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.”
MVP
Gucci Mane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ay yeah boy, ay yeah
Ay Yeah, Ay yeah boy,
Ay Yeah, Ay Yeah boy,
Ay yeah,
[Gucci Mane]
Dirty S-M am I matchin' in my t-shirt and her panties Uh, touchin on her fanny, she pretty just like my granny Uh, Gucci Mane a thug all he do is sell drugs uh, but you see me in the club, thirty minutes she in love uh, Your man is a has been, Gucci past him, He an ant I'm an elephant you should leave him uh, Middle of the day got her wearin lingerie, she so fine, she so s***, she so pretty in the face uh, Gucci Mane, Gucci Boy, you suckers make your girl uh, damn Imma really make her think Imma bump her uh, punchin like a third grader we gonna get in trouble, Gucci Mane I think I love her so she sits on top of covers uh, went through plenty rubbers uh, man this girl got stamina uh, she taste just like Pamela, but every dude can't handle her uh, solitary carry her uh, but I don't wanna marry her uh, Gucci Mane's a bachelor uh, but baby girl I stretch you out uh,
[Jagged Edge - Chorus]
She's a free agent but I snatched her up,
She can play on my team,
All my bench I trade'em in, she go and get my money,
She's my mvp, She's my favorite,
She my mvp, She my favorite, figures on the trading block, she gonna play her mind to me,
Players almost snatched her up, she gonna start on my team,
She my mvp, She my favorite,
She my mvp, She my favorite
[Gucci Mane]
Come her baby listen uh, I just wanna be wit ya, said she want my furniture, work it like ya manager uh, don't need the kush she fine as uh, toughest girl I never would, ricky baby, picky who I pick because I'm rich as fuck uh, pick you up in Lamborghini's, she pull up in Porsche trucks, if her husband found her bottles he'll probly divorce her uh, sorry darling my rings on my feet I got a gator problem, those rings on my feet make the Gucci Section, Gucci Mane be stupid flexin like he got a new connection, baby girl so stupid s*** she got me with a huge erection, hit all that at the intersection, tell me if you're interested, public s** illegal but I bump you while we get arrested, time out, time out, mine out, time out, your chick at the steak house, my right this a light house, honestly she got a man, I feel that I'm tryin to punish her, but she so fine I know she had one but shit Gucci got you uh.
[Jagged Edge - Chorus]
She's a free agent but I snatched her up,
She can play on my team,
All my bench I trade'em in, she go and get my money,
She's my mvp, She's my favorite,
She my mvp, She my favorite, figures on the trading block, she gonna play her mind to me,
Players almost snatched her up, she gonna start on my team,
She my mvp, She my favorite,
She my mvp, She my favorite
[Gucci Mane]
Gucci world girl come, Gucci's girls well cut, Gucci Mane, Gucci Mane, Drumma boy god damn, So I say I am, chillin with your girlfriend, you didn't put a ring on it so your not a husband, all nigh lovin, naked back rubbin, bump and grind and touchin topless, Gucci Mane the coach yeah, Imma crank the club up, Gucci got your girl toss salad hold ya wish though.
[Jagged Edge - Chorus]
She's a free agent but I snatched her up,
She can play on my team,
All my bench I trade'em in, she go and get my money,
She's my mvp, She's my favorite,
She my mvp, She my favorite, figures on the trading block, she gonna play her mind to me,
Players almost snatched her up, she gonna start on my team,
She my mvp, She my favorite,
She my mvp, She my favorite
The song "M.V.P." by Gucci Mane, featuring Jagged Edge, is all about Gucci's relationship with a woman who he considers his "M.V.P." or most valuable player. He describes her as being "fine as his granny" and "pretty in the face," highlighting her physical appearance as a key factor in his attraction to her. Gucci also acknowledges that he is a thug who deals drugs, but can still attract women like the one he's rapping about. He suggests that his competition is inferior and past their prime, while he is the strongest candidate for her affection.
The chorus, sung by Jagged Edge, reinforces Gucci's admiration for the woman. She's a "free agent" who he's "snatched up" and he'll trade in anyone on his team to have her. He calls her his "favorite" and likens her to a valuable athlete on his team. He also mentions her ability to get him money, implying that she's not only physically attractive but financially savvy as well.
Overall, the song is about Gucci Mane's attraction to a woman who he views as being the best catch for him. He finds her physically and financially desirable and considers her to be a valuable player on his team. The lyrics provide insight into Gucci's perspective on relationships and a glimpse into his alpha-male mentality.
Line by Line Meaning
Dirty S-M am I matchin' in my t-shirt and her panties Uh, touchin on her fanny, she pretty just like my granny Uh, Gucci Mane a thug all he do is sell drugs uh, but you see me in the club, thirty minutes she in love uh,
I may look raggedy wearing only a t-shirt and her underwear, but I am touching her buttocks, and she's beautiful like my grandmother. I might be a criminal selling drugs, but you can find me in the club, and within thirty minutes of interacting with me, she's in love.
Your man is a has been, Gucci past him, He an ant I'm an elephant you should leave him uh,
Your man is old news, I've surpassed him; he's as tiny as an ant, and I'm massive like an elephant. You should leave him for me.
Middle of the day got her wearin lingerie, she so fine, she so s***, she so pretty in the face uh,
Even during the day, I have her wearing lingerie, and she looks fantastic, feels sexy, and has a gorgeous face.
Gucci Mane, Gucci Boy, you suckers make your girl uh, damn Imma really make her think Imma bump her uh,
I am Gucci Mane, also known as Gucci Boy, and those who doubt me are making their women consider cheating with me. I will make her believe I will have sex with her.
punchin like a third grader we gonna get in trouble, Gucci Mane I think I love her so she sits on top of covers uh, went through plenty rubbers uh, man this girl got stamina uh, she taste just like Pamela, but every dude can't handle her uh, solitary carry her uh, but I don't wanna marry her uh, Gucci Mane's a bachelor uh, but baby girl I stretch you out uh,
We're fighting like third-graders, and we may get into trouble because I believe I'm in love with her, and she's riding on the covers. We've used plenty of condoms because she has incredible stamina. She tastes like Pamela, and not every man can handle her. Even though I carry her alone, I don't want to marry her as I am a bachelor, but I'll satisfy her physically.
She's a free agent but I snatched her up, She can play on my team, All my bench I trade'em in, she go and get my money, She's my mvp, She's my favorite, She my mvp, She my favorite, figures on the trading block, she gonna play her mind to me, Players almost snatched her up, she gonna start on my team, She my mvp, She my favorite, She my mvp, She my favorite
She may be single, but I got her, and now she's in my team. I have traded all my bench players to make room for her. She's my most valuable player and my favorite. I'm trading her to play for me, and other players have come close, but she's going to play for me. She's my MVP and favorite.
Come her baby listen uh, I just wanna be wit ya, said she want my furniture, work it like ya manager uh, don't need kush she fine as uh, toughest girl I never would, ricky baby, picky who I pick because I'm rich as fuck uh, pick you up in Lamborghini's, she pull up in Porsche trucks, if her husband found her bottles he'll probly divorce her uh, sorry darling my rings on my feet I got a gator problem, those rings on my feet make the Gucci Section, Gucci Mane be stupid flexin like he got a new connection, baby girl so stupid s*** she got me with a huge erection, hit all that at the intersection, tell me if you're interested, public s** illegal but I bump you while we get arrested, time out, time out, mine out, time out, your chick at the steak house, my right this a light house, honestly she got a man, I feel that I'm tryin to punish her, but sh** Gucci got you uh.
Come here, listen to me, I just want to be with you. You said you want my furniture, so work it like you're the manager. I don't need kush because you're pretty, and I wouldn't mess with the toughest girl. I am picky about who I choose because I'm rich. I will pick you up in a Lamborghini, and you can pull up in a Porsche truck. If her husband found out about our bottles, he would probably divorce her. Sorry, darling, my rings are on my feet, and I have a problem with alligators. These rings make the Gucci section, and I'm foolishly flaunting them like I got a new connection. Baby, you look so sexy that you activated my erection. Should we go and try it out at the intersection? Public sex is illegal, but we can get arrested. Time out, time out, let's take a break. Your chick is at a steakhouse, and mine is in the lighthouse. Honestly, she's taken, and I feel like I'm trying to punish her, but I have her, and that's all that matters.
Gucci world girl come, Gucci's girls well cut, Gucci Mane, Gucci Mane, Drumma boy god damn, So I say I am, chillin with your girlfriend, you didn't put a ring on it so your not a husband, all nigh lovin, naked back rubbin, bump and grind and touchin topless, Gucci Mane the coach yeah, Imma crank the club up, Gucci got your girl toss salad hold ya wish though.
Come to Gucci world, where the girls are well-manicured. Gucci Mane and Drumma Boy are the best. I'm chilling with your girlfriend, and you're not her husband because you didn't put a ring on it. We'll have all-night love, back rubs while naked, and bump and grind while topless. I'm the coach, and I'll make the club lively. I'll make your girl toss salad, and you will be envious.
Contributed by Abigail F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Supertoxie1
This song deserved more play. I still love that beat.
Ryan D94
Beat stuck in head forever could never find it
Ryan D94
Took years to find mvp my god
Havard Howard Evans, Junior
"She's my favorite." #respectthat
Fleezus Christ
Best song ever guwopppp
Ryan D94
Real gowap
Havard Howard Evans, Junior
🎉