Yelawolf Changes Name to M.W.A
Say goodbye to Yelawolf. Eminem’s protégé has announced that he will now be going by his given name, Michael Wayne Atha aka M.W.A.
Posting a series of bizarre videos on social media, M.W.A opened up about a rough year, which included a recent hospitalization.
“my own X manager and wanna be father had me apprehended and thrown in the psych ward in SD .. where they tried to break me and feed me drugs for 72 hours against my will,” he wrote. “I lost everything .. and lost 95% of every so called friend and business associates during my stay … and I bounced back so f*ckin hard and fast they should give me my own line of Olympic diving boards .. my soul must be spring loaded.”
Another major change in his career comes with a new affiliation. Wayne says he has Del the Funky Homosapien’s blessing as a new member of the legendary Hieroglyphics crew, a beloved Oakland-based rap collective that features Casual, Pep Love, and Souls of Mischief, among others. According to Michael, his mother will now have the keys to his Slumerican empire as its new creative director and CEO.
Along with the new mission statement, the rapper formerly known as Yelawolf shared some disturbing footage. In one clip, he decorates a pair of white Vans slip-ons with his blood. In another, he is being handcuffed, and in another vid, he’s laying on a hospital bed. “the footage I’m posting is a few weeks old,” he wrote under a photo. “I’ve been out of that place for a few weeks … getting back to me.”
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It’s unclear when this footage was actually shot, but there’s been talk of concern about Catfish Billy’s mental health for weeks. Last month, he had what some called a “meltdown” on stage, where he dropped his microphone, tried to fight a fan, and scolded the crowd.
“I can’t do this no more,” he said. “Keep going? Because I’m a slave? Huh? You think I’ve got to keep going for you because you pay me, motherfu*ker? I’ll fight you.” He would later cancel the rest of his “Trial By Fire Tour.”
Atha says he is now “pushing 300 days sober” and claims he is “happier than ever.”