At age 45, rapper Yelawolf is fully embracing where he stands.

Now two decades removed from his debut album, “Creekwater,” he’s seen his share of ups and downs as an artist. From rising out of Alabama as part of a slew of blog-friendly mixtape rappers early on, to collaborating with everyone from Shooter Jennings to Travis Barker and Ed Sheeran, there’s been no shortage of twists and turns along the way. He’ll bring all of those experiences to The Rave this Saturday night. 

Ahead of the show, we got a chance to sit down with Yelawolf, who called in from his house to talk about his recently-announced new album “45,” this past June’s “War Story,” and how he’s evolved as a songwriter and storyteller:

OMC: Let's talk about the exciting thing first. You just announced you're working on a new project or are in the process of completing a new project. Tell me what you can about “45.”

Yelawolf: Thanks for asking. Well, we've. So this is like a really pivotal point in my life, you know? You know, I'm 20 years in the game and, you know, I was officially signed to Shady/Interscope when I was 30. So 15 years later, I just felt like leaning into 45 was important, you know? It represents a high point, you know what I mean? This year on my birthday was a super new moon. So there's a lot of changes that were happening even before my birthday, but also what was to come with  (producer) Malay and I. He did the Michael Wayne side of “War Story” and with our history, we just thought that, leaning into this era of my life, you know, what does that sound like? What does that feel like? As a as a mature artist, you know, outside of being a hip hop artist.

So far, the music, I think it's so incredible, you know, Malay’s, bringing something out of me that none of us have actually ever heard before. Even my manager and my really close, close friends. There's a tonality to the singing and the vocal performance that I've never explored, or heard myself in that way before.

OMC: You’ve been able to jump around a lot, working with everyone and living in those different worlds. When you go in to make a record, are you intentional about what might be a rock record or a hip hop record?

Yelawolf: That’s a good point, because previous projects, previous collaborations, I kind of hit all the bases, you know what I mean? Like some of my influences, whether it's features or the style of a song, whatever it is, “45” is way more intentional. We’re doing something brand new. This is brand new Yela shit, you know? It's definitely like turning the page and trying something fresh. Even the vocal recording style, I’m recording dry verses. Very near face vocals. Like, like on “Falling Star,” the song that I leaked, the verses are like, bone dry.

OMC: It feels like you’re being very direct with the listener.

Yelawolf: There's no reverb, there's no echo. Even hearing my voice that closely with no effects or reverb or anything like that is something I've never done, ever. I'm just taking a different approach and seeing what happens. That’s a point to the freedom of owning this era of my life.

I never thought it was attractive for an artist to run from growing older. I’ve always looked up to older artists that just wore it and made it sexy, just the acceptance of it. It makes the artist more approachable, and more real.

OMC: It doesn’t feel like you’re chasing anything that’s not there, right? 

Yelawolf: I think leaning into it is also important. Hip hop especially wants to write everyone off and that's a strange thing. It doesn't happen in rock and roll. It doesn't happen in blues, it doesn't happen in country. It really only happens in hip hop. Everyone is Lil this or Baby that, and it’s only getting younger. Our elders are still kicking it, you know? Our older artists are still doing it. It's still a super young genre. I'll always be in love with hip hop. Obviously, it's my first love, that and rock and roll. If “45” presents an opportunity to kick some rap verses then I'll do it. But so far, it's not going that direction at all for sure.

OMC: One thing that I think you really do well, especially now as you see more young artists that maybe can't hold the same subject matter for more than four bars, is that you tell a story really well in your verses. Where does that kind of come from for you?

Yelawolf: Story writing is one part country music for sure, and obviously early like gangsta rap too, like Ice Cube, Scarface. Even Biggie Smalls, the Geto Boyz, Slick Rick, and the list goes on.There's an art to telling a story. Country music, I would say that most of it was storytelling. It really was a form of rapping.You know, “Devil went down to Georgia” is very rap in essence. Johnny Cash rapped all the time. George Jones, Patsy Cline, you know? I'm speaking of storytelling in particular, not just rapping. I love Hank Williams Jr. 

I was cloaked in that shit as a kid, you know? My mother was 16 years old from Alabama, and she jumped right into the music industry. Her first boyfriend was Aerosmith and Ted Nugent’s light guy for seven years. Then she married Randy Travis’ stage manager. We moved to Nashville, so I was just surrounded by all of it. Musically, I was super fortunate for that. But that storytelling definitely stems from classic country and early hip hop.

OMC: You’ve been to Milwaukee several times. What is your favorite part of touring at this point?

Yelawolf: I think that these days, my favorite part about live shows are the new faces. I feel like every five years or every ten years, you have this opportunity to reinvent yourself with a whole new group of people.and they attach themselves to you. That to me is the coolest thing that happens.Of course, I appreciate my day ones, but it's dope to see younger fans coming out to the shows. You go back to a city the same time, like I’ve played The Rave over ten years now, maybe longer.Every time I go, it's a new group of people. Like it's like a rotating door of new fans, which is crazy.

OMC: Have you been to The Rave pool?

Yelawolf: Dude, I've been down there. The first time that I played The Rave was right when “Pop The Trunk” came out. I played the smallest room in the front. I remember two things. Mac Miller, rest in peace, had just played the bigger room before I got there, the night before. We asked to go down to see the pool because we heard it was haunted, and they didn't want to let us down there. I convinced him to let us down there. We went down there with flashlights, and it hadn't been revamped yet. The last time down there, it was built out. It was not that way when we went down there the first time. Rusty ladders, glass, graffiti, dark, no lights, you know what I mean? Like when we were down there, it was sketchy. There was definitely a vibe down there.that lives had been lost or changed for sure.

You can catch Yelawolf this Saturday at The Rave. Limited tickets are available via The Rave website.