As Eminem's protege, the Alabama-raised Yelawolf is the latest rapper to tap into a niche you could politely call white trash rap. His debut album on Shady Records, Radioactive, openly embraces his less-than-classy roots, with brags about his body being totally tatted up, rocking “dirty ass jeans,” and stockpiling run-down cars in his front yard. (Em joins in the fun by dropping a guest verse on “Throw It Up” that pays tribute to those fine high-class emporiums K-Mart and Payless.) So to get you revved up for Yela's show at The Observatory this Friday, here's the ultimate white trash rap playlist.
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5. Bubba Sparxxx, “Ugly”
“Let's be honest — none of us will ever date a model.” So admitted portly Georgia-based rapper Bubba Sparxxx on his Timbaland-produced break-through song. Embracing his less than stellar looks and uncouth taste, the video features mud-wrestling with pigs, a topless man balancing rats on his shoulders, and a middle-aged woman shaving her mustache off. “Take a picture of me,” demands Bubba at one point. In the interests of good old-fashioned taste, we'll pass, thanks.
4. Yelawolf, “The Hardest Love Song In The World”
Yelawolf wears his down south, trailer park pedigree proudly. His tender-but-trashy ode to his fantasy girl sees him seducing her by talking about the likes of Axl Rose, Jason from Friday The 13th, and Ozzy Osbourne ripping the head off a bat. Adding to the classiness, Yela then promises a first date that involves shooting random dogs and cats while riding around in a beat-up car. Don't expect him to pick up the check.
3. The Beastie Boys, “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)”
The video to the Beasties' parenthesis-lumbered anthem might seem like tame stuff these days, what with Ad Rock, Mike D and M.C.A. terrorizing a house party largely by spitting beer at people and throwing custard pies around. But back the '80s the trio struck an iconic stand for white trash pride — a stance aided by the liberal wearing of stone-washed denim and black leather jackets.
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2. V-Nasty, “A Day With V-Nasty”
So white trash she's probably, you know, fine to use racist terms when it comes down to it, Kreayshawn's more shit-talking accomplice lit up the Internet last year with her foul-mouthed rants and raves. In lieu of posting up one of Ms. Nasty's songs — because, you know, why would you actually want to go there? — maximum cringe kicks can be found in the Internet footage of her casually slouching around Oakland for an afternoon. Call her a modern white trash princess.
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1. Eminem, “White Trash Party”
Rap's greatest ever trailer-park graduate, Eminem embraced his ashy roots by coining the ultimate white trash party anthem. It opens with Em jumping into a pinto that features such salubrious features as a garbage bag over one of the windows and flames spray-painted on the doors and then hitting up a club full of women sporting “tramp stamp” tattoos. Other trappings of the lifestyle: sneaking Bacardi into the club in your underwear, doing donuts in a hospital parking lot and, er, the proud boast of not needing “a tank-top to be a wife beater.” Classy!
Yelawolf performs Friday, Jan 6, 8 p.m. at the Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana. (714) 957-0600, $17.
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