It’s said that art mirrors life. In hip-hop’s case, there’s always been a deliberate entanglement of perception and reality. Fans demand their MCs be real…but never too real. Successful hip-hop is about the hint of the danger, the tease of it, the mystique. Hip-hop is about balance.
Gucci Mane is an artist striving for that balance, volatility versus musicality. Controversy, including a feud with former collaborator Young Jeezy, has grabbed the headlines, with insufficient regard paid to his considerable mic skills, raw talent, and business acumen. Gucci is looking to wrest his name from public speculation and let his own words do the talking.
“I wish everybody well who’s making money in this rap game,” the Atlanta-raised rapper says, dismissing the controversy that followed him in the past. “My own rap game is going so good, I’ve got so many things on my plate at my label, that I don’t got time for other people’s business.” With a deal with Asylum Records as the boss of his own label, So Icey Entertainment, Gucci does indeed have a full schedule with no time to dwell on the past.
“I live my life with no regrets. I just wish that a lot of things never happened, but anybody can wish,” says Gucci. Sounds like a man with his eyes on the prize. And you’d expect nothing less from an artist who ground his way to the top via the hustle of independent records. Signing to Big Cat Records in the wake of his local single “Black Tee,” he dropped his debut record, Trap House, in May 2005. The independent album moved an impressive 140,000 units, largely on the strength of the “Icy” single, featuring Jeezy. Clamor over song rights sparked dispute, and the resulting rift grew.
Controversy notwithstanding, Mane’s independence was cemented: “I was on the independent scene for about two years,” he recalls. “It’s crazy! You gotta go into your own pocket to support your craft. You need other avenues to have money coming in, to support your stuff. You might win, you might lose, and it’s a gamble out there with the independent circuit. One thing you’d better have is good music because without that, you go downhill fast in the independent game.”
Good music firmly in hand, Gucci was fast approaching stardom when more tragedy befell him. But let’s backtrack; how did the man born Radric Davis in Bessemer, Alabama, become Gucci Mane, mouthpiece for Atlanta stuntin’? Mane remembers little from his time in Alabama, just that it was rural, and that it’s changed dramatically since he left at the age of nine. “I gotta shout out Alabama though, because they holdin’ it down,” he affirms. “Every time I go there to do a show, I’m impressed with how hip-hop culture has taken root.”
Mane’s identity coalesced when he moved with his mother to Atlanta. “I lived all of my adolescent and adult life in Atlanta,” he explains. “I’m from East Atlanta Zone Six; it was hard, man, it was real rough. I grew up in the Starter jacket era: they’d take your Starter jacket, your 8Ball jacket, they’d take your hat, your shoes. It was just no holds barred on the streets, dog eat dog. If you missed the bus, you had to be crewed up or you’d get jumped. It was wild when I came up.”
It’s a bleak portrait. When asked to describe his home life more vividly, Mane offers a look into his contemplative side, a side honed as a schoolyard poet. “I was just a young dude in a single parent house most of my life. I can’t complain that much. I would guess it’s like any black child growing up in a single parent household. There are a lot of people who know how that is. I didn’t have a lot coming up; but what I did have, I appreciated. I was blessed to have a caring mother to raise me right and to help me with my business ventures; she’s been there through the whole struggle. There’s a lot that goes along with that; it made me who I am today.”
A stepfather would enter the picture during Mane’s adolescence, introducing not only a male figure, but also inspiration for Mane’s unusual moniker. “My father came in, the original Gucci Mane; that’s what people in the neighborhood called him, and that’s where I get my name from. From then on, I grew up the son of a hustler and a schoolteacher; it was the best of both worlds because I was educated twice.” Drawing inspiration from a pantheon of rappers before him –Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Ice Cube, the Beastie Boys, N.W.A—Mane went on to release Trap House, a lethal brew of his signature sound: “I call my music straight Gucci: going hard and whatever beats you make you for me, if I’m feeling it, if I’m rocking with it, I’m gonna crush it. When you hear me, you hear a lot of pain, a lot of hood; you hear what’s going on in the inner city in Atlanta.”
Unfortunately, Trap House was ill timed; the month of its release, Gucci was accused of murder and jailed for two days. Eventually deemed to be acting in self-defense, and without sufficient evidence to hold him, Mane was exonerated. But the ordeal left an indelible imprint on the man. “I learned to keep better company, watch where I go, and be mindful of my surroundings at all times,” he reveals. “Watch what I say, watch what I do and how I do it, just keep myself out of the wrong crowd.”
“I always stand up man,” he continues. “I’m one of the toughest guys I know. It’ll take a lot more than that to break me down.” Undeterred, Mane was back in the studio, preparing 2006’s eerily apropos Hard To Kill. The buzz from Hard To Kill vaulted Gucci Mane from regional commodity to national treasure, and major labels responded accordingly: “There was a bidding war going on, and I liked Atlantic’s approach. They made it known that they wanted me, they felt where I was going and that I could grow with them.”
Asylum/Atlantic Records welcomed Gucci Mane in early ’07, granting him his own imprint, So Icey Entertainment. With it comes an entire stable of artists, the So Icey Boyz. As the Boyz ready for their own exposure –“I got them in training; they be in the weight room, pumping iron, doing pushups, shopping at the mall, buying ice”—Gucci is focused on his magnum opus, Back to the Trap House. “I started working on the album, and by the third song, I was like ‘This is going back to the Trap House.’ I started feeling the same way I did when I made my first album. It had the same feel to it, the same freshness. And I had the same hunger and desire I had when I first started rapping.”
“Since I went major, I want everybody to know I’m still keeping it street, keeping it hood,” Gucci maintains. “I’m trying to take it back to all my fans that I had when I first started my career. And at the same time, I’m trying to open up my new album to a new fan base. So it’s a mix for everybody coming together, like my first album was.” Gucci has always prided himself on his innate ability, and his refusal to let guest appearances dictate the tone of his records. “I just want people to know I’m a great songwriter, man,” he asserts. “I’m passionate about what I do, and it’s choreographed strategically when I do it. I bring a lot of experience, creative wordplay, and a crazy style. And my albums, I record most of the songs without writing them down; it’s a God-given gift and I just get paid for it. It come from God, it’s like wondering what makes a bird fly. He made me a poet like the great poets of the past.”
But don’t mistake Gucci’s confidence for self-absorption. The vicissitudes of his career have dictated a longer view. Lyrics aside, he’s less preoccupied with visible means and more so with acting as an emissary from his under-repped block. “I’m not the one to glorify what goes on in the hood,” he insists. “We have everything there, the whole range from violence to people getting on the bus and going to work. There’s a lot more to the hood than just drugs. It’s a bigger story, there’s a big picture. I went to school in that neighborhood, I worked there, I trapped there, I hustled there, and I got my name there. I’m proud to be from East Atlanta Zone Six, and I claim there. I hold that on my back and carry that, to be the first one from there to really rock.”
And Gucci’s professional aims have matured as well. While other rappers stress platinum plaques, Gucci hasn’t forgotten the route he took to stardom. “I made a lot of CDs on my own. People fucked with me and supported me, and just made me the man I am today. That’s my blueprint right there, and I stay mindful of it. So now, my only concern is that people feel my music; at the end of the day, I do it for people to feel it. If one person feel it, two people feel it, I feel like my job’s been done.”
Fortunately for Gucci, he should be prepared to welcome an army of new fans with Back to the Trap House. But longstanding fans shouldn’t fear; they’ll recognize “Freaky Gurl,” reprised from its previous appearance from Hard To Kill. Luda, upon hearing the joint, asked for a guest spot on the remix. Said remix now appears as the lead single on Back to the Trap House, following in Gucci’s theme of mating old and new. Over a bouncing, meandering beat from Cyber Sapp, the two cook up the requisite concoction of whips, chips, and chicks. Also look out for “Bird Flu,” the album’s number two single, laced by New-York based Supa Sonics. Elsewhere, firm guest verses from Rich Boy and Pimp C of UGK round out Gucci’s regional flavor, while Bay-area producer Zaytoven (of “Icy” renown) locks down Gucci’s West Coast appeal.
Gucci Mane has something for everyone, and with the struggles of the past in his rearview, Gucci is settled in for his ride to the top. “I’m best known for controversy but I’m trying to gain respect as a songwriter and entertainer. I plan to hit them so hard with this album; who knows what the future will bring. I’ll be banging them out till I can’t bang no more.”
Wake Up in the Sky
Gucci Mane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's Gucci (it's Gucci)
Huh? Fly (woo)
I drink 'til I'm drunk (yeah), smoke 'til I'm high (yeah)
Castle on the hill (well damn), wake up in the sky
You can't tell me I ain't fly (you can't tell me I ain't fly)
I know I'm super fly (I know), I know I'm super fly (I know)
The ladies love the luxury (yeah)
That's why they all fuck with me (woo)
Out here with the moves (yeesh) like I invented smooth
You can't tell me I ain't fly (you can't tell me I ain't fly)
I know I'm super fly (I know), I know I'm super fly
Haan, haan, haan
I stay fresh as hell, take a pic, I might as well, hell
Drop the top and take a selfie, my car drives itself
I got white girls blushin', homie, college girls rushin' on me (woo)
All my diamonds custom so they clutchin' and they touchin' on me
Ooh, think it's vegetables
Ooh, think it's edible
Ooh, it's incredible
Ooh, ooh, ooh
I smell like Bond Number 9 now
Section full of foreign dimes
Bitch is starin' at me sayin', "Wow"
Unforgettable like Nat King Cole
Gucci Barry White, I'm singin' to your ho (well damn)
A one man show, a human bank roll (whoa)
She lost in the sauce 'cause Gucci got the glow (huh)
I drink 'til I'm drunk (burr), smoke 'til I'm high (it's Gucci)
Castle on the hill (heh), wake up in the sky (you won't)
You can't tell me I ain't fly (you can't tell me I ain't fly)
I know I'm super fly (I know), I know I'm super fly (I know)
The ladies love the luxury, that's why they all fuck with me
Out here with the moves like I invented smooth
You can't tell me I ain't fly (you can't tell me I ain't fly)
I know I'm super fly (I know), I know I'm super fly (I know)
Now watch me fly, fly
Now watch me fly, fly
You can't tell me I ain't fly
You can't tell me I ain't fly
I know I'm super fly, I know I'm super fly (Kodak, Kodak)
I'm so fly, don't need no flight attendant
Big Cuban link, don't need no pendant
I ain't never had no pot to piss in, yeah
Now all my records trendin'
Oh my, I came from stealin' bikes to flying on a G5
I don't know why I been smokin' this Cherry Pie so much
But this my life
I'm on Adderall, I be smellin' Hi-Tec when I piss
Like it's basketball, I drop 50-pointer on my wrist
It's Lil' Kodak, take a pic
I came home and dropped a hit
All these diamonds got me sick, I'm actin' spoiled
Cutlass sittin' high, I feel like I can fly
So fresh to death it's crazy, feel like I can die
I done finally got my wings, they make me wanna sing (glee)
I drink 'til I'm drunk ('til I'm drunk)
Smoke 'til I'm high ('til I'm high)
Castle on the hill (ayy), wake up in the sky
You can't tell me I ain't fly (you can't tell me I ain't fly, baby)
I know I'm super fly (I know it)
I know I'm super fly (I know it)
The ladies love luxury, that's why they all fuck with me (ayy)
Out here with the moves like I invented smooth (yo, yo)
You can't tell me I ain't fly (you can't tell me I don't fly, baby)
I know I'm super fly (I know it)
I know I'm super fly (I know it)
Now, now watch me fly, fly
Now watch me fly, fly
You can't tell me I ain't fly
I know I'm super fly, I know I'm super fly
The song "Wake Up in The Sky" by Gucci Mane featuring Bruno Mars and Kodak Black is an upbeat hip hop track focused on the lavish lifestyle of Gucci Mane. He starts by stating that he drinks until he's drunk and smokes until he's high and wakes up to the beautiful scenery of a castle on the hill. He then claims that he is "super fly" and that he knows it. The ladies love him because of his luxurious lifestyle, and he moves with effortless grace like he "invented smooth." He continues by talking about how incredible he is and compares himself to Bond Number 9, a true elite. He has plenty of diamonds, and the girls adore him. He then mentions he smells weird and maybe like Bond Number 9 cologne. Gucci Mane brags about all the beautiful girls who want to be with him, while Kodak Black raps about his stardom and offers more self-praise.
The song is a fun and playful composition that denotes not only Gucci Mane's vanity but also the luxurious life that he is leading. The beat in the song is furious, with a mixture of snappy drums and retro-style synth sounds that bring a more party atmosphere to the track. Gucci Mane's verses emphasize the elegance and the power that he feels, as if all the money had no limits. Bruno Mars contributes a bit of pop to the song with his catchy lyrics and honeyed falsetto in the chorus, where he describes the experience waking up in the sky like it's practically out of this world.
Line by Line Meaning
Fly, fly, fly
Confidently asserting that the artist is soaring high and continuing on an upward trajectory.
It's Gucci (it's Gucci)
Acknowledging the rapper Gucci Mane, whose signature phrase and name have become synonymous with luxury and success.
Huh? Fly (woo)
Repeating the assertion that the artist is flying high, with an additional exclamation of excitement.
I drink 'til I'm drunk (yeah), smoke 'til I'm high (yeah)
Describing the artist's preferred indulgences, which he partakes in until he reaches a state of euphoria.
Castle on the hill (well damn), wake up in the sky
Boasting about the artist's luxurious lifestyle, where he resides in a towering estate and experiences a feeling of being in the clouds when he wakes up.
You can't tell me I ain't fly (you can't tell me I ain't fly)
Repeating the previous assertion that no one can deny the artist's soaring success and confidence.
I know I'm super fly (I know), I know I'm super fly (I know)
Further affirming the artist's knowledge and self-assurance that he is beyond successful and highly esteemed.
The ladies love the luxury (yeah)
Boasting about how women are drawn to the artist's lavish lifestyle and wealth.
That's why they all fuck with me (woo)
Asserting that women are attracted to the artist due to his wealth and luxurious status.
Out here with the moves (yeesh) like I invented smooth
Boasting about the artist's style and moves, comparing them to that of an inventor of the smoothest, most refined moves.
I know I'm super fly (I know), I know I'm super fly
Reiterating the artist's unwavering confidence in his own success, achievements, and style.
Huh, huh, huh
Uttering an interjection of excitement, indicating that the artist is hyped up and elated.
I stay fresh as hell, take a pic, I might as well, hell
Asserting that the artist is always impeccably dressed and groomed and that he may as well take a picture to capture the moment.
Drop the top and take a selfie, my car drives itself
Boasting about his car's self-driving capabilities and his desire to take a picture of himself while riding it with the top down.
I got white girls blushin', homie, college girls rushin' on me (woo)
Boasting about how he draws attention from both white and college-girl crowds and makes them blush with his luxurious style and success.
All my diamonds custom so they clutchin' and they touchin' on me
Asserting the uniqueness and value of the diamonds he wears, implying that others covet them and are in awe of his wealth and style.
Ooh, think it's vegetables
Expressing confusion and surprise over a potent type of marijuana that the artist has been consuming which he speculates could be infused with vegetable products.
Ooh, think it's edible
Continuing to speculate about the nature of the artists high, suggesting that it may have been brought about by consuming an edible cannabis product.
Ooh, it's incredible
Concluding his speculation over the nature of his marijuana with an exclamation of pleasure and disbelief over how wonderful it feels.
I smell like Bond Number 9 now
Boasting about the scent he is emitting, comparing it to a high-end perfume brand.
Section full of foreign dimes
Asserting that the artist has surrounded himself with an exclusive group of beautiful, foreign women.
Bitch is starin' at me sayin', "Wow"
Boasting about the attention he draws from women, especially those who are impressed by his luxurious lifestyle and style.
Unforgettable like Nat King Cole
Comparing his status and accolades to those of the legendary musician Nat King Cole, implying that his success is unforgettable and timeless.
Gucci Barry White, I'm singin' to your ho (well damn)
Comparing himself to the soulful balladeer Barry White, implying that he is just as successful in romancing women as White was, even singing to others' partners.
A one man show, a human bank roll (whoa)
Boasting about his success, implying that he is entirely self-made and that he collects wealth with ease, just like a bankroll grows.
She lost in the sauce 'cause Gucci got the glow (huh)
Implying that the artist's style, wealth, and confidence have so dazzled a woman that she is lost in a trance trying to connect with him.
I'm so fly, don't need no flight attendant
Asserting that the artist's confidence is so high that he does not need anyone to help or advise him.
Big Cuban link, don't need no pendant
Asserting that his Cuban-linked chain is so impressive that he doesn't need any additional jewelry to accentuate it.
I ain't never had no pot to piss in, yeah
Boasting that he has come from a place of poverty and never had anything to his name, making his success and wealth even more impressive.
Now all my records trendin'
Asserting that all his music is gaining in popularity and is currently trending on various charts.
Oh my, I came from stealin' bikes to flying on a G5
Emphasizing how far the artist has come in his career and highlighting his humble beginnings by comparing it to his current state of luxury and success.
I don't know why I been smokin' this Cherry Pie so much
Acknowledging the humorous side of his excessive indulgence in a particular type of marijuana which he jokes may be the reason for his current level of success and confidence.
But this my life
Affirming the artist's agency and autonomy over his own life and choices.
I'm on Adderall, I be smellin' Hi-Tec when I piss
Boasting about the multiple drugs that the artist is using as confidence and performance enhancements, causing him to even smell a particular drink in his urine.
Like it's basketball, I drop 50-pointer on my wrist
Comparing the artist's flashy jewelry and accessories to the points scored in a basketball game, implying that his accessories are even more impressive than the number of points scored in a game.
It's Lil' Kodak, take a pic
Introducing the rapper Kodak Black, who is featured on this track and frequently asks for his picture to be taken.
I came home and dropped a hit
Celebrating Kodak Black's successful music career and indicating that he has been able to maintain his success even when taking breaks from creating music.
All these diamonds got me sick, I'm actin' spoiled
Boasting about the artist's lavish lifestyle and accessories while admitting that it sometimes overwhelms him and makes him act spoiled.
Cutlass sittin' high, I feel like I can fly
Describing the artist's car and how it makes him feel like he can soar high above his current circumstances.
So fresh to death it's crazy, feel like I can die
Boasting about his impeccable style, stating that it is so perfect it feels like he could die at any moment and have no regrets.
I done finally got my wings, they make me wanna sing (glee)
Celebrating his achievement of success and how it has given him the ability to soar and sing with joy.
You can't tell me I ain't fly (you can't tell me I ain't fly)
Repeating the same assertion once again and reaffirming the artist's absolute confidence in and knowledge of his own success and style.
I know I'm super fly (I know), I know I'm super fly (I know)
Reiterating the previous line and emphasizing his assertiveness in proclaiming his own luxury and success.
Now watch me fly, fly
Calling attention to the artist's soaring success and indicating that he is continuing to take off on an upward trajectory.
You can't tell me I ain't fly
Emphasizing the artist's previous claims of being super fly and expressing disdain for anyone who would try to deny it.
I know I'm super fly, I know I'm super fly (Kodak, Kodak)
Repeating the same assertion again, this time alongside Kodak Black, who also shares the sentiment and wants to express his own luxury and success.
Now, now watch me fly, fly
Calling attention even more so to the artist's soaring success and indicating that he is continuing to take off on an upward trajectory.
You can't tell me I ain't fly
Repeating the line once again with more emphasis and conviction, completely asserting the artist's unwavering belief in his own success and luxury.
I know I'm super fly, I know I'm super fly
Repeating the assertion one last time as the final line of the song to fully cement the idea of the artist's luxurious lifestyle and success.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Chance Youngblood, Dieuson Octave, Dwan Avery, Jeff LaCroix, Peter Hernandez, Radric Davis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind