Yelawolf (A.K.A. Catfish Billy) was born in Gadsden, Alabama. He spent much of his childhood in various locations around the southern United States, including Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Atlanta, Georgia, and Antioch, Tennessee. Atha is half white and Cherokee, and the name Yelawolf is a reference to his Native American roots. Yelawolf is an avid skateboarder and made attempts at a professional skateboarding career but was forced to abandon due to injuries.