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.”
Outro
Gucci Mane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nigga, my price cheaper, 16 fever
16 fever coke-I-ina
X pills, bubble kush, mid grade reefa
Hoes ridin' vics dog but I ride beemers
I swear the red chain'll cost 16 fever
16 fever coke-I-ina
X pills, bubble kush, mid grade reefa
I swear the red chain'll cost 16 fever, nigga
16 5-0, there go 5-0
I'm up 2-5 but I need 4 more
I got uncles blowin' bundles
Mine do numbers while I drive Lambo
Off white yayo, digital scale yo
Fish scale sendin' my pigeons by mail
Bring in my drain folk, [Incomprehensible] folk
[Incomprehensible] folk, just bring me that cane folk
Gucci got good dope, pills purp and sizzurp
My workers don't move nothin' less than a bizzurd
Gucci got good dope, pills purp and sizzurp
My workers don't move for nothin' less than a bizzurd
16 fever coke-I-ina
X pills, bubble kush, mid grade reefa
Hoes ridin' vics dog but I ride beemers
I swear the red chain'll cost 16 fever
16 fever coke-I-ina
X pills, bubble kush, mid grade reefa
Hoes ridin' vics dog but I ride beemers
I swear the red chain'll cost 16 fever, nigga
Bricks can't keep 'em 16 fever
Bemmer speakers, geek-a-meters
Misdemeanors several subpoenas
See I'm gone drink up 'cause we just linked up
The squad been teamed up we cuttin' off fingers
It's 16 fever and that's since April
My Corvette paid for, my old school paid for
The hummer roll up that means you assed out
And you didn't cash out, see this my trap house
I slam fiends backs out we push white sacks out
See this my trap house, I slam fiends backs out
We push white sacks out, them backs get pushed out
16 fever coke-I-ina
X pills, bubble kush, mid grade reefa
Hoes ridin' vics dog but I ride beemers
I swear the red chain'll cost 16 fever
16 fever coke-I-ina
X pills, bubble kush, mid grade reefa
Hoes ridin' vics dog but I ride beemers
I swear the red chain'll cost 16 fever, nigga
I'm scrapin' the bowl up, I'm whippin' up cake mix
But this ain't red velvet, don't eat it, just smoke it
Your options are open, you even can snort it
3 dollar sacks so you know you can score it
Say you can't afford it, yo, I can ignore it
Well, don't call them dope, boys, you know you feel borin'
You know that you feenin', you know that you need it
It's Gucci, I'm greedy, my niggas stay eatin'
16 fever coke-I-ina
X pills, bubble kush, mid grade reefa
Hoes ridin' vics dog but I ride beemers
I swear the red chain'll cost 16 fever
16 fever coke-I-ina
X pills, bubble kush, mid grade reefa
Hoes ridin' vics dog but I ride beemers
I swear the red chain'll cost 16 fever, nigga
In the song Outro by Gucci Mane, he talks about the various drugs, mainly cocaine and Molly, and their prices. He mentions that his price for these drugs is cheaper at “16 fever,” which is the amount he charges for them. He also talks about driving luxury cars and wearing expensive jewelry, like his red chain. Gucci Mane is known for talking about his drug-dealing past in his music, and this song is no exception.
Throughout the song, Gucci Mane talks about his drug empire and his workers’ strict rules for selling drugs. He mentions that his workers don’t move anything less than a “bizard,” which is a term used to describe a certain amount of drugs, implying that the drugs he sells are of high quality.
The song also touches on the consequences of participating in drug culture, as Gucci Mane mentions the possibility of facing subpoenas and other legal issues. Overall, the song portrays the glamorous side of selling drugs, but also touches on the potential consequences that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm chargin' 16 fever, 16 fever
I'm charging for my services, and the cost is a feverish $16,000.
Nigga, my price cheaper, 16 fever
Despite the high cost, my services are actually cheaper than others at $16,000.
16 fever coke-I-ina
I'm dealing with highly addictive and illegal substances (cocaine and heroin).
X pills, bubble kush, mid grade reefa
I also have a variety of drugs for sale, including ecstasy pills, high-grade marijuana, and mid-grade weed.
Hoes ridin' vics dog but I ride beemers
While my customers may have less luxurious cars, I drive a BMW.
I swear the red chain'll cost 16 fever
Even my accessories, like this red chain, are worth $16,000.
16 5-0, there go 5-0
The police are everywhere, but I'm still in business.
I'm up 2-5 but I need 4 more
I've made $25,000, but I need to make $4,000 more.
I got uncles blowin' bundles
My family members are also involved in my illegal business, helping me distribute drugs.
Mine do numbers while I drive Lambo
My uncle is successful in making sales even as I drive my fancy Lamborghini.
Off white yayo, digital scale yo
I'm dealing with high-grade cocaine, and have a digital scale to weigh it.
Fish scale sendin' my pigeons by mail
I'm shipping my product out of town via mail.
Bring in my drain folk, [Incomprehensible] folk
I need help from my team to bring in more drugs and make sales.
[Incomprehensible] folk, just bring me that cane folk
I'm asking my team to bring me the cocaine.
Gucci got good dope, pills purp and sizzurp
My drugs (including cough syrup with codeine) are high quality.
My workers don't move nothin' less than a bizzurd
My team only deals with sales worth at least $1,000.
Bricks can't keep 'em 16 fever
Despite the risks, I'm still making sales at $16,000 per deal.
Bemmer speakers, geek-a-meters
I've got expensive speakers in my BMW, and equipment to measure drug purity.
Misdemeanors several subpoenas
I've faced legal trouble before, but it hasn't stopped me from continuing my business.
See I'm gone drink up 'cause we just linked up
I'm celebrating because I've just made a connection with a new partner.
The squad been teamed up we cuttin' off fingers
My team is strong and will do whatever it takes to ensure our success, even if that means getting rid of those who might betray us.
It's 16 fever and that's since April
I've been making sales at this high price since April, and I'm not stopping now.
My Corvette paid for, my old school paid for
I have two paid-off, expensive cars (a Corvette and an old-school car).
The hummer roll up that means you assed out
If someone shows up in a Hummer, it means they aren't a potential customer and have no chance of making a deal with me.
And you didn't cash out, see this my trap house
If someone doesn't have enough money to make a deal with me, they aren't worth my time and won't be allowed into my trap house.
I slam fiends backs out we push white sacks out
I forcefully remove drug addicts from my trap house, and we continue to make sales.
Say you can't afford it, yo, I can ignore it
If someone claims they can't afford my prices, I'll simply ignore them.
Well, don't call them dope, boys, you know you feel borin'
If the police come around, don't refer to them as the 'dope boys,' as it sounds boring.
You know that you feenin', you know that you need it
My customers are addicted to my drugs, and they know they need them.
It's Gucci, I'm greedy, my niggas stay eatin'
I'm all about making money, and I ensure that my team is successful and well-fed.
Writer(s): Christopher Gholson, Radric Davis Copyright: Young Drumma, Radric Davis Publishing LLC, WB Music Corp.
Contributed by Callie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Sir_Smokes_Alot
Gucci and Peewee the best combo in the game💯💪🏽
@somuchfun496
Listen to Gamble by Gucci Mane
@JohnDoe-yn8eg
💪🏾
@georgibonchev6512
fr brotha
@loadboss100
You ain't lied 💪💯
@WindomEarly
Hands down! Rerocc needs a remix wit Gucci🥴👌🏻✨
@LABoutaBagDoe
Hardest track on the Album🔥😤
@somuchfun496
Listen to On The Reg by Gucci Mane 🔥🔥🔥🔥
@bristian1440
This whole Album was 🔥🔥🔥🌋🌋🌋 every song SlaPPPed
@somuchfun496
Listen to This The Night by Gucci Mane 🔥🔥🔥🔥