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.”
It's Goin Up
Gucci Mane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Its Gucci And Dready
Spaghetti Junction
Drop Top Ferrari Call It The Headless Horse
Water Whippin In The Kitchen
My Walkie Bitchern But I Aint Time For Stressin
Im Trying To Screction
I Hold Up My Whip With My Left Wrist
Right Wrist Makes Your Words Twist Like Chopsticks
Roof Gone Get Your Present
Top Is Absent
My Old School Make 'em Hate Me Wit A Passion
Loudin Theres A Loudin
Got The Scrodin Count Up A Hundred Thousand
In My Long Johns I'm Up On These Suckas So I Get That Whitey Blocks
See These Niggas Need To Shop Wit Me Come Up On The Knot
Dope Boy Totin Up Four Hundred Thousand To The Lot
Where Them Keys To The Rolls Royce Choppin Like Its Hot
Nigga Try Before I Beat Your Man Give That Puff A Cot
Then My Car .... Give 200 A Shot
Its Goin Up Its Goin Up Its Goin Up Yea I'm Hot
My Feature Price Its Goin Up
Its Goin Up Its Goin Up Its Goin Up Its The Drought
You Know The Price Its Going Up
Said Up Zone 6 My Check Up
Said Up Zone 6 My Check Up
Said Up Zone 6 My Check Up
Pull Up To The Club And Theyd Be Wut the Fuck
With News Flash Nigga This Is Straight Off The Wire
My Blood Just GoT blood So His Ass Got To Retire
It Aint All Good Cause I Just Left The Streets Jack
They Say Its A Drought And The Hoods Off The Meatrack
The Trap Was Going Ham Now Its Full Blown Pig
And Yours In The Streets Itll Split Your Full Grown Wig
And Niggas On That Bullshit Sellin Wax And Drywall
Careful Who You're Scoring From Niggas Bound To Dry Out
Me I'm The Trill-O G So I Aint Trippin On 'Em
We Automatic Mayne And we Aint Scared Of Grippin On 'Em
We Got Our Own Bricks You Cant Hit Your Own Licks?
Holla At The Trill-O G Or Mr Zone 6
Its Goin Up Its Goin Up Its Goin Up Yea I'm Hot
My Feature Price Its Goin Up
Its Goin Up Its Goin Up Its Goin Up Its The Drought
You Know The Price Its Going Up
Said Up Zone 6 My Check Up
Said Up Zone 6 My Check Up
Said Up Zone 6 My Check Up
Pull Up To The Club And Theyd Be Wut the Fuck
Bring Them Helicopter Prices In The Hood This Shit Outrageous
Gucci Mane Aint Got Like The Money Get Contagious
Stupid Don Porshe Cocaine Miley Cyrus
If Money A Disease I Got A Million Dollar Virus
Lookin Out The Window And My House Looking Like An Island
Fresher Nigga In And Out With An Stylist
Man Cost A Hundred But The Chopper Cost A Thousand
125 Grand pools Running In Your House
The Work Banked Up But the Yeast Went Down
500 Dog Flagged Get Your Bitch Gunned Down
Throw It Up Throw It Up Aces And Spades Pull It Up
Bottle After Bottle We Going Harder Till We Throwin Up
Its Goin Up Its Goin Up Its Goin Up Yea I'm Hot
My Feature Price Its Goin Up
Its Goin Up Its Goin Up Its Goin Up Its The Drought
You Know The Price Its Going Up
Said Up Zone 6 My Check Up
Said Up Zone 6 My Check Up
Said Up Zone 6 My Check Up
Pull Up To The Club And Theyd Be Wut the Fuck
The song "It's Goin Up" by Gucci Mane is a rap song that talks about his success and how he is on top of the game. From the lyrics, we can see that he is proud of his achievements, and he is not going to let anything or anyone get in his way. In the first verse, Gucci Mane talks about driving a Headless Horse, which refers to his drop-top Ferrari, and water whipping in the kitchen, which is a common reference to cooking and selling drugs. He also talks about holding up his whip with his left wrist while his right wrist is busy copying his gestures, twisting like chopsticks.
In the chorus, Gucci Mane repeats the phrase "It's Goin Up" to reinforce his success and how everything around him is becoming more expensive. He mentions the "drought," which means that the drug market has increased, leading to an increase in demand and price. Gucci Mane then talks about his check-up in Zone 6, which is a neighborhood in Atlanta known for its high concentration of gangs and drug activity. He also talks about the outrageous prices of items in the hood, like helicopters.
In the second verse, Gucci Mane continues to brag about his wealth while warning his listeners to be mindful of who they are buying and selling drugs to. He references Miley Cyrus, the American singer and actress, as a code for cocaine, and talks about his house looking like an island. He also mentions spending money on his stylist and having a chopper that costs a thousand dollars.
Overall, "It's Goin Up" is a typical rap song that talks about money, success, and the drug game. Gucci Mane's delivery and flow make the lyrics catchy and memorable, which adds to its appeal.
Line by Line Meaning
Are You Ready?
An inquiry asking if the listener is prepared for what is to come.
Its Gucci And Dready
The artists Gucci Mane and Dready are collaborating in this song.
Spaghetti Junction
A reference to an interchange in Atlanta, GA; the origin of Gucci Mane's career.
Drop Top Ferrari Call It The Headless Horse
Gucci Mane owns a Ferrari convertible, which he nicknamed 'The Headless Horse.'
Water Whippin In The Kitchen
Cooking drugs in the kitchen to create a higher profit.
My Walkie Bitchern But I Aint Time For Stressin
Gucci Mane has a lot of things to do and doesn't have time for stress.
Im Trying To Screction
Gucci Mane is referring to a screwed and chopped style of music that he is trying to create.
I Hold Up My Whip With My Left Wrist
Gucci Mane holds up his car by the steering wheel with his left wrist to show off his success.
Copy Wristress
A reference to his left wrist and that others tend to copy what he does and wears.
Right Wrist Makes Your Words Twist Like Chopsticks
Gucci Mane's right wrist wears jewelry that can twist someone's words, meaning it can be misconstrued based on his success.
Roof Gone Get Your Present
A reference to the convertible Ferrari he owns and the feeling that goes with driving it.
Top Is Absent
The convertible Ferrari roof is not present.
My Old School Make 'em Hate Me Wit A Passion
Gucci Mane's car, an old school model, makes others jealous of his success.
Loudin Theres A Loudin
A reference to the sound of a gun being fired.
Got The Scrodin Count Up A Hundred Thousand
Counting his drug-related earnings up to a hundred thousand dollars.
In My Long Johns I'm Up On These Suckas So I Get That Whitey Blocks
Gucci Mane is wearing long johns to stay warm while involved in illegal activity, and he is successful in making money off of others.
See These Niggas Need To Shop Wit Me Come Up On The Knot
Other drug dealers need to buy their supply from him to make the most money possible.
Dope Boy Totin Up Four Hundred Thousand To The Lot
A drug dealer has four hundred thousand dollars that they are bringing to the meeting place.
Where Them Keys To The Rolls Royce Choppin Like Its Hot
Gucci Mane is asking for the keys to the Rolls Royce, which he plans to drive.
Nigga Try Before I Beat Your Man Give That Puff A Cot
Before Gucci Mane attacks someone, he offers them a place to sleep if they cannot stand from exhaustion or laugh at them.
Then My Car .... Give 200 A Shot
Gucci Mane's car is so impressive that he suggests others give it a try himself for $200.
Its Goin Up Its Goin Up Its Goin Up Yea I'm Hot
Things are getting better and better for Gucci Mane and he is feeling hot and successful.
My Feature Price Its Goin Up
The price for Gucci Mane to collaborate on a song or feature is becoming more expensive.
Its Goin Up Its Goin Up Its Goin Up Its The Drought
There is a drug drought, meaning it is becoming harder to acquire and the prices are skyrocketing.
You Know The Price Its Going Up
The price of drugs is going up because of the drug drought.
Said Up Zone 6 My Check Up
Gucci Mane is from Zone 6 in Atlanta, GA and his lifestyle is being checked up on.
Pull Up To The Club And Theyd Be Wut the Fuck
People are shocked when he pulls up to the club due to his wealth and success.
With News Flash Nigga This Is Straight Off The Wire
The news is reporting on Gucci Mane's lifestyle and potentially his illegal activities.
My Blood Just GoT blood So His Ass Got To Retire
Gucci Mane got revenge on a rival, but not through the lyrics and their career is over.
It Aint All Good Cause I Just Left The Streets Jack
The situation is not okay just because he is no longer on the streets.
They Say Its A Drought And The Hoods Off The Meatrack
There is a drug drought and it's making things worse in the neighborhood.
The Trap Was Going Ham Now Its Full Blown Pig
The drug trap was thriving but now the police are catching more and more people.
And Yours In The Streets Itll Split Your Full Grown Wig
The streets are dangerous and can cause physical harm or death.
And Niggas On That Bullshit Sellin Wax And Drywall
Drug dealers are selling fake or low-quality drugs to make more profit.
Careful Who You're Scoring From Niggas Bound To Dry Out
Be cautious who you buy drugs from or you might not get the real thing.
Me I'm The Trill-O G So I Aint Trippin On 'Em
Gucci Mane is a true gangsta, and he is not worried about other gangs.
We Automatic Mayne And we Aint Scared Of Grippin On 'Em
Gucci Mane and his gang are armed and not afraid to use their weapons.
We Got Our Own Bricks You Cant Hit Your Own Licks?
Gucci Mane and his gang have their own supply of drugs to sell, and they are questioning why others can't find their own.
Holla At The Trill-O G Or Mr Zone 6
If you need drugs, contact Gucci Mane, who is also known as Mr. Zone 6.
Bring Them Helicopter Prices In The Hood This Shit Outrageous
The cost of drugs has become extremely expensive in the neighborhood.
Gucci Mane Aint Got Like The Money Get Contagious
Gucci Mane's wealth is contagious, meaning that others want to make the same amount.
Stupid Don Porshe Cocaine Miley Cyrus
He drove a white Porsche and referenced both drugs and the singer Miley Cyrus in a derogatory way.
If Money A Disease I Got A Million Dollar Virus
Gucci Mane has made a lot of money, and he refers to money as a viral and contagious 'disease.'
Lookin Out The Window And My House Looking Like An Island
Gucci Mane's house is large and isolated, likened to an island.
Fresher Nigga In And Out With An Stylist
Gucci Mane has a fresh and on-trend style with the help of a personal stylist.
Man Cost A Hundred But The Chopper Cost A Thousand
A man's life might only be worth one hundred dollars, but the weapon used to kill them is worth far more.
125 Grand pools Running In Your House
A reference to making large sums of money through drug selling and having a pool in your house.
The Work Banked Up But the Yeast Went Down
The drug has been made and processed successfully but is going bad due to a lack of yeast, which is used in the cooking process.
500 Dog Flagged Get Your Bitch Gunned Down
Policemen have dogs trained to sniff out drugs, leading to the arrest of drug dealers and potential harm to their associates.
Throw It Up Throw It Up Aces And Spades Pull It Up
A hand signal used to intimidate and signify belonging to a certain gang and/or showing off success.
Bottle After Bottle We Going Harder Till We Throwin Up
Celebrating success and drinking to excess, to the point of vomiting.
Said Up Zone 6 My Check Up
A repetition of the earlier line to reinforce the idea of being checked up on by others from the same neighborhood.
Pull Up To The Club And Theyd Be Wut the Fuck
Repetition of an earlier line to emphasize viewer shock and disbelief.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tariq Martin
2022 Still Goin Up!!! Dis when Gucci was Untouchable 🔥🔥🐐
G3LiCA
This was my shit...back in my college days 2010...
K. O.
gelicagalove we was trappin in a college town
Berto Ortiz
summer 2010 , straight fire this has to be my fav Gucci mixtape , so many memories
Lil One
Still 🔥 🔥 one of Gucci best verses ever
GoCrazy Rod
Still goin up 🔥🔥🔥
Matty Haha
2018 still bangin 🔥🔥🔥
SpaceGoingUp
Gucci a prophet! Prices really been going up lately
White 9th
That’s not prophecy that’s just Biden
Max Max
@White 9th both 😎