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.”
2 Screws Loose
Gucci Mane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Them niggaz is gangsters, them niggaz is Shady
Them niggaz got screws loose, them niggaz is crazy
Walk around with they boots loose, tuckin 380's
Standin in the trap screamin fuck you pay me
[Verse]
Nigga I'm one-seven-five wet, movin like Deebo
Rep for my people, a big Desert Eagle
Shootin at your bucket like a Marbury free throw
Bitches get nothin, zilch I mean zero
Tommy gun sprayed at them niggaz playin hero
Niggaz in the hood don't peep through no peephole
Cameras and motion scanners, try to creep hoe
Most of us iced out, some don't even rock jewels
They in the club for a purpose, and that's to bang the tool
Street smart, I'm far from that college dude
Love gettin good brains, bitches give me knowledge fool
It don't take much, a little weed and the dutch
Couple sips of that Remy, now she wanna fuck
Hoes see a nigga chain swingin wanna touch
Rocks used to be cubed up, now my shit is crushed
[Chorus]
[Gucci Mane]
My pack came in, I want seventeen-five for 'em
Bricks go down when you get more than five on 'em
Packin down to eight, I was holdin that 'tel down
2006 and now we're breakin them bells down
Gucci you the shit, least that what they told me
Catch me in the 6 a nigga right where the show be
I fronted you a nine so five what you owe me
If you don't pay me then it's back to the old me
Cocallina same color the snow be
Haters get found in the Okefenokee
You trap that's cool, I trap to school
I'm trappin boo, but I'm rappin too
Not a role model, hit that purp'
I'm not a role model little shorty hittin up turf
I'm not a role model, hit that purp'
I'm not a role model young nigga cook that work
[Chorus - to fade]
The song "2 Screws Loose" by Gucci Mane is a rap song that begins with the chorus. The chorus repeats, highlighting the theme of the song, which is the gangster, shady, crazy, and dangerous lifestyle of some people portrayed in the song. The lyrics speak of walking around with boots loose, tucking 380's, and standing in the trap screamin' "fuck you pay me." Gucci Mane then begins the verse by referring to his weight and movement like Deebo, who was a bully in the movie Friday. He mentions his box cutter and his eagerness to defend his community and people. He then speaks about his disdain towards women, who get nothing from him, zero, and how he uses his Tommy gun to shoot at the people pretending to be heroes. He warns these so called heroes not to peep or pry, implying that they might be killed, and that he knows how to avoid or detect these intruders using cameras and motion scanners. The overall message of the song is that Gucci Mane and other people like him value the street smartness more than education, and that they are not role models but survivors.
Line by Line Meaning
Them niggaz is gangsters, them niggaz is Shady
Those individuals are criminals and wicked in nature
Them niggaz got screws loose, them niggaz is crazy
Those individuals have a lack of sanity or rational behavior
Walk around with they boots loose, tuckin 380's
They carry concealed weapons and have loose boots
Standin in the trap screamin fuck you pay me
They demand payment for their drugs and are not afraid to use force to collect it
Nigga I'm one-seven-five wet, movin like Deebo
I weigh one hundred and seventy-five pounds and move with intimidation like Deebo from the movie Friday
Boxcutter like a nigga work at Home Depot
I have a sharp boxcutter similar to those found at a hardware store
Rep for my people, a big Desert Eagle
I represent my gang and use a big Desert Eagle gun
Shootin at your bucket like a Marbury free throw
I use my gun to shoot at your car with the accuracy of basketball player Stephon Marbury's free throw
Bitches get nothin, zilch I mean zero
Women receive nothing from me, absolutely nothing
Tommy gun sprayed at them niggaz playin hero
I use a Tommy gun to fire shots at those pretending to be heroes
Niggaz in the hood don't peep through no peephole
No one in my neighborhood uses a peephole to see who is at their door
Cameras and motion scanners, try to creep hoe
I use surveillance equipment to catch anyone trying to sneak up on me
Most of us iced out, some don't even rock jewels
Most of us have expensive and flashy jewelry, but some do not wear any at all
They in the club for a purpose, and that's to bang the tool
They go to the club with the intention of using their weapons
Street smart, I'm far from that college dude
I am knowledgeable about life on the streets and have no education from college
Love gettin good brains, bitches give me knowledge fool
I enjoy receiving fellatio from intelligent women
It don't take much, a little weed and the dutch
I become intoxicated with just a small amount of marijuana and tobacco
Couple sips of that Remy, now she wanna fuck
Just a few sips of the liquor Remy Martin make women want to engage in sexual activity with me
Hoes see a nigga chain swingin wanna touch
Women are attracted to the movement of my jewelry
Rocks used to be cubed up, now my shit is crushed
My diamonds used to be in their original shape, but now they are broken
My pack came in, I want seventeen-five for 'em
I received my shipment of drugs and want to sell them for seventeen-thousand and five hundred dollars
Bricks go down when you get more than five on 'em
The price of drugs decreases when you buy more of them
Packin down to eight, I was holdin that 'tel down
I reduced my drug stash to eight ounces and kept it hidden
Gucci you the shit, least that what they told me
People tell me that I am a great person
Catch me in the 6 a nigga right where the show be
Find me in my luxury car right where the action is
I fronted you a nine so five what you owe me
I loaned you a nine-millimeter gun, so now you owe me five-thousand dollars
If you don't pay me then it's back to the old me
If you do not return my money, I will resort to my former criminal ways
Cocallina same color the snow be
My cocaine is the same color as snow
Haters get found in the Okefenokee
Those who dislike me end up dead or missing in the Okefenokee Swamp
You trap that's cool, I trap to school
You sell drugs as a way to make money, but I use selling drugs as a way to educate myself
I'm trappin boo, but I'm rappin too
I sell drugs, but I am also a rapper
Not a role model, hit that purp'
I am not a person to be looked up to, I smoke marijuana
I'm not a role model little shorty hittin up turf
I am not setting a good example for the younger generation who are involved in gang activity
I'm not a role model, hit that purp'
I am not someone to be emulated, I smoke marijuana
I'm not a role model young nigga cook that work
I am not a good influence, a young person should sell drugs
[Chorus - to fade]
Repeating the chorus until the song fades out
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: RADRIC DELANTIC DAVIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind