As one of the six epicenters of Southern hip hop, Memphis has always had a thriving underground capable of producing major platinum superstars such as Eightball & MJG, 3-6 Mafia and Project Pat,Skip a.k.a Gianni Booker. All of the above-mentioned artists at one point in time literally dominated the city’s underground rap scene before going on to become national superstars. Next up to bat is Yo Gotti, M-Town’s current underground rap kingpin. Like his namesake John Gotti, the Memphis based rapper has been running the Southern underground scene with an iron fist for the past. Known and respected throughout the South for his skill and finesse on the microphone, Yo Gotti is one the South’s most respected young rappers.
Born Mario Mims, Yo Gotti grew up in the infamous Ridge Crest Apartments in a North Memphis neighborhood called Frazier. His childhood was typical for a poor ghetto youth in the Deep South. Raised in a family of hustlers and exposed to hard times 24 hours a day the Tennessee rap titan soon turned to the only thing that he knew could get him paid, hustling. “Being from the hood things like hustling will come your way,” says Yo Gotti. “Everybody in my family hustled in some kinda way.” Ironically, hustling is what ultimately led Yo Gotti to rapping.
Taking his cue from Memphis rap legends such as Eightball & MJG, Al Kapone, Gangsta Black, Triple 6 Mafia and Kingpin Skinny Pimp, all of whom he lists as influences, Yo Gotti released his own underground tape entitled, Youngster on the Come Up and placed it on consignment at local mom & pop record stores as well as hustling it out the trunk. The tape sold like hotcakes on the street and made Yo Gotti the hottest rapper on the streets of Memphis. From the Dope Game to the Rap Game, Yo Gotti’s sophomore effort sold so well that Select-O-Hits, a local based independent distributor offered him a small deal and the Memphis rapper more than doubled his fan base with absolutely no marketing or promotions. Soon he found himself ranked among the city’s top rappers. In addition to being featured on the cover of Murderdog Magazine along side his idols Kingpin Skinny Pimp and Al Kapone his record From the Dope Game to the Rap Game made the list for the magazine’s top independent record for the year 2000.
Two years later he inked a distribution deal with TVT Records and released the critically acclaimed album Life, which did respectable numbers for an independent label. “It sold about 40 or 50,000, with no promotions or video,” says Yo Gotti. “That record did what it did on its own.” But as the old saying goes when one door is closed another opened. Gotti’s reputation as the king of Memphis continued to spread and that eventually led him to a production deal with Cash Money/Universal records for his group the Block Burnaz. With his TVT sophomore album entitled Back 2 Da Basics, Yo Gotti returns with the same hardcore street flavor that his die-hard fans have come to know and love, only this time around the true king of Memphis has elevated his game a bit. Given the fact that his last record didn’t do the type of big number he’d hope for you’d think that Yo Gotti would switch up his style to reach a larger audience. Right? Wrong! According to Gotti his street credibility with his underground fans means more to him than gold or platinum status.
“The one thing that you have to understand is that when you create a fan base off of street product the last thing you wanna do is disrespect them by changing because of the record companies and stuff like that. When you do that you change what created you. To me it is very important that I keep in tune with the people that helped to sell 40,000 records independently. That’s why I call my record Back 2 Da Basics.”
Produced by DJ Thoomp, Mannie Fresh, Carlos Brody and newcomers Street Tunes, Back 2 Da Basics offers fans a gritty, insider’s view into the real streets of Memphis as seen through the eyes of Yo Gotti. Nowhere is this viewpoint more intense than on “Full Time,” the amped up lead single –and featured in the MTV Films’ Hustle & Flow movie - with a thunderous bass and intoxicating beat that espouses Gotti’s formula to success –hustle full time.
“A lotta cats wanna be a rapper or a street hustler but they don’t wanna put in the time that it takes,” says Yo Gotti. “They want the money and the cars and the girls, but they don’t wanna work hard for it. But to be successful at anything you gotta grind for it.” On the song “Mama We Gone Be Alright,” he waxes introspective by reflecting on all of the hard times that he and his family have suffered through the years and offers her hope-filled words encouragement. “Mama We Gone Be Alright” along with the gripping tune “My Story” emerges as two of the most interesting songs on Back 2 Da Basics. These three titles along with club banging songs like “Shorty” featuring Baby make Back 2 Da Basics one of the best albums of the year.
Back in the Hood
Yo Gotti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In Yo Gotti's song "Back in the Hood," the rapper chronicles his experiences growing up in the mean streets of Memphis, Tennessee. He describes how he became involved in the drug trade at a young age, selling powder packs and hard yae (crack cocaine). He states that he's not new to this way of life, and he's a true street nigga. However, he also notes that he's never been caught up in legal trouble and never got caught on tape doing anything illegal like other rappers.
Yo Gotti mentions his area of Memphis, North Memphis, where he is the only rapper spotted on the block selling drugs and working with other dealers. He speaks about doing business with other dealers that he knows were probably involved in other criminal activities, but he didn't rat on them because he didn't want to get caught up himself. He tells a story about his mother finding a half a quarter of cocaine in his room, which she flushed down the toilet, warning him that he would end up in jail soon. However, he defied those odds and became successful in the rap game.
The overall theme of the song is about Gotti's rise to fame despite growing up in the tough conditions of North Memphis. He speaks of the envy and jealousy he's faced from those he grew up with, who now come to him looking for handouts. He knows that he can't save everybody, but he still wants to help. He also expresses that he can't forget where he comes from and will always be "back in the hood."
Line by Line Meaning
I been posted up in them hall ways, late night, broad day, rain sleet or snow nigga, powder packs and hard yae,
I have been standing in the hallways day and night, regardless of the weather, selling powder packs of cocaine and hard yae (crack cocaine).
real talk i anit new to dis, real street nigga im tru to dis,
I am experienced in this lifestyle, I am a genuine street guy who is loyal to my lifestyle.
uon see me on no DVD no dope income dat poolishness,
I am not a snitch, I do not appear on any DVDs or cooperate with the authorities.
when it come down to it these niggas large, cameras on these niggas hard, behind closed doors these niggas brawl,
These guys act tough in front of the camera but really fight behind closed doors.
do yo time take the charge,
Accept responsibility for your actions and serve your time in prison if necessary.
im from dat north north you prolley heard it first from project pat, but im Yo-Gotti dog and i got that M-Town on my back,
I am from North Memphis, a place made famous by rapper Project Pat, and as Yo-Gotti, I represent my hometown and my people.
im from a city where im the only rapper i see on the block sellin rocks fuckin wit trapas i mean they prolley was and they proley wasn't, but i anit seen em dont kno nobody who seen em so i cant say dey don it,
I am the only rapper I see around selling drugs on the street where I come from. I can't confirm if others are doing it or not since I haven't seen anyone doing it nor do I know anyone who has.
17 workin wit a 100, im talkin thousands re stript public houses wilin man,
At age 17, I was making money selling drugs, particularly in strip clubs and neglected public housing areas.
mama found a half a quarter in my bedroom, flushed it down the toilet and told me i be in jail soon,
My mother found drugs in my bedroom and warned me that I would end up in prison if I continued with that lifestyle.
i thinkin now wat mama im just a juvenile, from a juvenile to a man ma look at me now,
I disagreed with my mother at that time because I was still young but now that I am older, I see that she was right about me ending up in prison if I continued like that.
back then they fucked wit me, now im hot they mad at me,
In the past, people didn't bother me or give me any attention, now that I am successful in the music industry, people are jealous and upset with me.
erybody wan me to pay they bills, give em a car, buy them a grill,
Everyone wants me to take care of their expenses, buy them a car, and purchase them a 'grill' (gold teeth).
cmon be real, if i do dat then i be broke, prolley lookin stupid, back in the hood sellin dope.
Let's be realistic, if I were to do that, I would be left with nothing, looking foolish, back home, selling drugs on the street.
Contributed by Evelyn W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.