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.”
Gucci Montana
Gucci Mane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gucci over do's it, does it the boys perfect.
Vette piece fronted, its color scale in the cover.
I'm up 900, god damn i spent 100 .
But thats rap money, when trappin? that cash nothin'.
I'm internet surfin, to a gorrilla in the turfin.
G-boat racin', jet skiin' and golfin'.
Crazy color jawdys, same color the bought it.
Shrimp scampy odor everytime i fork chick.
Trap nigga conversate with a hundred spark bitch.
I'm young rich and heartless, put you on a carton.
Cartoon jury just to bounce by my artist.
6 months lost, got a head start bitch.
I was nigga rich ever before I ever got a rap check.
Yellow corvette same color bow lett.
Pay $20 grand$ just to get every stone set.
(Chorus)
Big black hollow tips that's what the six fit
Hataz' try me they'll get shot in the kidneys..
Dislodged bullets real fast what a chop do.
I'm gucci mane laflare i tote da' glock like a cop do.
We don't talk to strangaz', we cop' bangaz'.
Trappin at night man it might get dangerous!
I'm from east atlanta where they cuttin off fingaz'.(repeat 2x)
(Verse 2)
I'm shittin on these rappers like i'm wearin a pamper.
I'm sittin on 500's cus i got it together
Niggaz never try niggaz that set examples.
Im cocaine shawty side to side of the scramper.
The port of miami to the streets of hotlanta.
The pinky with the lightstone matchin yo' candle.
Gucci mane laflare they call me gucci montana.
I'm blood georgia from the maken tampa and bama.
My mississipi niggaz' feel me harder than bama.
Hataz' see my video, they switchin' the channel.
Gucci got pieces shawty go get yo' camera.
Gucci time is money, bitch so go get it faster.
I could give a damn about your fathers a pastor.
Just cus i smoke your father than your ass is a bastard.
Gucci smokin' weed, so you know he's a hazard.
Money on my mind so bitches don't really matter.
(Chorus)
Big black hollow tips that's what the six fit
Hataz' try me they'll get shot in the kidneys..
Dislodged bullets real fast what a chop do.
I'm gucci mane laflare i tote da' glock like a cop do.
We don't talk to strangaz', we cop' bangaz'.
Trappin at night man it might get dangerous!
I'm from east atlanta where they cuttin off fingaz'.(repeat 2x)
Verse 3:
Money so big it cant fit in my matress.
Neva bought the adress cus i signed with atlantic.
Money bigger thirsty then trappin' hispanics.
Party in my pocket turn your head to some metal risk.
Boss of your boss man, i push the porsches.
Million dollar chain got me feelin' important.
Jumped off early, and copped' me a fork.
Makin' moofa money like the king of new york.
Gucci go and get it, why them hoes get abortions.
Shittin on a bitch, take a piss on their jordans.
Rap is roverocious gucci mane want the package.
Scale in the bag, bitch pay me on the back end
Hamilton?s, Washington?s, Franklin's and Jackson's.
Trappa' never trip i just added the fractions,
New bitch muggin', brand new mansion.
Everything inside from the jeans to my glasses
(Chorus)
Big black hollow tips that's what the six fit
Hataz' try me they'll get shot in the kidneys..
Dislodged bullets real fast what a chop do.
I'm gucci mane laflare i tote da' glock like a cop do.
We don't talk to strangaz', we cop' bangaz'.
Trappin at night man it might get dangerous!
I'm from east atlanta where they cuttin off fingaz'.(repeat 2x)
In "Gucci Montana," Gucci Mane boasts about his extravagant lifestyle earned from hustling and rapping. He says he overdoes everything to perfection, exemplified by his Vette piece, glimmering in a colored scale on the cover. He spent $100,000 without batting an eye since it's just rap money, and says that while he is browsing the internet, he still talks to gorillas working in the trap. Gucci enjoys the life of the rich and famous, revving up G-Boats, racing jet skis and golfing during his leisure. He loves his jaw-dropping colored opulent cars, made all the more exquisite by buying the same outfits that match their hue. Elated by his financial success, he brags that he's back in his baller status and won't stop, with shrimp scampy wafting every time he forks his chicken. Gucci then talks about his wealth and trap life, conversing with his spark bitch and how he's young, rich, and heartless to put anyone in a cartoon jury just to show off his glee.
The chorus cuts to his violent side, warning haters that they might get shot in the kidneys with big black hollow tips, especially if they try testing him. He has dislodged bullets for the quick pull of his chop, similar to how cops do. Gucci's gangster lifestyle doesn't involve talking to strangers, only cop-banging and trappin', the latter of which can often become dangerous, especially since he's from East Atlanta, where people are famous for cutting off fingers. In the second verse, Gucci emphasizes that he's above his fellow rappers, likening himself to someone who wears diapers while shitting on them all. He talks about his connections in different cities, from the Port of Miami to his hometown in Georgia. He used to be affiliated with the Bloods, but the Mississippi crew feels him harder than in Alabama. Haters shy away from his video, quickly switching the channel to see Gucci flaunting his wealth and fame. Gucci's time is money, and he wants everything to be faster so that he can spend his time smoking weed, which he claims makes him hazardous. He doesn't care about anyone's fathers or religion unless they interfere with his money-making trades.
In the final verse of the song, Gucci brags about his wealth, saying it's too much to fit in his mattress. He signed with Atlantic Records and never had to worry about buying an address. He enjoys the thirst of making money more than "trapping Hispanics," or any occupation for that matter. With the party in his pocket, he can turn your head to some "metal risk." He's the boss of everyone, digging his hands into the Porsche wheel and enjoying million-dollar chains that make him feel important. Even when he was starting out, he had what it took to make crazy cash like the king of New York. He takes great pleasure in his success, encouraging women to get abortions while he continues to top the charts. Gucci doesn't forget his roots, taking dumps on his jordans, and never letting go of his hardscrabble beginnings. His life is a life of fractions, all adding up to the grandest lifestyle, with his brand new mansion and everything inside it.
Line by Line Meaning
Gucci over do's it, does it the boys perfect.
Gucci Mane does things perfectly, and he does them excessively.
Vette piece fronted, its color scale in the cover.
Gucci Mane has a corvette with a custom paint job featured in a magazine.
I'm up 900, god damn i spent 100 .
Gucci Mane spent $100,000 and made $900,000 because of his rap success.
But thats rap money, when trappin? that cash nothin'.
While rap brings in a lot of money, trap money is even more substantial.
I'm internet surfin, to a gorrilla in the turfin.
Gucci Mane is surfing the internet to learn about the gang activity in his area.
G-boat racin', jet skiin' and golfin'.
Gucci Mane participates in various luxurious activities like racing G-boats, jet skiing, and playing golf.
Crazy color jawdys, same color the bought it.
Gucci Mane has shoes in matching crazy colors to his car.
Bitch i'm back i'm ballin', im rich hundred regardless.
Gucci Mane is rich now and living life to the fullest.
Shrimp scampy odor everytime i fork chick.
Gucci Mane often eats shrimp scampi, and the food odor lingers on his fingers after he eats.
Trap nigga conversate with a hundred spark bitch.
Gucci Mane chats with a girl who is armed with a hundred bullets because of his trap business.
I'm young rich and heartless, put you on a carton.
Gucci Mane is young, rich, and without a heart. He could put anyone on a cartoon to be mocked.
Cartoon jury just to bounce by my artist.
Gucci Mane has hired an artist to make a cartoon of a jury bouncing along to his music.
6 months lost, got a head start bitch.
Gucci Mane had a setback of six months but managed to get a head start nonetheless.
I was nigga rich ever before I ever got a rap check.
Gucci Mane was already rich before he even started making music.
Yellow corvette same color bow lett.
Gucci Mane has a yellow corvette painted in the same color as his bowtie.
Pay $20 grand$ just to get every stone set.
Gucci Mane paid $20,000 to have every stone in his jewelry set perfectly.
Big black hollow tips that's what the six fit
Gucci Mane's gun uses big black hollow tips that fit in his gun's chamber.
Hataz' try me they'll get shot in the kidneys..
Those who try to hurt Gucci Mane will be shot in the kidney area.
Dislodged bullets real fast what a chop do.
Gucci Mane's chopped gun can fire bullets with incredible speed.
We don't talk to strangaz', we cop' bangaz'.
Gucci Mane and his associates don't talk to strangers, but they do purchase guns.
Trappin at night man it might get dangerous!
Gucci Mane's trap business is particularly dangerous at night.
I'm from east atlanta where they cuttin off fingaz'.(repeat 2x)
Gucci Mane is from East Atlanta, a place known for its violent activity, including cutting off fingers.
I'm shittin on these rappers like i'm wearin a pamper.
Gucci Mane is better than his competition and dominates them like a toddler in a diaper.
I'm sittin on 500's cus i got it together
Gucci Mane has $500,000 because he is organized and has his stuff together.
Niggaz never try niggaz that set examples.
People never try Gucci Mane or his associates because they are examples of how to successfully run a trap business.
Im cocaine shawty side to side of the scramper.
Gucci Mane is known for selling cocaine, and he works alongside a fellow dealer.
The port of miami to the streets of hotlanta.
Gucci Mane's drug empire reaches from Miami to the streets of Atlanta.
The pinky with the lightstone matchin yo' candle.
Gucci Mane's pinky ring has a matching light-colored stone, complementing the lit candle of his partner.
Gucci mane laflare they call me gucci montana.
Gucci Mane has earned the nickname Gucci Montana because of his drug business and his luxurious persona.
I'm blood georgia from the maken tampa and bama.
Gucci Mane is an associate of the Bloods in Georgia, and he has connections in Tampa and Alabama.
My mississipi niggaz' feel me harder than bama.
Gucci Mane's associates in Mississippi respect him even more than those in Alabama.
Hataz' see my video, they switchin' the channel.
Those who dislike Gucci Mane may switch the channel when they see his music video.
Gucci got pieces shawty go get yo' camera.
Gucci Mane has jewelry worth showing off, so his associates should take photos of it.
Gucci time is money, bitch so go get it faster.
Gucci Mane values his time and wants things done quickly.
I could give a damn about your fathers a pastor.
Gucci Mane doesn't care about someone's family background or occupation.
Just cus i smoke your father than your ass is a bastard.
If Gucci Mane smokes someone's father, then that person is considered a bastard.
Gucci smokin' weed, so you know he's a hazard.
Gucci Mane is dangerous when he's high on marijuana.
Money on my mind so bitches don't really matter.
Gucci Mane is focused on making money, not on women.
Money so big it cant fit in my matress.
Gucci Mane has so much money that it can't fit in a mattress to keep safe.
Neva bought the adress cus i signed with atlantic.
Gucci Mane doesn't need to purchase a house because he signed a deal with Atlantic Records.
Money bigger thirsty then trappin' hispanics.
Gucci Mane's thirst for money is greater than the thirst for money among Hispanic drug dealers.
Party in my pocket turn your head to some metal risk.
Gucci Mane has enough money in his pocket to bring a party wherever he goes, and it's so valuable that it poses a risk of attracting attention.
Boss of your boss man, i push the porsche.
Gucci Mane is a boss in his own right and drives a Porsche to emphasize his success.
Million dollar chain got me feelin' important.
Gucci Mane feels important and valuable because of his million-dollar jewelry.
Jumped off early, and copped' me a fork.
Gucci Mane started his business early and made enough money to purchase a Porsche.
Makin' moofa money like the king of new york.
Gucci Mane is making an abundance of money, as if he were the king of New York.
Gucci go and get it, why them hoes get abortions.
Gucci Mane is focused on getting money, while women may be getting abortions because they can't afford a child.
Shittin on a bitch, take a piss on their jordans.
Gucci Mane is dominating women and showing his disrespect by urinating on their Jordans.
Rap is roverocious gucci mane want the package.
Rap is competitive, and Gucci Mane wants to be the best by being in control of his drug business.
Scale in the bag, bitch pay me on the back end
Gucci Mane is selling drugs and wants to be paid when the drugs are used, not just when they are purchased.
Hamilton?s, Washington?s, Franklin's and Jackson's.
Gucci Mane values money and mentions historical figures whose faces appear on US currency.
Trappa' never trip i just added the fractions,
Gucci Mane and his associates in the trap business never lose composure, and they know how to add fractions to measure their profits.
New bitch muggin', brand new mansion.
Gucci Mane has a new girlfriend with an attitude and a brand new mansion to impress her.
Everything inside from the jeans to my glasses
Gucci Mane's entire outfit, including his glasses, is expensive and luxurious.
Contributed by Hunter F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.