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.”
Kept Back
Gucci Mane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ooh
Huh, Wop, whah
Lil Pump
Brr, yeah, blah, oh, blow
M-M-M-Murda
Murda on the beat with the murder man
Steppin' on his dope like a step dad
Too turnt up, can't help that
Shittin' on a hater no Ex-Lax
Watch so dumb it got kept back
Bitch so thick, she can't help that
'Cause she livin' out the jet, got jet-lag
Need a real boss bitch, I can't help that
And her brain so dumb we got kept back
Just flew in designer to the bookbag
Tell her needed something real good to look at
Booty so big it got kept back
Pull up in the Dawn, let the roof back
Don't tell me that you love me, baby prove that
Chain keep flickin' and the gang keeps spending
Got a lot of ice on my neck man
Damn man, hundred bands hangin' out my backpack
Wrist so cold need a ice pack
Put four hundred bands in the mic stand
Woke up in the morning, bought a Maybach
Ooh, I'ma go do what I want to do
Got your baby mama, nigga tokin' out the sunroof
Damn boo, I'ma keep it real, I don't fuck with you
'Cause you got an attitude
You cashed out on a Bentley Coupe (woo)
I'ma go and fuck your bitch tomor-row
Gucci loafers on when I walk, dough
Lil Pump smash your main ho (wow)
And she gon' do what I say so
I'ma show you how I live life, ooh
Made two mil in one night
Whole body covered in ice
Pourin' up fours in my Tropical Sprite
Murda on the beat with the murder man
Ben Simmons shake 'em with the left hand
Steppin' on his dope like a step dad
Too turnt up, can't help that
Shittin' on a hater no Ex-Lax
Watch so dumb it got kept back
Bitch so thick, she can't help that
'Cause she livin' out the jet, got jet-lag
Need a real boss bitch, I can't help that
And her brain so dumb we got kept back
Just flew in designer to the bookbag
Tell her needed something real good to look at
Booty so big it got kept back
Pull up in the Dawn, let the roof back
Don't tell me that you love me, baby prove that
Chain keep flickin' and the gang keeps spending
Nigga keep missin' with the music
Baby you a human Jacuzzi
I'ma twist a bitch like a rubix
I might turn my book into a movie (Gucci)
I'ma put a bitch in a movie, porno
Rockstar couple, Cher, Bono
Rock star my life, Muliano
Pull up, ten bricks of that Nelly Furtado
El Gato's down in The Hamptons
My bitch with blue hair, Marge Simpson
Pull up with the driver in a Phantom
Pinky ring sick, got cancer
I was just sellin' dope on camera
Now I got my own shoe like the Answer
Might pull up throw some money on a dancer
Had to tip my earrings 'cause they dancin'
Murda on the beat with the murder man
Ben Simmons shake 'em with the left hand
Steppin' on his dope like a step dad
Too turnt up, can't help that
Shittin' on a hater no Ex-Lax
Watch so dumb it got kept back
Bitch so thick, she can't help that
'Cause she livin' out the jet, got jet-lag
Need a real boss bitch, I can't help that
And her brain so dumb we got kept back
Just flew in designer to the bookbag
Tell her needed something real good to look at
Booty so big it got kept back
Pull up in the Dawn, let the roof back
Don't tell me that you love me, baby prove that
Chain keep flickin' and the gang keeps spending
The song "Kept Back" by Gucci Mane ft. Lil Pump is a braggadocious rap that expresses their wealth and success in life. The song talks about their lavish lifestyle, and they also talk about being in control of everything, from their friends to their women.
The opening verse talks about their success and impact on people. The line "Murda on the beat with the murder man" refers to Murda Beatz, who is the producer of the track. The song also references Philadelphia 76ers basketball player Ben Simmons, implying they can control their opponents like he can. "Steppin' on his dope like a step dad" means that they are unapologetic about being successful and can step on their enemy's drugs because they can afford to do so.
In the second verse, Lil Pump brags about his wealth and talks about his unapologetic attitude towards people. "Got a lot of ice on my neck man/damn man, hundred bands hаngin' out my backpack" illustrates his massive bank account, and he also talks about how he will sleep with someone's girlfriend just to spite them. The song continues to reference luxury cars and designer clothes, as well as their ability to enjoy these things without concern for cost.
Overall, "Kept Back" highlights how Gucci Mane and Lil Pump have become successful in their careers and enjoy the finer things in life without concern for criticism.
Line by Line Meaning
Murda on the beat with the murder man
Murda produced the beat and Gucci Mane is giving him credit for it.
Ben Simmons shake 'em with the left hand
Gucci Mane's moves are as smooth as Ben Simmons playing basketball.
Steppin' on his dope like a step dad
Gucci Mane is stepping on his opponent's drugs, just like a stepdad would discipline his stepchild.
Too turnt up, can't help that
Gucci Mane is too hyped and excited to calm down.
Shittin' on a hater no Ex-Lax
Gucci Mane is so successful that he's shitting on his haters without the need for a laxative like Ex-Lax.
Watch so dumb it got kept back
Gucci Mane's watch is so expensive and flashy that it got held back.
Bitch so thick, she can't help that
The woman is so curvy that she can't help it.
'Cause she livin' out the jet, got jet-lag
She's been traveling on a private jet and experiencing the effects of jet-lag.
Need a real boss bitch, I can't help that
Gucci Mane is looking for a powerful woman to be with.
And her brain so dumb we got kept back
The woman is not very intelligent and that is holding things back.
Just flew in designer to the bookbag
Gucci Mane has just bought some designer items for his bag.
Tell her needed something real good to look at
Gucci Mane is asking for something good to look at from the woman.
Booty so big it got kept back
The woman's butt is so big that it is holding things back.
Pull up in the Dawn, let the roof back
Gucci Mane is driving his Rolls-Royce Dawn with the roof down.
Don't tell me that you love me, baby prove that
Gucci Mane wants to see actions to back up the words of love.
Chain keep flickin' and the gang keeps spending
Gucci Mane's flashy chain is catching people's attention and his crew keeps spending money.
Got a lot of ice on my neck man
Gucci Mane is wearing a lot of expensive jewelry on his neck.
Damn man, hundred bands hangin' out my backpack
Gucci Mane is carrying around $100,000 in his backpack.
Wrist so cold need a ice pack
Gucci Mane's wrist is so cold due to the expensive jewelry that he needs an ice pack to cool it down.
Put four hundred bands in the mic stand
Gucci Mane put $400,000 into his microphone stand.
Woke up in the morning, bought a Maybach
Gucci Mane bought a Maybach in the morning.
Ooh, I'ma go do what I want to do
Gucci Mane is going to do whatever he wants to do.
Got your baby mama, nigga tokin' out the sunroof
Gucci Mane has your baby mama smoking a blunt out of the sunroof of his car.
Damn boo, I'ma keep it real, I don't fuck with you
Gucci Mane is being honest and saying that he doesn't like the person he's talking to.
'Cause you got an attitude
The person has a bad attitude that Gucci Mane doesn't like.
You cashed out on a Bentley Coupe (woo)
The person spent a lot of money on a Bentley Coupe.
I'ma go and fuck your bitch tomor-row
Gucci Mane is planning on sleeping with the person's girlfriend tomorrow.
Gucci loafers on when I walk, dough
Gucci Mane is wearing Gucci loafers when he walks, representing his wealth.
Lil Pump smash your main ho (wow)
Lil Pump is going to have sex with the person's girlfriend.
And she gon' do what I say so
Lil Pump has control over the person's girlfriend and she does what he tells her to do.
I'ma show you how I live life, ooh
Gucci Mane is going to show the person how he lives his lavish lifestyle.
Made two mil in one night
Gucci Mane made $2 million in one night.
Whole body covered in ice
Gucci Mane is wearing a lot of expensive jewelry that is like ice on his body.
Pourin' up fours in my Tropical Sprite
Gucci Mane is drinking codeine mixed with Sprite, a drink known as lean.
Nigga keep missin' with the music
Other rappers can't compete with Gucci Mane's music.
Baby you a human Jacuzzi
A woman is like a Jacuzzi, heating Gucci Mane up.
I'ma twist a bitch like a rubix
Gucci Mane is going to confuse a woman like a Rubik's Cube.
I might turn my book into a movie (Gucci)
Gucci Mane is thinking of turning his book into a movie.
I'ma put a bitch in a movie, porno
Gucci Mane is going to have a woman star in a pornographic movie.
Rockstar couple, Cher, Bono
Gucci Mane and his partner are like a rockstar couple, similar to Cher and Bono.
Rock star my life, Muliano
Gucci Mane lives a lavish, rockstar lifestyle like Muliano.
Pull up, ten bricks of that Nelly Furtado
Gucci Mane arrived with ten bricks of cocaine, referencing Nelly Furtado's song 'Promiscuous.'
El Gato's down in The Hamptons
El Gato, Gucci Mane's nickname, is in The Hamptons.
My bitch with blue hair, Marge Simpson
Gucci Mane's partner has blue hair, resembling Marge Simpson.
Pull up with the driver in a Phantom
Gucci Mane is riding in a Rolls-Royce Phantom with a driver.
Pinky ring sick, got cancer
Gucci Mane's pinky ring is so large and impressive that it's like it has cancer.
I was just sellin' dope on camera
Gucci Mane used to sell drugs on video for money.
Now I got my own shoe like the Answer
Gucci Mane has his own shoe like Allen Iverson, who also went by the nickname 'The Answer.'
Might pull up throw some money on a dancer
Gucci Mane is considering throwing some money on a stripper while at a club.
Had to tip my earrings 'cause they dancin'
Gucci Mane's earrings are bouncing and dancing along with the music.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gazzy Garcia, Radric Delantic Davis, Shane Lee Lindstrom
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gazza Satria
LYRICS
[Intro: Gucci Mane & Lil Pump]
Huh, It's Gucci
Ooh
Huh, Wop, whah
Lil Pump
Brr, yeah, blah, oh, blow
M-M-M-Murda
[Chorus: Gucci Mane]
Murda on the beat with the murder man
Ben Simmons shake 'em with the left hand
Steppin' on his dope like a step dad
Too turnt up, can't help that
Shittin' on a hater no Ex-Lax
Watch so dumb it got kept back
Bitch so thick, she can't help that
'Cause she livin' out the jet, got jet-lag
Need a real boss bitch, I can't help that
And her brain so dumb we got kept back
Just flew in designer to the bookbag
Tell her needed something real good to look at
Booty so big it got kept back
Pull up in the Dawn, let the roof back
Don't tell me that you love me, baby prove that
Chain keep flickin' and the gang keeps spending
[Verse 1: Lil Pump]
Got a lot of ice on my neck man
Damn man, hundred bands hangin' on my backpack
Wrist so cold need a ice pack
Put four hundred bands in the mic stand
Woke up in the morning, bought a Maybach
Ooh, I'ma go do what I want to do
Got your baby mama, nigga tokin' out the sunroof
Damn boo, I'ma keep it real, I don't fuck with you
'Cause you got an attitude
You cashed out on a Bentley Coupe (woo)
I'ma go and fuck your bitch tomor-row
Gucci loafers on when I walk, dough
Lil Pump smash your main ho (wow)
And she gon' do what I say so
I'ma show you how I live life, ooh
Made two mil in one night
Whole body covered in ice
Pourin' up fours in my Tropical Sprite
[Chorus: Gucci Mane]
Murda on the beat with the murder man
Ben Simmons shake 'em with the left hand
Steppin' on his dope like a step dad
Too turnt up, can't help that
Shittin' on a hater no Ex-Lax
Watch so dumb it got kept back
Bitch so thick, she can't help that
'Cause she livin' out the jet, got jet-lag
Need a real boss bitch, I can't help that
And her brain so dumb we got kept back
Just flew in designer to the bookbag
Tell her needed something real good to look at
Booty so big it got kept back
Pull up in the Dawn, let the roof back
Don't tell me that you love me, baby prove that
Chain keep flickin' and the gang keeps spending
[Verse 2: Gucci Mane]
Nigga keep missin' with the music
Baby you a human jacuzzi
I'ma twist a bitch like a Rubik's
I might turn my book into a movie (Gucci)
I'ma put a bitch in a movie, porno
Rockstar couple, Cher, Bono
Rock star my life, Muliano
Pull up, ten bricks of that Nelly Furtado
El Gato's down in The Hamptons
My bitch with blue hair, Marge Simpson
Pull up with the driver in a Phantom
Pinky ring sick, it got cancer
I was just sellin' dope on camera
Now I got my own shoe like the Answer
Might pull up throw some money on a dancer
Had to tip my earrings 'cause they dancin'
[Chorus: Gucci Mane]
Murda on the beat with the murder man
Ben Simmons shake 'em with the left hand
Steppin' on his dope like a step dad
Too turnt up, can't help that
Shittin' on a hater no Ex-Lax
Watch so dumb it got kept back
Bitch so thick, she can't help that
'Cause she livin' out the jet, got jet-lag
Need a real boss bitch, I can't help that
And her brain so dumb we got kept back
Just flew in designer to the bookbag
Tell her needed something real good to look at
Booty so big it got kept back
Pull up in the Dawn, let the roof back
Don't tell me that you love me, baby prove that
Chain keep flickin' and the gang keeps spending
Lael Hansen
This video is thiccc
Dominick weyandt
Hi lael
Dat
mhmmm
Rubi & Romans Toy Collection
Lael Hansen Lael!! Hi 😊
I Do Not Associate With Chicken Wings
Like uuuuuuu
Bill Jones
Gucci Mane, you are a legend. We have all been listening to everything you ever done, especially what you put out from prison. You are an inspiration, thank You.
Yeldarb
Pump had more words in this verse than 60% of his songs
Tx beats
90% *
Josef Atia
@Matthew 😂😂😂😂
Dany Audet
Honestly i hate him but he went 🔥