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.”
Go Head
Gucci Mane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Go head, go head
Go head, go head
Go head, baby girl go head
Go head, go head
Go head, go head
Go head, go head
Go head
[Chorus: x2]
Shawty gotta ass on ha (on ha)
I'ma put my hands on ha (on ha)
I'ma spend a couple grand on ha (on ha)
I'ma pop a rubber band on ha (on ha)
I'm tryna figure which chick I'ma see today (see today).
Picked up a young girl, looked like lisa ray (lisa ray).
When I seen ha in the club said I gots to get ha (gots to get ha),
Cause she might be trina sista (trina sista).
Gotta girl look just like lauren hill (lauren hill),
Took ha to the crib cause she kno' what it is (she know what it is).
I'ma bump ha but I cant stand ha daddy do' (daddy do')
But she got mo' ass than jackie o' (jackie o').
Gotta brown skin girl like foxy brown (foxy brown).
Bought a quarter pound just to blow it down (blow it down).
Tattoos all ova' like eva or somethin' (eve or somethin').
Long hair but it must be weave or somethin' (weave or something').
Gotta spot so I bought ha new furniture (furniture),
Cause she pretty in the face like monica (monica).
I really dig the girl so I gave a ticket to gucci world (gucci world).
Go head, go head
Go head, go head
Go head, go head
Go head, baby girl go head
Go head, go head
Go head, go head
Go head, go head
Go head
[Chorus: x2]
I'm in the club niggas screamin' who the hill is that (who the hell is dat).
That girl wit' that ass all on the back.
I got that fire read thong wit' bra to match (bra to match).
I'ma real boss bitch and I'm hard to catch.
Mac bre-z, pimpin' ain't e-z nigga (it ain't easy),
You can leave me cause I don't really need ya nigga (i don't need ya).
I got that chevy and ya hear me fo'
Ya see me nigga cause my mama sho' the mack how to treat a nigga.
And I'ma top notch bitch that talk shit but I take none (i take none).
Hair stay fixed
Jump fresh wit my nails done (my nails done),
My braclet. my nigga sick so you already kno',
When I step up in the club,
I be rockin' stilettos hoe (stilettos hoe).
I'ma jazzy girl, straight classy girl (straight classy girl).
And ya never head a nigga say I'm nasty girl (i ain't nasty girl).
And ya never meet a girl that will shine like me (shine like me)
Cause I'm wit the gucci mane, I'm so icey.
Go head, go head
Go head, go head
Go head, go head
Go head, baby girl go head
Go head, go head
Go head, go head
Go head, go head
Go head
[Chorus x2]
Dem niggas jealous say you ain't got time fo' that (time fo' that).
All that shake can a nigga get some fries wit that
(fries wit dat). too much ass, I ain't gotta press a high to that (high to that).
Hair blonde fo' a minute til'
She dyed it black. in the club wit ha girls, everybody pretty.
Said she used to dance at magic city (magic city).
Go girl (go girl)
To the flo' girl (to the flo' girl)
Shake it real slow like a pro girl (pro girl)
Hit the dro girl cause its yo world (yo world)
Dance one time den get some mo' girl (mo' girl)
Gucci in the club two rubber band bites,
Smokin' bubbagush and the shit just stank (stank).
Six girls dancin' at the same time (same time),
Never seen a hood hoe so damn fine (so fine).
Turn around baby girl, damn ya cute.
I ain't tryna come at you like a prostitute.
Go head, go head
Go head, go head
Go head, go head
Go head, baby girl go head
Go head, go head
Go head, go head
Go head, go head
Go head
[Chorus x2]
In "Go Head," Gucci Mane and his collaborator Mac Bre-Z describe their encounters with various beautiful women in the club. The chorus repeats the phrase "Go Head" as a way to encourage the women to flaunt their bodies and attract attention. The first verse describes Gucci Mane's pursuit of a woman with a curvy figure, while the second verse features Bre-Z boasting about her own beauty and independence. The song contains several references to other female celebrities, such as Lisa Raye, Trina, Lauren Hill, Jackie O, Foxy Brown, and Monica. Gucci Mane and Bre-Z brag about their ability to attract women and their willingness to spend money on them.
The lyrics of "Go Head" reflect the common themes of male rappers objectifying and commodifying women's bodies. Gucci Mane and Bre-Z reduce the women they encounter to their physical appearances and sexual availability. The song reinforces the idea that women exist for men's pleasure and entertainment, and that their value lies in their ability to attract attention and satisfy men's desires. The repeated phrase "Go Head" reinforces this message by encouraging women to perform for men's gaze and providing them with a sense of validation based on their appearance.
Line by Line Meaning
Go head, go head
Encouraging someone to continue or give permission to do something
Go head, baby girl go head
Encouraging a girl to continue doing what she's doing
Shawty gotta ass on ha (on ha)
The girl has a noticeable body and especially has a big behind
I'ma put my hands on ha (on ha)
Gucci Mane wants to get physical with the girl he's talking about
I'ma spend a couple grand on ha (on ha)
Gucci Mane is willing to spend some money on the girl he's interested in
I'ma pop a rubber band on ha (on ha)
I'm going to show her a good time with something as simple as popping a rubber band on her wrist
I'm tryna figure which chick I'ma see today (see today)
Trying to decide which girl he wants to see or spend time with today
Picked up a young girl, looked like lisa ray (lisa ray)
He picked up a girl who has a similar look to Lisa Ray, a well-known actress
When I seen ha in the club said I gots to get ha (gots to get ha)
As soon as he saw her in the club, he knew he had to take her home or get her number
Cause she might be trina sista (trina sista)
He's not certain, but she could be the sister of rapper Trina
Gotta girl look just like lauren hill (lauren hill)
He met a girl who looks like Lauren Hill, an iconic singer
Took ha to the crib cause she kno' what it is (she know what it is)
He took her home because she knows what kind of person he is or what he's looking for
I'ma bump ha but I cant stand ha daddy do' (daddy do')
He likes her but he can't stand her dad
But she got mo' ass than jackie o' (jackie o')
She has a much bigger butt than Jackie O, the wife of President Kennedy
Gotta brown skin girl like foxy brown (foxy brown)
He met a girl with brown skin and is comparing her to the rapper Foxy Brown, who also has brown skin
Bought a quarter pound just to blow it down (blow it down)
Gucci Mane bought a large amount of weed just to smoke it
Tattoos all ova' like eva or somethin' (eve or somethin')
The girl with tattoos all around her body reminds him of the rapper Eve or someone like her
Long hair but it must be weave or somethin' (weave or something')
He thinks that the girl's long hair might be fake or a weave
Gotta spot so I bought ha new furniture (furniture)
He has a place for her to stay and bought her new furniture to make it more comfortable for her
Cause she pretty in the face like monica (monica)
The girl has a pretty face similar to Monica, another R&B singer
I really dig the girl so I gave a ticket to gucci world (gucci world)
He really likes the girl and gave her a ticket to Gucci World, a metaphor for wanting to be with him
I'm in the club niggas screamin' who the hill is that (who the hell is dat)
People in the club are asking who is that girl with the big butt
That girl wit' that ass all on the back
The girl he is talking about has a big butt
I got that fire read thong wit' bra to match (bra to match)
Gucci Mane has sexy underwear to match the girl's sex appeal
I'ma real boss bitch and I'm hard to catch
The girl he is speaking of is a boss and is difficult to catch or get with
Mac bre-z, pimpin' ain't e-z nigga (it ain't easy)
Being a pimp is not easy and has its challenges
You can leave me cause I don't really need ya nigga (i don't need ya)
He doesn't need anyone and can do what he wants
I got that chevy and ya hear me fo'
Gucci Mane has a Chevy and wants people to recognize him
Ya see me nigga cause my mama sho' the mack how to treat a nigga
His mom taught him how to treat people and be successful
And I'ma top notch bitch that talk shit but I take none (i take none)
She is a high-class woman who talks a lot but doesn't take any disrespect
Hair stay fixed Jump fresh wit my nails done (my nails done)
She always looks good and keeps her hair and nails done
My braclet. my nigga sick so you already kno'
She has a nice bracelet and she wants everyone to know that her man is sick
When I step up in the club, I be rockin' stilettos hoe (stilettos hoe)
She wears high heels to look sexy and confident
I'ma jazzy girl, straight classy girl (straight classy girl)
She's a chic and classy woman
And ya never head a nigga say I'm nasty girl (i ain't nasty girl)
People don't say she's nasty or promiscuous
And ya never meet a girl that will shine like me (shine like me)
She is unique and stands out from other girls
Cause I'm wit the gucci mane, I'm so icey.
She is with Gucci Mane and feels 'icey' or cool because of it
Dem niggas jealous say you ain't got time fo' that (time fo' that)
People are always going to be jealous and talk down on her
All that shake can a nigga get some fries wit that (fries wit dat)
He's joking about her body and making fun of guys who only care about that
Too much ass, I ain't gotta press a high to that (high to that)
There's no need to be under the influence to have a good time with someone like her
Hair blonde fo' a minute til' She dyed it black
She changed her hair color after originally having it blonde
In the club wit ha girls, everybody pretty
She's out with her friends and they are all pretty
Said she used to dance at magic city (magic city)
She used to be a dancer at Magic City, a well-known strip club
Go girl (go girl) To the flo' girl (to the flo' girl)
She's dancing and doing her thing on the floor
Shake it real slow like a pro girl (pro girl)
She knows how to dance and is doing it like a professional
Hit the dro girl cause its yo world (yo world)
She's going to smoke weed because it's her world and she can do what she wants
Dance one time den get some mo' girl (mo' girl)
She's going to dance a little bit more before doing something else
Gucci in the club two rubber band bites
Gucci Mane has two rubber bands around his wrist
Smokin' bubbagush and the shit just stank (stank)
He's smoking bad weed and it doesn't smell good
Six girls dancin' at the same time (same time)
He's watching six girls dance at the same time
Never seen a hood hoe so damn fine (so fine)
He's never seen a girl from the hood who looks so good
Turn around baby girl, damn ya cute
He's complimenting the girl and thinks she's cute from behind
I ain't tryna come at you like a prostitute.
He's not trying to hit on her like a prostitute offering their services
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALI K. JONES, SEAN KELLY, CAMERON F. GIPP, LETISHA NICOLE MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind