Yelawolf was born in Gadsden, Alabama. He spent much of his childhood in various locations around the southern United States, including Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Atlanta, Georgia and Antioch, Tennessee. Yelawolf is Cherokee and the name is a reference to his Native American origin. Yelawolf is an avid skateboarder and made attempts at a professional skateboarding career but was forced to abandone it due to injuries. Yelawolf began releasing mixtapes independently in 2007. Yelawolf was briefly signed to Columbia Records in 2007. He left the label in 2008. In 2009, Yelawolf was featured on the Slim Thug album, BOSS OF ALL BOSSES. In 2010, he signed with Interscope Records and now releases, TRUNK MUZIK 0-60. The album features the singles "Pop The Trunk" and "I Just Wanna Party (featuring Gucci Mane)".