Artist: Yelawolf

Track: Growin' Up in the Gutter

Feat. Rittz

Producer: WillPower

Album: Radioactive

You don't need to be dark-skinned and living in the inner-city projects to experience the cruelty this world has to offer. Though he himself came up amid struggle and poverty, Yelawolf reminds us that one's life experiences are shaped by more than one's 'hood on Growin' Up in the Gutter, the latest song release off his 2011 debut set. One of the project's grimiest, most unconventional cuts, this joint finds WillPower layering searing synth voice over pummeling, almost industrial percussion a the rhymesayer looks evil straight in its beady eyes. In between Yela's opening and closing verses, which tell the story of a young girl scarred by neglect and abuse, as well as drawing from his own experiences, Slumerican signee Rittz grabs the mic to expose the seamy, violent side of suburbia in his bracing, deftly-flowed middle verse. A record this harrowing needs some appropriately dark visuals, and directors Tyler Clinton and Michael Wayne go several miles beyond the call of duty; featuring gruesome scenes of violence both real and fictional, the accompanying short film is most definitely not for the faint of heart (or stomach). Radioactive is available in stores and online as of November 2011, and Yela's newest project, the just-released Heart of Dixie LP, is available here for streaming and download. Fans can catch Ritz on his current headlining tour, for which the Booth is a media sponsor.