Itโs said that art mirrors life. In hip-hopโs case, thereโs always been a deliberate entanglement of perception and reality. Fans demand their MCs be realโฆbut 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.
โI wish everybody well whoโs making money in this rap game,โ the Atlanta-raised rapper says, dismissing the controversy that followed him in the past. โMy own rap game is going so good, Iโve got so many things on my plate at my label, that I donโt got time for other peopleโs business.โ 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.
โI live my life with no regrets. I just wish that a lot of things never happened, but anybody can wish,โ says Gucci. Sounds like a man with his eyes on the prize. And youโd 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 โBlack Tee,โ 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 โIcyโ single, featuring Jeezy. Clamor over song rights sparked dispute, and the resulting rift grew.
Controversy notwithstanding, Maneโs independence was cemented: โI was on the independent scene for about two years,โ he recalls. โItโs 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 itโs a gamble out there with the independent circuit. One thing youโd better have is good music because without that, you go downhill fast in the independent game.โ
Good music firmly in hand, Gucci was fast approaching stardom when more tragedy befell him. But letโs backtrack; how did the man born Radric Davis in Bessemer, Alabama, become Gucci Mane, mouthpiece for Atlanta stuntinโ? Mane remembers little from his time in Alabama, just that it was rural, and that itโs changed dramatically since he left at the age of nine. โI gotta shout out Alabama though, because they holdinโ it down,โ he affirms. โEvery time I go there to do a show, Iโm impressed with how hip-hop culture has taken root.โ
Maneโs identity coalesced when he moved with his mother to Atlanta. โI lived all of my adolescent and adult life in Atlanta,โ he explains. โIโm from East Atlanta Zone Six; it was hard, man, it was real rough. I grew up in the Starter jacket era: theyโd take your Starter jacket, your 8Ball jacket, theyโd 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 youโd get jumped. It was wild when I came up.โ
Itโs 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. โI was just a young dude in a single parent house most of my life. I canโt complain that much. I would guess itโs like any black child growing up in a single parent household. There are a lot of people who know how that is. I didnโt 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; sheโs been there through the whole struggle. Thereโs a lot that goes along with that; it made me who I am today.โ
A stepfather would enter the picture during Maneโs adolescence, introducing not only a male figure, but also inspiration for Maneโs unusual moniker. โMy father came in, the original Gucci Mane; thatโs what people in the neighborhood called him, and thatโs 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.โ Drawing inspiration from a pantheon of rappers before him โBig Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Ice Cube, the Beastie Boys, N.W.AโMane went on to release Trap House, a lethal brew of his signature sound: โI call my music straight Gucci: going hard and whatever beats you make you for me, if Iโm feeling it, if Iโm rocking with it, Iโm gonna crush it. When you hear me, you hear a lot of pain, a lot of hood; you hear whatโs going on in the inner city in Atlanta.โ
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. โI learned to keep better company, watch where I go, and be mindful of my surroundings at all times,โ he reveals. โWatch what I say, watch what I do and how I do it, just keep myself out of the wrong crowd.โ
โI always stand up man,โ he continues. โIโm one of the toughest guys I know. Itโll take a lot more than that to break me down.โ Undeterred, Mane was back in the studio, preparing 2006โs 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: โThere was a bidding war going on, and I liked Atlanticโs approach. They made it known that they wanted me, they felt where I was going and that I could grow with them.โ
Asylum/Atlantic Records welcomed Gucci Mane in early โ07, 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 โโI got them in training; they be in the weight room, pumping iron, doing pushups, shopping at the mall, buying iceโโGucci is focused on his magnum opus, Back to the Trap House. โI started working on the album, and by the third song, I was like โThis is going back to the Trap House.โ 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.โ
โSince I went major, I want everybody to know Iโm still keeping it street, keeping it hood,โ Gucci maintains. โIโm trying to take it back to all my fans that I had when I first started my career. And at the same time, Iโm trying to open up my new album to a new fan base. So itโs a mix for everybody coming together, like my first album was.โ Gucci has always prided himself on his innate ability, and his refusal to let guest appearances dictate the tone of his records. โI just want people to know Iโm a great songwriter, man,โ he asserts. โIโm passionate about what I do, and itโs 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; itโs a God-given gift and I just get paid for it. It come from God, itโs like wondering what makes a bird fly. He made me a poet like the great poets of the past.โ
But donโt mistake Gucciโs confidence for self-absorption. The vicissitudes of his career have dictated a longer view. Lyrics aside, heโs less preoccupied with visible means and more so with acting as an emissary from his under-repped block. โIโm not the one to glorify what goes on in the hood,โ he insists. โWe have everything there, the whole range from violence to people getting on the bus and going to work. Thereโs a lot more to the hood than just drugs. Itโs a bigger story, thereโs 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. Iโm 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.โ
And Gucciโs professional aims have matured as well. While other rappers stress platinum plaques, Gucci hasnโt forgotten the route he took to stardom. โI made a lot of CDs on my own. People fucked with me and supported me, and just made me the man I am today. Thatโs 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 jobโs been done.โ
Fortunately for Gucci, he should be prepared to welcome an army of new fans with Back to the Trap House. But longstanding fans shouldnโt fear; theyโll recognize โFreaky Gurl,โ 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 Gucciโs 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 โBird Flu,โ the albumโs number two single, laced by New-York based Supa Sonics. Elsewhere, firm guest verses from Rich Boy and Pimp C of UGK round out Gucciโs regional flavor, while Bay-area producer Zaytoven (of โIcyโ renown) locks down Gucciโs 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. โIโm best known for controversy but Iโm 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. Iโll be banging them out till I canโt bang no more.โ
Pistol in the Party
Gucci Mane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So cold I make bitch say burr!
Drinkin' on lean like a ice cold beer
Can't give you none, give you what got you here
Diamonds so big they hurt my ear
Sip codeine bitch, not Belvedere
Ballin' like a nigga on his first day out
You chain so little that it hurt my eye
Got some little bitty niggas, I'm a big ol' playa
I can take her to you vacation
Car collection, first placed it
Off for 10 years and they couldn't take it
Tore down the whole damn operation
I'm a man bruh, so I'ma stand for
Everything I stand for
And I'm a hound dog, kinda fragile
Cause I drop down, better pipe down
EA, GA, AK to the peach state
And a bitch can't call me cheap skate
I'm worth 20 mil on Ebay
Gucci Mane ain't ballin'
Young bitch that what yo mouth say
Ain't no 1 on 1 nigga
He swing, I hit you
I ain't no front for fun nigga
He ridin' with you, he die with you
I ain't think of bitin' my tongue nigga
Everybody know I don't fuck with you
And I ain't finna to go in no club nigga
Unless you let me in with this lil' nigga
Pistol in the party, pistol in the party
They let me in the club, I brought my pistol to the party
Pistol in the party, pistol in the party
They let me in the club, I brought my pistol to the party
Bet a million dollars at a month nigga
Quarter mil for a lunch nigga
Hundred dollars on a blunt nigga
Take care hand, don't talk nigga
200 dollars a blunt nigga
This ain't what you want nigga
Got rifles like I'm huntin' niggas
Hand choppers and pumps nigga
Lil chump change nigga keep runnin' out the mouth
Then you gon' be in my trunk nigga
Got a young nigga, just slump niggas
But all I do is just point fingers
Had the niggas fightin' like Jerry Springer
Finger fuck a ho with my trigger finger
I know pimp niggas, I know gang bangers
Same plan, different angle
Want to tangle with Gucci
So your life you want to gamble
Got her waitin' for you at the funeral
And you Auntie numbers like candles
Big Guwap, I keep a banger
Tell the truth I don't like strangers
Trap game is a deadly game but I told the pussy jet like Jesse James
Ain't no 1 on 1 nigga
He swing, I hit you
I ain't no front for fun nigga
He ridin' with you, he die with you
I ain't think of bitin' my tongue nigga
Everybody know I don't fuck with you
And I ain't finna to go in no club nigga
Unless you let me in with this lil' nigga
Pistol in the party, pistol in the party
They let me in the club, I brought my pistol to the party
Pistol in the party, pistol in the party
They let me in the club, I brought my pistol to the party
In the song "Pistol in the Party," Gucci Mane is expressing his gangster lifestyle and attitude towards others. He starts off by boasting about his wealth, with lines like "Ballin' like a nigga on his first day out" and "I'm worth 20 mil on eBay." He also talks about his intimidating presence and the fact that he carries a pistol to any party he goes to. Gucci Mane also mentions his willingness to fight and defend himself, as he says "He swing, I hit you" and "I ain't think of bitin' my tongue nigga." In general, he makes it clear that he doesn't take any disrespect from anyone, and he values loyalty and respect.
The chorus "Pistol in the party" is repeated multiple times, emphasizing the importance of having a weapon on hand for protection. Gucci Mane also mentions his disregard for those he doesn't like, as he says "Everybody know I don't f*ck with you" and "I ain't finna to go in no club nigga unless you let me in with this lil' nigga." These lyrics suggest that he is very particular about who he associates himself with and that he values his own safety above all else.
Overall, "Pistol in the Party" is a song that showcases Gucci Mane's dangerous and intimidating image, as well as his no-nonsense attitude towards anyone who crosses him.
Line by Line Meaning
Brick Squad about to walk in here
The group Brick Squad is about to arrive at the party
So cold I make bitch say burr!
I am so cool that even women can't help but exclaim in admiration
Drinkin' on lean like a ice cold beer
I am drinking a mixture of codeine and soda like it is a refreshing beverage
Can't give you none, give you what got you here
I cannot give you anything new, only the same experiences that have led you to where you are now
Diamonds so big they hurt my ear
My diamonds are so large that they cause physical discomfort
Sip codeine bitch, not Belvedere
I prefer to drink codeine instead of the high-end vodka Belvedere
Ballin' like a nigga on his first day out
I am spending extravagantly like someone who has just been released from prison
You chain so little that it hurt my eye
Your necklace is so small that it causes me physical pain to look at it
Your watch ain't real, you a goddamn lie
Your watch is not authentic, and therefore, you are a liar
Got some little bitty niggas, I'm a big ol' playa
I have some small-time associates, but I am a high-level player in the game
I can take her to you vacation
I can provide a luxurious vacation for my female companion
Car collection, first placed it
I acquired my collection of cars in the first place
Off for 10 years and they couldn't take it
I was in prison for a decade but still maintained my status and success upon release
Tore down the whole damn operation
I dismantled the entire illegal operation, likely referring to a rival gang or drug ring
I'm a man bruh, so I'ma stand for Everything I stand for
I am a strong, independent man who is unwavering in my beliefs and values
And I'm a hound dog, kinda fragile
Despite my tough exterior, I have a vulnerable side
Cause I drop down, better pipe down
If I lower my guard, you better be quiet and remain respectful
EA, GA, AK to the peach state
I have associates from various states, with emphasis on Georgia as the 'peach state'
And a bitch can't call me cheap skate
I am not a cheapskate, and no one can call me one
I'm worth 20 mil on Ebay
My net worth is valued at 20 million dollars, as if I were an item up for sale on the website eBay
Gucci Mane ain't ballin'
Gucci Mane is not just successful, he is thriving
Young bitch that what yo mouth say
You are calling me a young bitch, but that is just your opinion
Ain't no 1 on 1 nigga
There is no one-on-one fighting here
He swing, I hit you
If someone tries to attack me, I will retaliate against their friend who is standing next to them
I ain't no front for fun nigga
I am not here to put on a show for entertainment purposes only
He ridin' with you, he die with you
If someone is accompanying you, they will fight and potentially lose their life defending you if necessary
I ain't think of bitin' my tongue nigga
I am not afraid to speak my mind or hold back any thoughts or opinions
Everybody know I don't fuck with you
It is widely known and understood that I do not associate or get along with you
And I ain't finna to go in no club nigga
I will not enter a club or any establishment with you if you are present
Unless you let me in with this lil' nigga
I will only enter the club if I am accompanied by my associate, who is small in size
Pistol in the party, pistol in the party
I have a gun with me at the party
They let me in the club, I brought my pistol to the party
The club allowed me to enter, and I came inside with my firearm
Bet a million dollars at a month nigga
I am willing to make a bet of 1 million dollars within the next month
Quarter mil for a lunch nigga
I am able to spend a quarter of a million dollars on a single lunch
Hundred dollars on a blunt nigga
I am able to spend 100 dollars on a single blunt of marijuana
Take care hand, don't talk nigga
Be careful with your actions, and avoid foolish talk
200 dollars a blunt nigga
I am able to spend 200 dollars on a single blunt of marijuana
This ain't what you want nigga
You do not want to mess with me, as the consequences are not what you desire
Got rifles like I'm huntin' niggas
I have multiple firearms, including rifles, as if I am hunting for people
Hand choppers and pumps nigga
I have various firearms, including automatic weapons and handguns
Lil chump change nigga keep runnin' out the mouth
You are speaking foolishly, despite having little wealth or power
Then you gon' be in my trunk nigga
If you continue to provoke me, I will physically harm you and potentially keep you in the trunk of my car
Got a young nigga, just slump niggas
I have an associate who is young but extremely effective at incapacitating my enemies
But all I do is just point fingers
I do not get involved with the physical violence, as I simply give instructions to my team
Had the niggas fightin' like Jerry Springer
I caused a chaotic and dramatic situation, comparable to the chaos often seen on the television show Jerry Springer
Finger fuck a ho with my trigger finger
I am skilled in using my trigger finger, even to pleasure a woman
I know pimp niggas, I know gang bangers
I am familiar and associated with both pimps and gang members
Same plan, different angle
We have the same general plan, but approach it from a different perspective
Want to tangle with Gucci
You are foolish and mistaken if you desire to confront or challenge me
So your life you want to gamble
If you choose to mess with me, your life is the price you are willing to gamble or lose
Got her waitin' for you at the funeral
I have someone waiting to kill you at your own funeral
And you Auntie numbers like candles
If I kill you, your family members will mourn you like candles being lit at a funeral
Big Guwap, I keep a banger
I am known as Big Guwap, and I always keep a firearm with me
Tell the truth I don't like strangers
I am distrustful of people I do not know
Trap game is a deadly game but I told the pussy jet like Jesse James
The drug dealing business is dangerous, but I am able to navigate it like the notorious outlaw Jesse James
Lyrics ยฉ THE ADMINISTRATION MP INC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RADRIC DAVIS, RODREQUEZ YANCY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Si Walker
2022 still a banger
Classic Rock fan
I don't care what year I am. Im still playin this๐
Bobby Hamilton
Nah big facts ๐คฃ๐ฏ
Phil Loko
And here i am in 2022 ๐
Joy Division
This was the greatest rap mixtape ever made.
corvetteZ3r
It is damn good, and Gucci wasnโt even trying
Finna Fish
Freebricks 1 is my favorite
Phil Loko
Fasho
Quon
This shouldโve been bigger than it is ๐ฏ
ใใณใขใต
some might say earlier than this, but I actually believe this is gucci when he was at his peak