(Review) Yelawolf’s “Best Friend” Ft. Eminem, Talks About 2Pac and Proof

Last week we had the privilege to listen to a snippet of “Best Friend“, and it was pretty mellow. Little did we know Eminem comes on the track later on and blasts off the track. It’s intense.

Not only the single “Best Friend”, but Yelawolf’s entire new album ‘Love Story’ leaked online and is making rounds on the Internet. We are more interested on this Eminem collaboration, but we will later get into more details about the album.

Listen to “Best Friend” by Yelawolf Featuring Eminem

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Download “Best Friend” Single on iTunes / Amazon

Pre-order ‘Love Story’ Album on iTunes / Amazon

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Yelawolf and Eminem truly have some intense lyrics on the track. We shall try to read between the lines of “Best Friend” the best we can. Take a look at the song analysis and meaning below.

Lyrics Analysis, Song Meaning and Review of “Best Friend” by Yelawolf Ft. Eminem

Yelawolf starts off the track in rather a slow tune, speaking about himself.

Ain’t never been much of the church type
But I believe in the last days
I walk through Hell almost every night
But I believe it’s a pathway

Yelawolf says he isn’t much of a religious person, but he doesn’t reject what it says either. ‘The last days’ refer to the judgment day. He is already suffering-contemplating life and trying to make it out there. He calls his life a living hell. But he doesn’t think he is doing it wrong. He has accepted it as ‘a’ pathway he could take-maybe not the best, but some pathway he can.

Say boy, what you doin’ with your life
With those tattoos on your face?
Say boy, you know that you’ll pay the price
Well, I guess I’ll see when I head that way

This verse tells how society has looked down on him. Get a tattoo and you are the devil-sort of misconceptions in the society. People tell him, he is doing it wrong. He is traveling the wrong path. He challenges them saying he will find out at the end of the journey.

The hook tells us what the song is really about;

To the father son and holy spirit, I hold you nearest
My best friend, best friend
Let the trumpets blow with your appearance
I can almost hear it
My best friend, best friend

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (the Holy Trinity) are what he holds closest to his heart. He may look ragged, tattooed, and a ‘rapper’ on the outside, but he still can be a believer-a true believer. A best friend is someone you trust and have the closest and sincerest relationship with. Yelawolf puts the Holy Trinity on the same level. The blowing of trumpets marks the words of God. He can almost hear God calling on him.

When you wish me Hell upon my soul and spirit
Behold these lyrics
I got a best friend, best friend
Yeah, I got a best friend, best friend, yeah

When Yelawolf’s enemies wish him hell upon his soul, he stands undefeated. Why? Because he has a best friend on his side–and that best friend being the belief in God himself.

I don’t know much about Holy Bibles
But I grew up in the Bible Belt

Yelawolf mentioned that he is not the religious type. But he is a believer. He grew up in the Bible Belt and that rubbed off him too.

I put my love for a woman on idle
Because I got beef with my mama’s pill

Yelawolf says he has a hard time showing affection for another woman. Mainly because he never received such from his mother. He has had a rough upbringing, with his mother being addicted to drugs and pills.

But I learned from my mistakes
Try hard to respect people for what they’re believing in
But if you spit on my f*cking grave
And wish me Hell then I wish you well
I’mma send you straight up to my best friend

But he says he has learned from his own mistakes. He may not be religious, but he has respect for what other people believe in. And if you believe in a religion, you cannot possibly wish damnation on another soul. And if you do wish hell on another, you are not a true person of God. But who are we to decide that? Yelawolf says he will wish well (an almost sarcastic good luck) on them and sent them straight to God to be judged for their sins.

Then comes the Eminem’s spitfire verses. I will not get into all of his lines, and rather go through what seems most important.

God, please put you on me with the armor
They call me when there’s drama like Gandhi
Could have gone the other way many times
Could have turned Dalai with the lama

This is the first verse from Eminem’s lines on “Best Friend”, and we will analyze the meaning behind these lines so most of you will not confuse these lines as attacking the mentioned personalities. Rather, Eminem is talking about their personalities that apply to him.

Eminem addresses God and asks for protection (armor) to fight or withstand the attacks on him. Mahatma Gandhi was a peaceful protester who was known for his non-violent movement that freed India from British rule. Eminem says he gets called upon to resolve conflicts, much like Gandhi was called upon. Eminem could have chosen the ‘other way’ many times-other ways is the violent way. Dalai Lama is a Tibetan monk who also pioneered in non-violent behavior. Eminem says he could have gone the opposite direction of Dalai Lama. This is what these lines mean.

So if you don’t like when I rap
What I have to say on the mic then you
Might wanna act just like quarterbacks
And take a f*ckin’ hike when I snap cause I’m a sinner

A lot of people don’t like Eminem. As much as people love him, there’s another bunch who doesn’t. And Eminem addresses them. He can’t help if some don’t like what he has to say when he starts to rap when he is at the mic. He says what he feels and experiences. And if people don’t like it, they can just be like a quarterback who screams ‘hike’ to start play. He plays on this word on the next line, turning the same critic on them, asking them to ‘take a hike’. He becomes angry, but he has made peace with it, because he is a sinner.

I’m the Iggy-Pop of hip-hop when I walk in the booth

A nice little reference to the 60’s band The Stooges. He was known for his extreme behavior on stage much like Eminem’s early career. Iggy Pop of Punk to Eminem of Hip Hop.

Dog I’m the truth like Biggie rockin’ with 2Pac in the suit
Talking to Proof dropping a deuce

Eminem reminisces three of the most valuable personalities of Hip Hop/Rap music in history. All three of them stood for the truth and bringing it up to the surface level so everyone can see and hear it, and all three of them paid the price for it. All three of them were gunned down. Eminem says he is trying to finish the tale these three legends started to speak. Epic!

Eminem’s verses on “Best Friend” extend furthermore. “Best Friend” track is 5 minutes 15 seconds in total. Cut down the extended music pieces at the beginning and the end, it should come around 4 minutes 15 seconds and Eminem raps on it for nearly 2 minutes. Considering Yelawolf repeats the Hook 3 times, it is fair to say the Eminem has the most original lines on Yelawolf’s song. LOL.

Either way, I believe this is an amazing track. The spitfire rap delivered by Eminem is full of power and style. It would be fair to assume that Eminem has hidden head in the game more than ever.

This makes us that much more excited for the upcoming Tech N9ne collaboration on the “Speedom” track.

We will conclude the song meaning and review of “Best Friend” by Yelawolf featuring Eminem now. But we invite you to find flaws in my narrations and maybe add annotations of your own. Let’s make this a discussion.