going to become anything in this world faces humility: with great humility comes great success.”

“'Radioactive' is the fall out of my life's inspirations, a testament to my ability to survive it all and to tell the story.”

“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.”

“Yeah, I have animosity, a chip on my shoulder. But I love, too.”

“American music culture is black culture.”

“You have to fall. You have to understand what that feels like. For what I want in my life, and for where I want to go with this music, you gotta be humiliated, man. You gotta understand what that feels like. It just makes you stronger.”