Radioactive MC recruits Kid Rock and DJ Kool Herc for clip.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Steven Roberts
Yelawolf on the set of his "Let's Roll" video
Photo: MTV News
Yelawolf might rep Gadsden, Alabama, to the fullest, but for his next music video, Catfish Billy takes a pilgrimage to hip-hop's birthplace. For "Let's Roll," the next single off his debut LP, Radioactive, Yela hooks up with Kid Rock and hip-hop's inventor DJ Kool Herc for a ride through the Bronx, New York.
"We had the godfather, Kool Herc, come out and do a cameo — it's pretty incredible," Yela told MTV News while on set last week. "The director had the brilliant idea of bringing us to the Bronx, the home of hip-hop, where it was born, and it just made it mean so much more to me. I was like, 'Ahh, that's perfect.' "
While coming up in the rap game, Wolf has differentiated himself, playing up not only his southern roots, but the fact that he's a white rapper who at times looks more punk rock than hip-hop. But being from Gadsden doesn't make him any less authentic. In fact, in the "Let's Roll" clip, Wolf brings a trailer-park vibe to the Boogie Down Bronx.
"For me, being from Alabama, what hip-hop has given to me, bringing it back here and the blessing of it and just having Kool Herc out here, it's magic," Yela reflected.
When it's all said and done, Yelawolf expects the video will help define his career. "It's just one of those days that things came together the way they came together, and it'll be a pivotal video in my career," he said. "I know it's gonna really open up a huge door and open a lot of people up to the music."
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