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.”
Rain Man
Gucci Mane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!
Yeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!
Yeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!
Chorus
Rain, rain, rain this way
That's what all the strippas say
Rain man go away
I'm a rain man and I can make it rain
I make it thunder storm
I make it hurricane
I'm a rain man and I can make it rain
I make it thunder storm
I make it hurricane
Yeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!
Yeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!
Yeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!
Yeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!
Verse
Most big booty strippas like me (like me)
Good kush burnin nigga like me (like me)
Ol' dope cookin nigga like me (like me)
VBS stones bitch I'm icy (icy)
Now I can probably fuck her for the free (for free)
I gave her five hundred just for gp (gp)
A lil flashy baby I might be (might be)
But them otha niggas nuttin like me (like me)
Gucci made it rain on her (on her)
Then he swung his chain on her (on her)
Then he hurricaned on her (on her)
Got damn he put the thang on her (on her)
Now shawty got a ass on her (on her)
And imma pop some bands on her (on her)
Young O.J that's my lil bra (lil bra)
Any bitch that he want ill pay for (pay for)
Chorus
Rain, rain, rain this way
That's what all the strippas say
Rain man go away
That's what all these hatas say
I'm a rain man and I can make it rain
I make it thunder storm
I make it hurricane
I'm a rain man and I can make it rain
I make it thunder storm
I make it hurricane
Yeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!
Yeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!
Yeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!
Yeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!
verse
Gucci made it rain on her forehead
Told the waitress to bring some mo bread
She asked to hit the kush I told her go ahead
Probably tinted (Ver)sace's or the Dolce's
Super Cali kush is expadoceous
Crazy color karats did ya notice?
Multi-colored Jacob baby focus
Kush by the bag baby smoke it
Now it ain't hard to tell that I'm rollin
Get money in the (Zone)6, see I'm posted
I buy my own cd's and my posters
I make it rain but its only for promotion
chorus
In the song Rain Man by Gucci Mane, the chorus repeats the phrase "rain, rain, rain this way, that's what all the strippas say," and "rain man go away, that's what all these hatas say," emphasizing the way that strip club culture operates around physical money and rain as a symbol of wealth. Gucci claims to be the rain man, able to make it thunderstorm or hurricane, and the verse further reinforces his status as a flashy, wealthy, and generous man. He describes himself as a good kush-burning, dope-cooking, VBS-stoned, and icy individual who big-booty strippers like. He boasts about treating women well, demonstrated by his willingness to pay them (as indicated by "gp" or "good pussy" money) and how he made it rain, swing his chain, and hurricane on them.
Gucci Mane is saying that he makes it rain on the strippers, but he's also saying that he makes it rain for promotion. When he states "I make it rain but its only for promotion", he could possibly be referencing his public persona and how he has an image to maintain. Rain refers to throwing money in the context of strip clubs, but it also refers to making it pour or storm, it represents Gucci's wealth, and how he can elevate the stripper's experience. In a way, he is considered a benefactor or rainmaker. This draws attention to the role of strip clubs in popular culture as places where money and status are celebrated and elevated.
Line by Line Meaning
Rain, rain, rain this way
The strippers want me to make it rain money on them
That's what all the strippas say
The strippers want me to make it rain money on them
Rain man go away
The haters want me to go away
That's what all these hatas say
The haters want me to go away
I'm a rain man and I can make it rain
I have a lot of money and can spend it freely
I make it thunder storm
I spend a lot of money on the strippers
I make it hurricane
I spend even more money on the strippers
Gucci made it rain on her
I threw a lot of money on the stripper
Then he swung his chain on her
I showed off my jewelry to the stripper
Then he hurricaned on her
I spent an exorbitant amount of money on the stripper
Got damn he put the thang on her
I impressed the stripper with my wealth and charm
Now shawty got a ass on her
The stripper now has a lot of money thanks to me
And imma pop some bands on her
I plan on spending more money on the stripper
Young O.J that's my lil bra
I have a friend named Young O.J
Any bitch that he want ill pay for
I will pay for any girl that my friend Young O.J wants
Gucci made it rain on her forehead
I threw a lot of money on the stripper
Told the waitress to bring some mo bread
I asked the waitress to bring more money for me to spend
Super Cali kush is expadoceous
I smoke high-quality marijuana
Crazy color karats did ya notice?
My jewelry is very flashy and noticeable
Multi-colored Jacob baby focus
I have a multi-colored Jacob watch that catches the eye
Kush by the bag baby smoke it
I have a lot of marijuana to smoke
Now it ain't hard to tell that I'm rollin
Everyone can see that I am very wealthy
Get money in the (Zone)6, see I'm posted
I make a lot of money in Zone 6 and am always there
I buy my own cd's and my posters
I am self-sufficient and buy my own CDs and posters
I make it rain but its only for promotion
I spend a lot of money on the strippers as a way of promoting my brand and image
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marquis Eskridge
This used to be my ringtone 😂
Big John Swordsmith
😆😆😆
Justin Ferrell
On the chirp 😂
Casey Zecca
Still slaps 2020🔥
Brian Newhouse
🔥 🔥 🔥
Dominique Davis
Man I haven’t heard this since going to the Lil teen club freshman year this brings back so many memories I’m about to start bumping this again
Teenagecore
Still bumpn 2019 😜😜
Tiffany Evonne
🔥🔥 the real Gucci
Matthew The Archangel
That part 😂
prettygirlwashere
i love dis song its my ringtone.