Radric Davis (born February 12, 1980 in Birmingham, Alabama), better known … Read Full Bio ↴Radric Davis (born February 12, 1980 in Birmingham, Alabama), better known by his stage name Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and CEO of 1017 Brick Squad Records. In 2005 he released his independent debut album, Trap House, which featured the successful single "Icy" that he recorded with Young Jeezy. He has since released a further three albums including 2006's Hard To Kill, 2007's Trap-A-Thon and 2007's Back To The Trap House. His sixth studio album, The State vs Radric Davis, was released in December 2009, just weeks after he was sent back to prison for 12 months for violating his probation. He was released in May 2010 and will now release his seventh studio album, The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted, sometime at the end of 2010.

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.”

Feets
Gucci Mane Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

8-8-808 Mafia!

808 Mafia!

(Hook: Gucci Mane)

A nigga just front me 10 keys
I'mma run up on a nigga on feet

Gotta get back on my feet
Choppa knock a nigga off of his feet
Jump a nigga, stomp his ass with my feet
Red bottoms on the bottom of my cleats
The only nigga in a Phantom on feets
Touch me and you'll be 6 feet deep
Feet!

(Verse 1: Guwop)

Bougie ass club, they let a crook in this bitch
Take a deuce to a fo', I put my foot in this shit!
They say that Gucci Mane be flexin' unbelievable price
And I know that life is priceless, but I pay for your life
I think I'm Dirty Harry, nigga, when I got that .45
And I can never respect a man that can't look me in my eyes
Just as stupid as these rappers if you believe the lies
You bring a knife to a gunfight, yo' ass wanna die!
I'm not a rapper, I'm a trapper in a rapper disguise
I put the feets on ya, leave a Reebok print on ya eye
I put the feets on the plug, cause his price is too high
I'm showin' my feet, Louis flip flops, I'm way in Dubai (it's Gucci)

(Hook)

(Verse 2: Rocko)

Apply pressure, got they neck, I got my foot on it
(I got my foot on it)
V12 car, got my foot on it
Gucci cleats, on my feet
(On ya feet!)
Gooc and me, we run the streets
(We run the streets!)
Walk it like I talk it, play it how I got it
Ain't a phony bone on me homie, bitch you can X-ray my toes
Good in e'er hood, we run the town
A Thousand niggas throwin' up B's, 10 toes down
I ain't jump off the porch, I leaped in the streets
Real street cats always land on they feet
Born a standup guy, that's all I ever knew
You can tell a rich nigga just look at his shoes!

Tarantino!

(Hook)

Overall Meaning

The song "Feets" by Gucci Mane is a braggadocious rap song in which the artist boasts about his street credibility and prowess. The hook of the song asserts his dominance with the word "Feet!", signifying that he can knock anyone off their feet with his power. The lyrics mention getting back on his feet after a setback, running up on someone on foot, and stomping his enemies. Gucci Mane even suggests that he can leave a Reebok print on someone's eye, highlighting his dominance over others.

The verse by Rocko furthers this dominance narrative, mentioning how they run the streets and that there ain't a phony bone in him. He boasts about his expensive lifestyles and Gucci cleats on his feet, further asserting his status as a successful rapper. Both Gucci Mane and Rocko use foot imagery to signify their power and control, using their feet to run the streets and leave a mark.

Line by Line Meaning

A nigga just front me 10 keys
Someone just gave me 10 kilograms of drugs to sell for them

I'mma run up on a nigga on feet
I'm going to chase down a guy on foot to attack him

Gotta get back on my feet
I need to recover from a difficult situation and return to a good place

Choppa knock a nigga off of his feet
I'm going to shoot a guy and he'll fall down

Jump a nigga, stomp his ass with my feet
I'll attack a guy by jumping and kicking him with my feet

Red bottoms on the bottom of my cleats
The soles of my Gucci shoes are red, and I'm wearing cleats for extra grip

The only nigga in a Phantom on feets
I'm the only guy driving a Rolls-Royce Phantom on my feet (not in a car)

Touch me and you'll be 6 feet deep
If someone messes with me, they'll end up dead and buried 6 feet underground

Bougie ass club, they let a crook in this bitch
A fancy club allowed me, a criminal, inside

Take a deuce to a fo', I put my foot in this shit!
I turned something okay (a two) into something great (a four)

They say that Gucci Mane be flexin' unbelievable price
People say I show off how expensive my possessions are in an unbelievable way

And I know that life is priceless, but I pay for your life
I understand life is valuable, but I'm willing to pay to take someone's life

I think I'm Dirty Harry, nigga, when I got that .45
I feel like a tough guy (from the movie Dirty Harry) when I hold my .45 gun

And I can never respect a man that can't look me in my eyes
I don't respect guys who won't make eye contact with me

Just as stupid as these rappers if you believe the lies
You're just as foolish as other rappers if you believe their lies

You bring a knife to a gunfight, yo' ass wanna die!
If you bring a knife to a gunfight, you're basically asking to be killed

I'm not a rapper, I'm a trapper in a rapper disguise
I'm not a musician, I'm a drug dealer pretending to be one

I put the feets on ya, leave a Reebok print on ya eye
I'll kick you so hard that the imprint of my Gucci cleats will be on your face

I put the feets on the plug, cause his price is too high
I'll negotiate by threatening violence if a drug supplier charges too much

I'm showin' my feet, Louis flip flops, I'm way in Dubai
I'm flaunting my luxury footwear (Louis Vuitton flip flops) while traveling to Dubai

Apply pressure, got they neck, I got my foot on it
I'm putting pressure on someone to do what I want, with my foot on their neck

V12 car, got my foot on it
I'm driving a car with a V12 engine and pushing it to its limit

Gooc and me, we run the streets
Gucci Mane and I are in control of the streets

Walk it like I talk it, play it how I got it
I act tough, and I'll fight hard if necessary

Ain't a phony bone on me homie, bitch you can X-ray my toes
I'm not a fake person, and you can confirm it by examining my body

Good in e'er hood, we run the town
I'm respected in every neighborhood and have a lot of power

A Thousand niggas throwin' up B's, 10 toes down
A thousand guys are throwing up gang signs, while standing their ground (not backing down)

I ain't jump off the porch, I leaped in the streets
I haven't been slowly developing in my environment, I immediately became part of the neighborhood culture

Real street cats always land on they feet
Tough guys are always able to bounce back from tough situations

Born a standup guy, that's all I ever knew
I was always taught to be honest and respect others

You can tell a rich nigga just look at his shoes!
A person's shoes are a good indicator of their wealth

Contributed by Kayla R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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