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Yelawolf has lived all over the United States, but he calls Gadsden, Alabama, home. He spent a large portion of his childhood here; he understands this place. So who better to offer an insider's take on the best the city has to offer?
Wolf spoke with Complex about great bars, restaurants, and thrift stores in his hometown, as well as other facets of the city's culture that makes it unlike anywhere else in the world. Take a walk through Gadsden with Catfish Billy.
As told to Ross Scarano (@RossScarano)
231
Studio 231
Address: 231 East Broad St., Gadsden
Yelawolf: "The spot used to be the Fuzzy Duck—that used to be where my mama and her crew used to go to get drinks. But now it’s [Studio] 231. It’s crazy, ‘cause it went from this biker, dirt-bag, low-life dive bar into this gutter hip-hop restaurant. No—I mean, they serve chicken wings and shit, but it ain’t a real restaurant. It’s a place I would take anybody that comes to Gadsden.
"231 represents the time of the people that are there. What I mean is that people still have a lot of catching up to do in Alabama, culturally. That’s also what makes Alabama so cool. You don’t have to know about the latest sneaker or this that and the third to be cool. You just come out and party."
Beans
Beans and Greens
Address: 10294 Centre Rd, Gadsden
Yelawolf: "You walk in there, give ‘em 15 bucks, and you can eat all the soul food you can eat. It’s the most amazing spot ever, just in the middle of the country, surrounded by cornfields. The only place near it is a gas station.
"Everyday they do something different. The best day to go is when they’re doing barbecue chicken. They have a banana pudding for dessert. They keep potato casserole, green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese—which is crazy—baked beans, cole slaw. Fresh corn bread. All the goodness. You go back and forth, back and forth till you get full."
Thrift
America's Thrift Stores
Address: 3225 Rainbow Dr., Rainbow City
Yelawolf: "They’re all over Alabama, and they're as big as goddamn Walmart. You can spend hours in those motherfuckers.
"I’ll shop all over the world, man. I can find diamonds in the rough anywhere. I mean, I could go to Gadsden and get fucking draped. I could be as fresh out of Gadsden as out of Paris. I can just put pieces together out of Gadsden that are super dumb fresh. That’s all thanks to my mama. 'Here’s 20 bucks—go make it happen.' 'All right. Cool.' Come back with a trash bag full of thrift clothes. 20 bucks on a t-shirt or 20 bucks on a trash bag full of clothes. Make your mind up. I want more for less."
Cars
Car Culture in Gadsden
Yelawolf: "Car culture is huge—Chevys and Cadillacs. There is no subway system; you have to have a car to get anywhere. So it breeds itself. The necessity of it. So it’s like, 'If I have to have this, I’m gonna personalize it.'
"But the car scene is sporadic. You can go to Birmingham and see a lot of dunks on certain streets. Or you can got to Southside Alabama and see the nastiest off-road trucks you’ve ever seen. It just depends on what you’re looking for.
"In Gadsden, there’s a real old school scene. Most every sunny weekend, they’re having an old school party. You have old—I’m talking like 60-year-old couples and older driving their ’57 Chevys and Novas. I’m talking about parades of these people. The scene is huge, way bigger than any other stylized car scene. Original old schools. In downtown Gadsen, every other weekend you’ll have Old School Sunday. Hundreds of cars from the ’50s, completely original. Then you have the owners, in fold-out chairs, sitting in front of ‘em with trophies.
"It puts shit in perspective. Cause you think shit is cool—you be like 20 to 20 years-old, and you think shit is cool, and then this 60-year-old man pulls out a Chevy Nova and just crushes your whole game, being like, 'I’ve been working on this for 20 years, motherfucker. Check out these goddamn trophies.' And then you’re like, “Man, I ain’t shit. I really don’t know what’s up. I got this off the goddamn show room floor when I was 25.' There’s a sense of purity around Alabama that I really admire.
Coosa
The Coosa River
Yelawolf: "The Coosa is the river that separartes the neighborhoods in Gadsden. We got a boat docked up there, a couple jet skis, a fishing boat, some fishing rods. Grill lit up. The Coosa has great fishing; they have Bass Pro contests on the Coosa. It goes down on the Coosa, if you know where they’re at."
Sam's
Uncle Sam's Barbecue
Address: 1729 Rainbow Dr., Gadsden
Yelawolf: "It’s a barbecue spot, right on the strip, in Gadsden. They have one dollar beers. Any kind of beer you could think of. Smokehouse barbecue ribs, the most delicious barbecue sauce you can imagine. Sweet tea by the gallon."