Rapper Yelawolf and Shooter Jennings‘ new rock project, called Sometimes Y, released their self-titled debut album today (March 11). Though it was a new vocal experience for Yelawolf, he said he wasn’t trying to pull off sounding like Robert Plant for the album.
A rapper and a singer-songwriter may seem like an unlikely duo to make a rock record, but they successfully made it work. As the first few singles from the album rolled out, Yelawolf claimed that he was always interested in diving into the rock world at some point, but he admitted to Loudwire Nights host Toni Gonzalez that it was a bit of a challenge modifying his vocal style and singing throughout an entire album.
“I’ve just been so hungry for so many years to explore real rock ‘n’ roll, but it was just… I’m extremely picky. I’ve always been extremely picky about how I’ve carried that into my career thus far, and how I sampled or played with rock ‘n’ roll melodies throughout hip-hop, and obviously southern rock melodies as well,” Yelawolf explained.
“But my writing style — that was a challenge, and singing an entire record was a challenge. First of all, it was scary because Shooter put me in the studio with phenomenal musicians… I had to step up and really challenge myself vocally,” he continued. “I don’t consider myself a vocalist at all. I know how to perform what I’m trying to say, and I just did this record to the best of my abilities. I didn’t put too much pressure on myself, trying to pull some Robert Plant shit off on this record. I just had to figure out how to pattern the lyrics and do the phrasing in a way that I could pull off.”
Both musicians are aware that people may be a little surprised by what they created for this album — given their musical backgrounds — especially their fans. Yelawolf disclosed that he’s no stranger to scrutiny as a rapper, and accepted that some people won’t like what he releases.
“If you don’t get this, you just don’t get it. It’s all good,” he remarked. “Everybody has a taste for something… I’ve laid out the breadcrumbs for years, I’ve said this is coming for a long time. And if you’ve listened to the melodies that I brought to hip-hop, then it makes sense, or if you’ve been to my shows. My core fans are into this shit.”
To hear more from the pair, tune into Loudwire Nights tonight at 7PM ET, and check out the brand new Sometimes Y album below.
Loudwire Nights with Toni Gonzalez airs nightly starting at 7PM ET. You can tune in anytime, from anywhere right here or by downloading the Loudwire app.
Yelawolf + Shooter Jennings – Sometimes Y
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