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.”
Drove U Crazy
Gucci Mane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tiller!
Brr Brr Brr
Pull up in a Lamb', it'll drive you crazy
Had to cut her off 'cause the bitch too lazy
She wanna ride the wave, but my waves too wavy
And your car too slow, you need to drive Miss Daisy
Got her foaming mouth like the bitch got rabies
Got me running out the spot like the spot got raided
'Cause I'm so much different then the nigga you dated
Smiling in the camera like bitch I made it
Big Guwop got the whole club faded
Got a bitch so bad that my ex bitch hate it
Tell me how you feel when you see me skatin'
Nah don't call me baby
We ain't finna go to the mall Ms. Lady
Standing tall Ms. Lady like can you can you take it all Ms. Lady
Never get a love like this
Never ever ever meet a thug like this
Never met a plug like this
Never seen a nigga in the club like this
Never hug like this
Never pour Ace of Spades in the tub like this
Never got drunk like this
Or beat from the back on the rug like this
What?
Tell 'em how crazy I drove you
Talk about how crazy you drove me
Talk about them favors you owe me
Talk about them
Talk about them lies you told me
Talk about true colors you showed me
Talk about them, what?
Tell 'em how crazy I drove you
Talk about how crazy you drove me
Talk about them favors you owe me
Talk about them
Talk about them lies you told me
Talk about true colors you showed me
Talk about them
Aye lil mama say she fuck me tough yeah
Aye lil mama say she fuck me tough yeah
Her ex boyfriend's words cut deep
Aye, Young Tiller in the cut, yeah
Aye, Young Tiller goin' up, yeah
At your head with it upper cut, yeah
I'm still on the motherfuckin' come up
But y'all already know where I'm from, yeah
Straight from the 502 hey
Southside Dirty I crew hey
Now they wanna show my moves, hey
Every little thing that I do and say
My old bitch said she need closure
I just think she won't get closer
I just think she want some exposure
Tell people how crazy I drove her
Tell people all the dreams I sold her
I'm sorry you cannot lean on my shoulder
I already got too many burdens
Most of them 'bout to give to my attorney
I got too many niggas in my face now
This ain't the time nor place now
This for my niggas that stay down
Fuck all you niggas that wanna hate now
What?
Tell 'em how crazy I drove you
Talk about how crazy you drove me
Talk about them favors you owe me
Talk about them
Talk about them lies you told me
Talk about true colors you showed me
Talk about them, what?
Tell 'em how crazy I drove you
Talk about how crazy you drove me
Talk about them favors you owe me
Talk about them
Talk about them lies you told me
Talk about true colors you showed me
Talk about them
In Gucci Mane's song "Drove U Crazy," he highlights his success and the frustrations that come with it. Gucci pulls up in a Lamborghini, showcasing his wealth and status, which drives some people crazy with jealousy. He raps about cutting off a lazy woman who wants to ride his wave, but cannot keep up with his success. Gucci Mane is different from the guy dated, and he has a new level of fame that comes with the stress of being constantly on the run from the cops. The song also features Young Tiller, who reinforces the message of the song by rapping about his own rise to fame, and how he can't let others lean on him.
The lyrics of "Drove U Crazy" showcase Gucci Mane's signature abrasive style. His raps are brash and unapologetic, and he doesn't shy away from topics like wealth and status. The song also highlights the frustration that can come with success, as Gucci Mane laments the lazy people in his life who can't keep up. The chorus repeats the phrase "Tell 'em how crazy I drove you," which could be interpreted as a power play or a move to establish dominance. Overall, "Drove U Crazy" is a song about the ups and downs of fame, wealth, and status, and the toll it can take on relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Pull up in a Lamb', it'll drive you crazy
I arrived in my Lamborghini and it made you feel a certain way.
Had to cut her off 'cause the bitch too lazy
I ended things with her because she wasn't putting in any effort.
She wanna ride the wave, but my waves too wavy
She wanted to be a part of what I had going on, but it was too much for her to handle.
And your car too slow, you need to drive Miss Daisy
Your car isn't good enough to keep up with me, you might as well drive something like Miss Daisy's car.
Jumped out the feds like 'Fuck You, pay me'
I got out of jail and immediately demanded payment from someone.
Got her foaming mouth like the bitch got rabies
I caused her to become very excited, like she was foaming at the mouth with rabies.
Got me running out the spot like the spot got raided
I had to leave quickly because it felt like the place was getting raided.
'Cause I'm so much different then the nigga you dated
I stand out from the other guys you've dated.
Smiling in the camera like bitch I made it
I am very happy and proud of the success I have achieved.
Big Guwop got the whole club faded
I got everyone in the club very drunk and high.
Got a bitch so bad that my ex bitch hate it
I have a new girlfriend who is so attractive that my ex-girlfriend is jealous.
Tell me how you feel when you see me skatin'
Let me know how you feel when you see me succeeding and enjoying life.
Nah don't call me baby
Don't call me 'baby.'
We ain't finna go to the mall Ms. Lady
I have no plans to go shopping with you.
Standing tall Ms. Lady like can you can you take it all Ms. Lady
I am standing confidently and asking if you can handle everything I have to offer.
Never get a love like this
You will never find someone who loves you like I do.
Never ever ever meet a thug like this
You will never meet someone as tough as me.
Never met a plug like this
You've never met someone who can get you what I can.
Never seen a nigga in the club like this
You've never seen someone like me in the club.
Never hug like this
No one has ever hugged you like I have.
Never pour Ace of Spades in the tub like this
You've never had a luxury experience like drinking Ace of Spades in a bathtub like me.
Never got drunk like this
You've never been as drunk as me.
Or beat from the back on the rug like this
You've never had sex on a rug like I have.
Tell 'em how crazy I drove you
Talk about how I made you feel insane.
Talk about how crazy you drove me
Talk about how you made me feel insane.
Talk about them favors you owe me
Discuss the favors you owe me.
Talk about them lies you told me
Talk about the lies you told me.
Talk about true colors you showed me
Talk about your true intentions and actions.
Aye lil mama say she fuck me tough yeah
This girl I know says she has sex with me very intensely.
Her ex boyfriend's words cut deep
She was hurt by something her ex-boyfriend said.
Aye, Young Tiller in the cut, yeah
Bryson Tiller is present and ready to perform.
Aye, Young Tiller goin' up, yeah
Bryson Tiller's career is continuing to rise.
At your head with it upper cut, yeah
I am ready to fight and deliver a powerful punch.
I'm still on the motherfuckin' come up
I am still working to become successful.
But y'all already know where I'm from, yeah
Everyone already knows my hometown.
Straight from the 502 hey
I am from the 502 area code.
Southside Dirty I crew hey
I am a part of the Southside Dirty crew.
Now they wanna show my moves, hey
Now people are interested in watching what I do.
Every little thing that I do and say
Everything I say or do is under scrutiny.
My old bitch said she need closure
My ex-girlfriend says she needs some kind of closure.
I just think she won't get closer
I don't think there is anything I can do to give her closure.
I just think she want some exposure
I think she wants attention and publicity.
Tell people how crazy I drove her
She wants people to know that I made her feel insane.
Tell people all the dreams I sold her
She wants people to know that I promised her things that never came true.
I'm sorry you cannot lean on my shoulder
I am sorry I cannot offer you support.
I already got too many burdens
I already have too many problems to deal with.
Most of them 'bout to give to my attorney
I am going to give most of my problems to my lawyer to handle.
I got too many niggas in my face now
There are too many people trying to get my attention.
This ain't the time nor place now
Now is not the right time or place.
This for my niggas that stay down
This is for my loyal friends.
Fuck all you niggas that wanna hate now
I don't care about the people who are trying to bring me down.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRYSON TILLER, RADRIC DELANTIC DAVIS, REMI OZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@prodigyideology4
6 1/2 years later and this shit still goes hard 🔥
@bryjanese9399
im tellin ya!
@KouMurrell
"My old girl say she want closure. I just think she wanna get closer" .... - Tiller
@MidnightStalkins
Sekou Murrell bruh read this right as he said this. Only reason I’m commenting
@TheKalebWard
@Printhini Pirabaharan simple shit blows these peoples mind nowadays it’s sad
@tenkolive
@@TheKalebWard it's not about the rhyme scheme is about how relatable the line is.
@TheKalebWard
@@tenkolive it’s still a very surface level lyric lol
@BH16344
@@TheKalebWard i honestly think the line is smooth af
@CommanderJay-pu2pl
Gucci and bryson tiller never thought id see the day
@darkzones325
Commander.Jay they didn't disappoint tbh