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.”
Going In
Gucci Mane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Standing in V.I.P. a hundred fifty deep
Jelwery all over me I look like mr. T
My necklace is full of diamonds hell yea I'm shinnig bright
And bitches starrin at me starring so inpolite
What a sight to see tattoo all over me
A walkin work of art I took a lot of ink
Kids want my autograph hoes want my phone number
No need to speak I rather keep it brief
I took a couple keys [? ]
Maybe to you but damn sure not to me
Five hundred fifty a piece now that's a lot of trees
[Hook: x2]
I'm Going In [x13]
Is On Again once again once again once again
I play to win I Play To Win
I'm Going In
[Verse 2:]
I ride exotic cars I smoke expensive weed
Yea that's the life of G and you are not a G
And you can't walk with me because you are not with me
He wants to get in free but he is not with the team
This is not a dream and this is not a game
Step on my denim jeans, is up by 50 grands
Of in the club two hundred thirty grams
That's a half a pound we blew it like a fan
Nigga I'm the man, women taking pictures
They want to touch my hands they want to hit my swishers
I'm fuckin with you if you fuckin with me
Cause we just bought the bar so is ya drinkin with me
[Hook: x2]
I'm Going In [x13]
Is On Again once again once again once again
I play to win I Play To Win
I'm Going In
[Verse 3:]
I'm in magic city the center of attention
I'm standing in the light I'm lookin like a ticket
A whole a milli I mean a cool million
Since they kno I'm ballin they want to have my children
Want to feel it do you really feel it
This isn't just rap is really how I kick it
I'm chillin like a villian cause really I'm a villian
So listen to my struggle I make you see my vision
Like a blind man you can't see the kid
I'm like a deaf man cause you can't tell me shit
Bitches fight daily you ain't fight cases
Got money so out wasted I'm thirty rolling glacier
[Hook: x2]
I'm Going In [x13]
Is On Again once again once again once again
I play to win I Play To Win
I'm Going In
In Gucci Mane's song "Going In," he starts off by describing himself standing in VIP, surrounded by wealthy individuals with jewelry all over him, shining brightly in the club. He's covered in tattoos, which he describes as a "walking work of art" that took him a lot of ink to complete. People want his autograph, and girls want his phone number, but he's too conceited to hand out his actual number, so he gives out a fake one instead to avoid any further contact. Gucci boasts of being wealthy and purchasing expensive toys like exotic cars and smoking expensive weed. However, he emphasizes that not everyone can be part of his crew, and if someone wants to get in free, then they're not with the team hence not welcome.
In the second verse, Gucci repeats his previous statements about living a lavish lifestyle and being too exclusive for everyone to join. He also mentions the amount he spends on his clothes and shoes, which explains his overall appeal and attracts a lot of girls. He further reiterates that he's the man and takes pictures with women who hold on to him tightly, wanting a mere touch of his hands. Gucci repeats the hook; as he says, he's going in, playing to win.
In the third verse, Gucci Mane describes his center of attraction, Magic City, where people know him as a millionaire. With his wealth comes ladies who actively pursue him and try to have his children. He emphasizes that his rap lyrics are a reflection of his real-life experiences and struggles, aiming to make people see his vision. Therefore, he ends the song with a self-proclamation that he's like a deaf man because nobody can tell him anything and that his thirty rolling glacier, and he's unstoppable.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing in V.I.P. a hundred fifty deep
I am standing in VIP with a large group of people
Jelwery all over me I look like mr. T
I am wearing a lot of jewelry and I resemble Mr. T
My necklace is full of diamonds hell yea I'm shinnig bright
My necklace is made of diamonds and I am shining brightly
And bitches starrin at me starring so inpolite
Women are staring at me in a rude way
What a sight to see tattoo all over me
I have many tattoos on my body
A walkin work of art I took a lot of ink
My body is like a piece of art because of all my tattoos
Kids want my autograph hoes want my phone number
Children want my autograph and women want my phone number
But I'm so damn conseede gave her the wrong number
I am very conceited and gave a woman the wrong phone number
No need to speak I rather keep it brief
I don't want to talk much, I prefer to be brief
I took a couple keys [? ]
I have taken some keys (possibly referring to drugs)
Maybe to you but damn sure not to me
What I have may not be much to you, but it is significant to me
Five hundred fifty a piece now that's a lot of trees
Each key costs 550 dollars, which is a lot of money
I ride exotic cars I smoke expensive weed
I own expensive cars and smoke high-quality weed
Yea that's the life of G and you are not a G
This is the life of a gangster and you are not one
And you can't walk with me because you are not with me
You can't hang out with me because we are not friends
He wants to get in free but he is not with the team
Someone wants to enter for free but they are not part of my group
This is not a dream and this is not a game
This is reality and not a fantasy or game
Step on my denim jeans, is up by 50 grands
My shoes are worth 50,000 dollars and you just stepped on them
Of in the club two hundred thirty grams
We have 230 grams of drugs in the club
That's a half a pound we blew it like a fan
We used up half a pound of drugs like they were nothing
Nigga I'm the man, women taking pictures
I am the man and women are taking pictures of me
They want to touch my hands they want to hit my swishers
Women want to touch my hands and smoke my cigarillos
I'm fuckin with you if you fuckin with me
I will be friendly with you if you are friendly with me
Cause we just bought the bar so is ya drinkin with me
We just purchased the bar, so are you drinking with us?
I'm in magic city the center of attention
I am in Magic City, where I am the center of attention
I'm standing in the light I'm lookin like a ticket
I am standing in the spotlight and looking valuable
A whole a milli I mean a cool million
I have a lot of money, specifically a million dollars
Since they kno I'm ballin they want to have my children
Since people know I am wealthy, they want to have children with me
Want to feel it do you really feel it
Do you truly understand and feel my lifestyle?
This isn't just rap is really how I kick it
My lifestyle is not just for show, it is how I really live
I'm chillin like a villian cause really I'm a villian
I am relaxed like a villain since I am one myself
So listen to my struggle I make you see my vision
Listen to my difficulties, and you will understand my mindset
Like a blind man you can't see the kid
You cannot see me, like a blind person cannot see
I'm like a deaf man cause you can't tell me shit
You cannot tell me anything, like a deaf person cannot hear
Bitches fight daily you ain't fight cases
Women argue with each other every day, but you haven't been in legal trouble
Got money so out wasted I'm thirty rolling glacier
I have a lot of money and I am very intoxicated, driving like a glacier
I'm Going In [x13]
I am extremely focused and determined
Is On Again once again once again once again
This feeling of focus and determination is happening once again
I play to win I Play To Win
I am playing to win, not just participating
I'm Going In
I am extremely focused and determined
Contributed by Jordyn L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.