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.”
Bum Bum
Gucci Mane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's Gucci
Livin' Legend
I'm a legend
I'm glad that this game so easy to me
Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bum
God thanks for sending this dope to me
Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bum
Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bum
God thank you for sending this bomb to me
Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bum
I'm rollin' and I'm gone off ecstasy
Hoes keep saying I'm sexy man
I don't believe nothin' I see or hear
Cause half of that shit ain't real to me
I got a nigga rollin' with me he'll kill for me
I got another nigga like to do deals for me
My daddy was a hustler apple don't fall far from the tree
And [?] Gucci Mane my son is gone be a G (Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bum)
Got that gun with me
Got two hundred round drums in the car with me
I'm bustin blunts got ten cigars with me
I'm gettin' head got a Porno star car with me
I'm glad that this game so easy to me
Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bum
God thanks for sending this dope to me
Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bum
Got his F&N in his car with me
Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bum
God thank you for sending this bomb to me
Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bum
Like MJ in Thriller man I dance with monsters
Even right now it's a thief amongst us
Sometimes I know that it's a snitch amongst us
And they gone come out and then my goons gone hunt ya
I got straps like super country
White couch, headshot, decorate your fun-ture
Oops I meant furniture but damn I fronted ya
He ran off with the pack so I had to punish him
Torture two days and I need some answers
Chain so sick prolly got breast cancer
Yellow diamond rolly time piece bananza
I'm ballin' hard R. Kelly party fiesta
R. Kelly numbers Sixteen year old white girls to stretch ya
And you can't comprehend cause I'm too over your head bruh
Seven days a week I'm gone pull up in a red car
I'm super duper high and I'm super successful
Hundred pounds I break it down Five pounds the extra
Bullets go through ya head I'm talkin' to ya now but I dont like to lecture
I'm glad that this game so easy to me
Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bum
God thanks for sending this dope to me
Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bum
Got his F&N in his car with me
Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bum
God thank you for sending this bomb to me
Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bum
In "Bum Bum," Gucci Mane boasts about how easy the rap game is to him and thanks God for sending him success. He talks about his lifestyle and the people around him, as well as his stance on what he sees and hears. He also references his father's hustling past and how it has influenced him to be a "G." Gucci speaks about how he has people around him that will kill for him and how he punishes those who betray him. He mentions his success and wealth, saying he's "super successful" and able to break down 100 pounds of something to sell. Overall, the tone of the song is one of bragging and self-promotion, with Gucci portraying himself as a living legend in the rap game.
Line by Line Meaning
Uh
Intro sound
It's Gucci
Introduction of the artist
Livin' Legend
Stating his legendary status
I'm a legend
Reiterating his legendary status
I'm glad that this game so easy to me
Thankful for his success and the ease of the music industry
Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bum
Beat in the song
God thanks for sending this dope to me
Grateful for his talent and success
Got his F&N in his car with me
Carrying a firearm
God thank you for sending this bomb to me
Thankful for his music career
I'm rollin' and I'm gone off ecstasy
Under the influence of drugs
Hoes keep saying I'm sexy man
Women find him attractive
I don't believe nothin' I see or hear
Not easily fooled by appearances or rumors
Cause half of that shit ain't real to me
Aware that much of what he hears is fake or exaggerated
I got a nigga rollin' with me he'll kill for me
In the company of someone willing to commit murder for him
I got another nigga like to do deals for me
Has a business associate who negotiates deals for him
My daddy was a hustler apple don't fall far from the tree
Comes from a family of hustlers
And [?] Gucci Mane my son is gone be a G (Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bum)
Believes his son will follow in his footsteps and become a successful rapper
Got that gun with me
Carrying a firearm
Got two hundred round drums in the car with me
Carrying a large amount of ammunition
I'm bustin blunts got ten cigars with me
Smoking marijuana and carrying cigars
I'm gettin' head got a Porno star car with me
Receiving oral sex from a porn star
Like MJ in Thriller man I dance with monsters
Reference to Michael Jackson's Thriller video and association with dangerous or scary things
Even right now it's a thief amongst us
Aware of the possibility of theft or deceit in his company
Sometimes I know that it's a snitch amongst us
Aware of the possibility of betrayal and informants in his company
And they gone come out and then my goons gone hunt ya
Threatening retaliation for betrayal
I got straps like super country
Carrying a large amount of guns
White couch, headshot, decorate your fun-ture
Threatening violence and murder
Oops I meant furniture but damn I fronted ya
Playing with words and making a joke
He ran off with the pack so I had to punish him
Taking action against someone who stole from him
Torture two days and I need some answers
Threatening torture to get information
Chain so sick prolly got breast cancer
Wearing an expensive and impressive chain
Yellow diamond rolly time piece bananza
Wearing an expensive and impressive watch
I'm ballin' hard R. Kelly party fiesta
Living a lavish and extravagant lifestyle
R. Kelly numbers Sixteen year old white girls to stretch ya
Inappropriate and offensive reference to R. Kelly and teenage girls
And you can't comprehend cause I'm too over your head bruh
Believes that his level of success and talent is beyond some people's understanding
Seven days a week I'm gone pull up in a red car
Always driving a fancy car
I'm super duper high and I'm super successful
Under the influence of drugs and proud of his success
Hundred pounds I break it down Five pounds the extra
Experienced in selling drugs
Bullets go through ya head I'm talkin' to ya now but I dont like to lecture
Threatening violence and not wanting to waste time lecturing someone
I'm glad that this game so easy to me
Grateful for his success and the ease of the music industry
Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bum
Beat in the song
God thanks for sending this dope to me
Grateful for his talent and success
Got his F&N in his car with me
Carrying a firearm
God thank you for sending this bomb to me
Thankful for his music career
Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bum
Beat in the song
Contributed by Charlie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mphangar6965
Gucci was the music I was wanting for years until he made it happen
@alejandroabreha4516
Gucci the living legend
@zonclothing639
This prolly one of the last "old gucci" songs, when he still got high and acting up classic WOP song 🏆
@humblelion694
Hardest shit i ever heard 😍🙋🏾♂️
@jorgehernandez646
I remember him pulling up in the red charger with 26s rims red on red with 🧱 real trap shit 🙏🏽💯🔥tb2013
@LarryHooverOn6s
His old charger still alive sum white man owns it
@mafiagang6007
this my shit bum bum bum bum bum
@coralprzybyla850
Legend
@jacobyjohnson7321
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@brandonwaddell9274
"Im rollin man im gon off ecstasy" yeah true story like right now...