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.”
Long Time
Gucci Mane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was broke down on my knee
Took me a long time to get it
80 Ps, straight gas
I done graduated from midget
Skurrtt Skurrtt Skurrtt, pull up. Throwin' money out my ceiling
Young Rich nigga, fuck it. Yeah, this the life I'm livin'
Organize the spot
All the babies to the right
All the midgets to the left
Keep ya hands to yourself
I'm a buss it all down
I don't need no fuckin' help
Bails of gas to the steps
Get the cola off the shelf
I catch ya slippin'
I pity the fool
I take ya money, I spend it on jewels
Wipe him up, he [?]
I'm not gay but I spend it on dudes
And we gone go bleamin
We killin' this evenin
You throw me the pack, and you know I'm receivin'
A whole lotta gangsta bitches and they bleedin'
We teach em to sniff and they find and they keep it
Man petro everlastin'
It's my passion
Tryin to take it, bitch I'm titan, you know we clashin'
Shanell down, [?], she know I'm splashin'
Came a long way from them corners, servin that ash
[Hook:]
[Quavo:]
I know that my life is so great,
You hungry, you know that we already ate,
I do what I want and you gotta work late,
I fuck em I don't take em out on a date,
You love her and cuff her and take her to skate,
I make her go cook, she sniffin' the plate,
I came from the bottom, and now I got gwuap,
My nigga they know that you is a cheapskate,
Put it on my mama, I got commas,
Niggas hit ya, with that Llama,
Keep runnin' with that sack,
I just took his hunnas,
Pull up in that audi, flexin' in the summer,
I got 50 bricks, on the plane, comin' from Tijuana,
Christian, Louie Vutton, $550 a piece that cost a lot,
My niggas sellin' lan kush, know my niggas keep chris rock,
All ya'll niggas lookin' like balloons, my bullets they gone pop,
Black maybach, Black tints, Quavo feelin' like Barack,
[Hook: x2]
I was broke down on my knee,
Took me a long time to get it,
80 peas, straight gas,
I done graduated from midgets,
Skurrtt Skurrtt Skurrtt, pull up throwin money out my ceiling,
Young Rich nigga, fuck it, yeah, different life I'm livin',
[Takeoff:]
I was broke down on my knees,
Took me a long long time,
Wouldn't nobody give me shit,
I had to grind grind grind,
Remember them days, I had to finesse for checks,
And buss on you flats, I came at yo neck with the tec,
My niggas is vicious, they hungry for benjy,
Pull up at the trap, I boarded my windows,
Rich nigga fuck them, I'm a young rich nigga still,
Standin' on stage, blowin' propane,
Fuck a Styrofoam, I'm a drink it out the sim,
Run up on takeoff, make a nigga takeoff,
That was A1, I ain't talkin' bout steak sauce,
Me and thug throwed, and we need two cups,
If my cup ain't double, it's gone be some trouble,
Came a long way, had to get it out the muscle,
Now all my cars are muscles,
Young nigga gotta get a hustle,
Gotta use a word play like ruzzle,
If you want that cake, but you ain't got that cake,
Gotta get out there and make somethin' shake,
Got the 45 put it to a nigga face, rich nigga eatin' steak on hermes plates,
No! I ain't never goin' broke, Early in the morning on the stove,
Wrist spinnin' like a hurricane,
Ice chain came from Johnny Dang,
Real heavy on my neck I need a cane,
All white bitch cocaine,
I'm whippin' that birdy, with none of that whitney
That Brittney come with a free chicken, I live it,
[Hook: x2]
I was broke down on my knee,
Took me a long time to get it,
80 peas, straight gas,
I done graduated from midgets,
Skurrtt Skurrtt Skurrtt, pull up throwin money out my ceiling,
Young Rich nigga, fuck it, yeah, different life I'm livin'
The song “Long Time” by Gucci Mane features Young Thug, Quavo, and Takeoff. The hook repeats twice, stating “I was broke down on my knee, took me a long time to get it…Young rich nigga, fuck it. Yeah, this the life I’m livin’.” The song talks about their journey from poverty to wealth and how long it took for them to attain their current lifestyles. The main idea of this song is the triumph over adversities and how all they have achieved so far came through hard work and dedication. However, some of the lyrics may lead to some negative connotations, such as the use of drugs, gun violence, and misogyny in some of the verses.
Starting with Young Thug’s verse, he talks about how he’s organizing the spot, and all the babies and midgets are to the left and right. He will manage everything himself and buss it all down, saying how he doesn't need anyone’s help. He's received bales of gas and gets the cola (a reference to cocaine) off the shelf. Shanell is down, and all he's doing is splashing. While he has come a long way, he still remembers those days of serving ashes when he was struggling to make ends meet.
Quavo’s verse praises his lifestyle, saying he knows his life is great, and he's already eaten. He does what he wants and flouts established societal norms, not bothering to take girls on dates. He's made it from the bottom and now has a lot of money. He talks about his niggas selling lan kush (a hybrid between landrace and kush strains of marijuana). He also boasts of his $550 Christian Louboutin shoes.
Takeoff emphasizes that he had to grind for a long time to get where he is now. He remembers the days when he had to finesse for checks and worked hard to earn money. He recalls the times when his niggas were hungry for Benjamins (referring to hundred-dollar bills). His verse also mentions ‘busting on flats’ and coming at one's neck with a tec(tica, a type of semi-automatic handgun). He talks of how he had to change his game and use different wordplay like ‘Ruzzle’ to hustle and make his fortune.
Line by Line Meaning
I was broke down on my knee
I was financially unstable and in a difficult position
Took me a long time to get it
It took a significant amount of time and effort to improve my financial status
80 Ps, straight gas
I now have access to high-quality and expensive drugs
I done graduated from midget
I have moved on from dealing with low-level drug dealers and petty criminals
Skurrtt Skurrtt Skurrtt, pull up. Throwin' money out my ceiling
I am now financially successful and can afford to spend extravagantly
Young Rich nigga, fuck it. Yeah, this the life I'm livin'
I am living the high life as a wealthy and successful young person
Organize the spot
I am in charge of the drug operation
All the babies to the right
Place the less experienced individuals to handle the less critical tasks to the right
All the midgets to the left
Place the low-level drug dealers to handle tasks on the left
Keep ya hands to yourself
Do not touch anything that does not belong to you
I'm a buss it all down
I will take care of all responsibilities and tasks myself
I don't need no fuckin' help
I do not require assistance or support from anyone
Bails of gas to the steps
Deliveries of high-quality drugs to the designated location
Get the cola off the shelf
Take care of the less critical tasks such as shelving the carbonated drinks
I catch ya slippin'
I will catch you off guard and take advantage of the situation
I pity the fool
I have no empathy and will take advantage of anyone in a vulnerable position
I take ya money, I spend it on jewels
I spend the money I obtain from illegal activities on expensive jewelry
Wipe him up, he [?]
I will take care of him quickly and efficiently
I'm not gay but I spend it on dudes
I spend my money on my friends without regard for gender identity
And we gone go bleamin
We are going to party hard and celebrate our success
We killin' this evenin
We will dominate and be successful throughout the night
You throw me the pack, and you know I'm receivin'
I will receive the packages you give me without fail
A whole lotta gangsta bitches and they bleedin'
There are many dangerous females present and prepared to take action
We teach em to sniff and they find and they keep it
We teach the less experienced drug dealers how to locate and sell drugs
Man petro everlastin'
I am fully committed and dedicated to my criminal activities
It's my passion
My criminal activities are the main focus and source of motivation in my life
Tryin to take it, bitch I'm titan, you know we clashin'
I will defend my wealth and success at all costs
Shanell down, [?], she know I'm splashin'
My associates are well aware of my extravagant spending and lifestyle
Came a long way from them corners, servin that ash
I have advanced from my previous position as a low-level drug dealer
I know that my life is so great
I am aware of my financial success and enjoy my current lifestyle
You hungry, you know that we already ate
If you are envious of my success, it is too late to catch up
I do what I want and you gotta work late
I have the freedom to do as I please while others work long hours to make ends meet
I fuck em I don't take em out on a date
I do not engage in romantic relationships and only pursue sexual encounters
You love her and cuff her and take her to skate
You pursue a dedicated and caring relationship with a woman and take her to the skating rink
I make her go cook, she sniffin' the plate
I force her to prepare my meals while secretly using drugs
I came from the bottom, and now I got gwuap
I started from a low position and now have significant financial success
My nigga they know that you is a cheapskate
My associates are aware of your frugal spending habits
Put it on my mama, I got commas
I have a lot of money in my possession to the point that I can swear it on my mother
Niggas hit ya, with that Llama
You will be shot by a handgun if you cross me
Keep runnin' with that sack
Keep moving and delivering the drugs without stopping
I just took his hunnas
I have stolen his money without consequence
Pull up in that audi, flexin' in the summer
I arrive in my expensive Audi car and flaunt my wealth during the summer season
I got 50 bricks, on the plane, comin' from Tijuana
I have a large quantity of drugs being transported by plane from Tijuana
Christian, Louie Vutton, $550 a piece that cost a lot
I own expensive designer clothing worth a lot of money
My niggas sellin' lan kush, know my niggas keep chris rock
My associates are selling high-quality marijuana and keep expensive gems on them
All ya'll niggas lookin' like balloons, my bullets they gone pop
All of the weak criminals will be dealt with effectively and efficiently
Black maybach, Black tints, Quavo feelin' like Barack
I feel powerful and successful while driving my black Maybach with tinted windows
Wouldn't nobody give me shit
I had nobody to rely on and had to work for everything I have
Remember them days, I had to finesse for checks
I had to be clever and resourceful to obtain the money I needed
And buss on you flats, I came at yo neck with the tec
I came prepared for violence and will use my weapon if necessary
My niggas is vicious, they hungry for benjy
My associates are ruthless and eager for financial gain
Pull up at the trap, I boarded my windows
I have boarded up my windows to protect myself from danger at the drug dealing location
Rich nigga fuck them, I'm a young rich nigga still
I do not care about the opinions of others and am still successful
Standin' on stage, blowin' propane
I am onstage performing and using marijuana
Fuck a Styrofoam, I'm a drink it out the sim
I do not need a Styrofoam cup to drink, I prefer to use a different method
Run up on takeoff, make a nigga takeoff
If you approach me with aggression, I will respond with more force and intimidate you
That was A1, I ain't talkin' bout steak sauce
That was an exceptional display of skill or activity
Me and thug throwed, and we need two cups
Young Thug and I are close associates and require two cups to share our drinks
If my cup ain't double, it's gone be some trouble
I expect a certain level of respect and treatment from others
Came a long way, had to get it out the muscle
I had to work extremely hard and overcome obstacles to achieve my success
Now all my cars are muscles
All of the cars I own are powerful and expensive
Young nigga gotta get a hustle
I have to work hard and use any means necessary to make money
Gotta use a word play like ruzzle
I must be clever and resourceful in my approach to achieve success
If you want that cake, but you ain't got that cake
If you want to be successful, you must have the resources and abilities necessary
Gotta get out there and make somethin' shake
You must work hard and take action to make things happen
Got the 45 put it to a nigga face, rich nigga eatin' steak on hermes plates
I have a handgun and will use it to intimidate my enemies while enjoying an expensive meal on high-quality plates
No! I ain't never goin' broke, Early in the morning on the stove
I will never be financially unstable again and am actively working to maintain my wealth
Wrist spinnin' like a hurricane
My jewelry is flashy and expensive, and attracts a lot of attention
Ice chain came from Johnny Dang
My expensive chain was made by the renowned jeweler Johnny Dang
Real heavy on my neck I need a cane
My chain is so heavy that I feel the need to support my neck with a cane
All white bitch cocaine
I have access to high-quality cocaine
I'm whippin' that birdy, with none of that whitney
I am selling drugs without the addition of baking soda
That Brittney come with a free chicken, I live it
My criminal activities have given me access to free food from a woman named Brittney
Young Rich nigga, fuck it, yeah, different life I'm livin'
I am living a lavish and successful lifestyle that is different from my past experiences
Contributed by Charlie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@cshields14
I was broke down on my knee took me a LONG TIME TO GET IT 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
DAWG
THEN TAKE
I WAS BROKE DOWN ON MY KNEE TOOK ME A LONG LOOOOOONGGG TIIIIMMMMEEE
SEE WHEN YALL WATCHED THE INTERVIEW OF CAP 🎓
YALL WAS LAUGHING IT WAS VIRAL
BUT NIGGA TAKEOFF
TAKE OFF
HE BEEN TAKING OFF RWG GANG
WHERE OFFSET
NIGGAS BLEW UP AND WHO WAS THE ONE TO THANK FOR THAT .
LISTTTEEEEENNNNNNN
@marquiaboykin8003
I was broke down on my knees it took me a lonnng time to get it! Im feeling this shit here!
@kingsmiley9477
Came back for Takeoff verse. 🔥🔥 I think this his hardest verse he spit out of all his verses. RIP 🛫
@dogwalkerhe9721
only the ones out the gutter will truly feel this song
@AnthonyWilliams-vx8ul
Trapped to this in 2013
@andrewmackie2200
young thug absoloutly murked this beat ..... legendary song and rare af , quavo was the cherry on top, all hail gucci mane
@esjayunwanted7720
takeoff came off so crazy on this .. rip to my favorite migo 🕊
@kaylapumphrey6426
My favorite takeoff verse rip to the best Migo.
@spicedogg26
This is the Shit, they ain't no one like them, either you hate them or you love them. Brilliant!
@purpsteppn
i love this song
@BlackoSuave
Young Thug verse 🔥🔥🔥🔥