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.”
Father's Day
Gucci Mane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You are the mirror of my
Wop
Rollin' like a mothafucka, high as a kite
Like a hooker in church, I'm sweatin' like a bitch
Lit like a wick, sharp as a tick
Don't slip on the drip, 10k on the kicks
So play if you want, get shot in the teeth
I cop new time pieces, a million at least
I cop 'em in threes, a million a piece (well damn)
I'm jumpin' the list for the car that you wish
Deep-dish rims that I bought from the fish
My arm in the pot, I'm cookin' the dish
I'm workin' my move, I'm twistin' my wrist
I fathered the style, gave you all the wave
But I didn't get nothin' for Father's Day
But I was the one servin' all the J's
I was the one cookin' all the yay
I fathered the style, gave you all the wave
But I didn't get nothin' for Father's Day
But I was the one servin' all the J's
I was the one cookin' all the yay (it's Gucci)
Pick your face up, stop droolin'
Haters on my page, not trollin' (Wizzy)
Took the girls out, no golden (huh)
Call me red carpet, shorty, I'm posin' (wop)
Nigga knowin' damn well he can't hold me (no)
Plug limit old me, I paid him (yeah)
Told him, "Thank you" 'cause it was a favor
Thank God 'cause he showed me favor (Lord)
Trap God, now I got all flavors
Won my Vanguard lifetime achievement
I ain't showed the whole world I'm resilient
Hell, all these rappers my children (yeah)
Brick factory, I breed villains (true)
Told my young niggas it's no ceilin' (huh)
God willin', run you up a billion (God)
Fuck feelings, run to the millions (wop)
I fathered the style, gave you all the wave (day)
But I didn't get nothin' for Father's Day (posse)
But I was the one servin' all the J's
I was the one cookin' all the yay
I fathered the style, gave you all the wave (day)
But I didn't get nothin' for Father's Day (posse)
But I was the one servin' all the J's
I was the one cookin' all the yay (it's Gucci)
The lyrics to Gucci Mane's song "Father's Day" are a blend of bragging about his wealth, success, and influence in the rap industry while expressing disappointment at not being recognized on Father's Day. Gucci raps about his extravagant lifestyle, including rolling high like a mothafucka, wearing expensive kicks worth 10k, and buying luxury cars and timepieces worth millions. He claims to have fathered the style and wave, referring to the influence he has had on the rap industry, and yet he did not receive any recognition on Father's Day. Gucci also talks about his past involvement in cooking and selling drugs, alluding to the illegal activities that he was involved in.
Gucci Mane's disappointment on Father's Day might be interpreted as symbolic. Even though he has influenced many rappers, he feels neglected by the rap industry, as they fail to recognize his contribution. Similarly, the absence of recognition from his children (if he has any) further emphasizes his loneliness and unappreciated efforts.
Overall, Gucci Mane's song "Father's Day" has a lot of layers to it. It reveals his struggles, achievements, and desires. Gucci expresses his success, while highlighting the neglect of the rap industry towards him and being ignored on Father's Day.
Line by Line Meaning
Rollin' like a mothafucka, high as a kite
I'm driving fast and high on drugs
Like a hooker in church, I'm sweatin' like a bitch
I'm extremely nervous and uncomfortable
Lit like a wick, sharp as a tick
I'm very high and alert
Don't slip on the drip, 10k on the kicks
Be careful not to slip on the spilled liquid and these shoes cost $10k
Metro on my beat, Guwop from the East
My beat is produced by Metro and I come from the East
So play if you want, get shot in the teeth
If you want to mess with me, you'll get hurt
I cop new time pieces, a million at least
I buy expensive watches, at least costing a million
I cop 'em in threes, a million a piece (well damn)
I buy three of these expensive watches, each costing a million dollars
I'm jumpin' the list for the car that you wish
I'm getting ahead of you on the waiting list for a car that you also want
Deep-dish rims that I bought from the fish
I bought my deep-dish rims from a trusted source
My arm in the pot, I'm cookin' the dish
I'm cooking drugs in a pot
I'm workin' my move, I'm twistin' my wrist
I'm skillfully making drugs with my wrist movements
I fathered the style, gave you all the wave
I created the style and shared it with others
But I didn't get nothin' for Father's Day
I didn't receive any recognition for my influence
But I was the one servin' all the J's
I was the one selling drugs to everyone
I was the one cookin' all the yay
I was the one making drugs for everyone
Pick your face up, stop droolin'
Stop being so amazed and impressed
Haters on my page, not trollin' (Wizzy)
People are criticizing me on social media, it's not just harmless trolling
Took the girls out, no golden (huh)
I took the girls out and didn't spend much money
Call me red carpet, shorty, I'm posin' (wop)
I'm posing like a star on the red carpet
Nigga knowin' damn well he can't hold me (no)
Someone knows they can't compete with me
Plug limit old me, I paid him (yeah)
My supplier used to cut me off, but I paid him enough to keep supplying me
Told him, "Thank you" 'cause it was a favor
I thanked my supplier for continuing to sell me drugs
Thank God 'cause he showed me favor (Lord)
I thank God for helping me succeed
Trap God, now I got all flavors
I am the Trap God and I have access to all types of drugs
Won my Vanguard lifetime achievement
I won a lifetime achievement award from the Vanguard
I ain't showed the whole world I'm resilient
I haven't shown everyone how strong and persistent I am
Hell, all these rappers my children (yeah)
I have influenced and mentored many rappers
Brick factory, I breed villains (true)
I run a drug operation and I'm creating more criminals
Told my young niggas it's no ceilin' (huh)
I told my young associates that there are no limits to our success
God willin', run you up a billion (God)
If God wants it, we will make a billion dollars
Fuck feelings, run to the millions (wop)
We don't care about emotions, we only care about making money
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Earl Randle, Leland Tyler Wayne, Radric Delantic Davis, Renee Kirk, Andre Eric Proctor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@CoryHart8517
Tha hardest song on the album🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@CoryHart8517
But i didnt nothing on father day
@teeedog1
Yup I agree
@ontayyricardo
Ppl Dick Riding that Song with NBA YB
@louielavon5953
naw "myself " the hardest track
@everettjohnson3947
"I fathered the style, gave you all the way, but I didn't get nothing for fathers day" well said Gucci.
@IcemanBandzOfficial
Well Spoken from da God Father of the New Generation 🐐🔥🔥🔥
@mikeyc6643
BEAT SWITCH UP HIT HARDD
@kreipoyke
That beat switch was HARD🔥🔥🔥
@jordynisvlogging7321
CJ If She doesn’t I Will Period 👌🏾