Royce Da 5’9" Calls Yelawolf "David Duke" As Tension Heats Up

Royce Da 5’9″ has positioned himself for quite the year. For one, his entirely self-produced album The Allegory is slated for release on February 21st, marking a new milestone for the storied Detroit lyricist. And while the full project is still weeks away, the lead single “Overcomer” has already been eliciting plenty of strong reactions — especially from those who still have love for the “2.0” iteration of Shady Records. Those who have heard the track likely remember a string of brutally honest bars aimed at Yelawolf, bars that some might even call “fightin’ words.” And from Royce, those are the types of words nobody wants to be on the receiving end of. 

Yelawolf this is your first and your last pass
I ain’t gon’ put it on blast, your punk ass know what this about
You think it’s about being loud or trying to be hostile
Till you get found face down on the ground outside of Kid Rock house
Though you a vulture pundit I hope you get sober from this
Men like, women lie, so do numbers

While the origin of the feud has yet to be fully revealed, Royce actually discussed his frustrations on The Joe Budden podcast. “It’s a situation going on, especially in hip-hop. We have all kinds of different people, but we have white people who come into the business and they use the culture,” explained Royce. “We got a very open culture, it’s here for everybody to thrive. Some white people use that, and then go and do very evil things behind closed doors. Racist things. They make comments. It got to a point in life where if I see it, hear it, or am involved in it in any type of way, I have to start holding these people accountable.” 

To make matters more interesting, Royce’s brother Kid Vishis fired off some shots at Yelawolf in December, tweeting “If Yelawolf is in your top Anything as far as rap/hiphop besides top Trash, let me know ASAP so I know can zap you.” He proceeded to double down with a simple yet effective “fuck that dude.” While Royce maybe sure to emphasize that this was not, in fact, a diss — it’s clear his warning will leave Yelawolf feeling some type of way. Perhaps even a response; Yela was clearly looking for smoke back when he fired shots at G-Eazy and Post Malone. And smoke, it appears, is what he shall have. 

While promoting a video for his own “You And Me” video, Yela took a shot at Royce in the caption, writing “numbers do lie don’t they Royce, yo Eminem get your hypeman before the wolves do…I ain’t worried.” Never one to miss a beat, Royce made sure to screenshot Yela’s shot, using the opportunity to raise the stakes in the process.  “I can remove you quicker than you Deleted this post, David Duke and nobody can stop me. See, you want it to be one way… But it’s the other way,” retorts Royce, memories of “Malcolm X” lingering in the faint traces of his threat. 

On what’s already shaping up to be a busy-ass day, it looks like we’ve got another interesting narrative shaping up. Be sure to catch Royce on his new single “Overcomer,” or on Eminem’s surprise album Music To Be Murdered By.