Mario Mims (born May 19, 1981 in Memphis, Tennessee), better known by his s… Read Full Bio ↴Mario Mims (born May 19, 1981 in Memphis, Tennessee), better known by his stage name Yo Gotti, is an American rapper signed to Cash Money Records. Formerly known as Lil Yo in the 90's, he released his first album, From Da Dope Game 2 Da Rap Game, in 2000. Since then he has released 2001's Self-Explanatory, 2003's Life, 2006's Back 2 Da Basics, 2008's Cocaine Muzik, 2009's CM2 (Cocaine Muzik 2 hosted by DJ Drama), and The Pyrex King: Street Runnaz Special Edition.

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.

Chapter 1 Intro
Yo Gotti Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Yo Gotti:]
I mean basically I name it 4 and 1/2 because it's a very special number to me 125 grams I mean some people may not even know what it mean but for the people who do this who it's for

[DJ Drama:]
Aight let me paint the picture use to always sit around talking bout how you was known in the streets when this music shit pop off he was out because he was so damn good at it so you got to the top an the streets still needed you what now

[Yo Gotti:]
Once upon a time in a small city Memphis it was some gangsta young niggas running round through north memphis getting money fucking hoes smoking kush chopper by the house another one by the bush [repeat] democrats no republicans like bush so we had that killer cali we coming in by the bush shoot a hundred bet hundred it ain't nun to me caught a plug take that work that was sum to me one move turned to another then niggas got greedy before you know it we rob the whole fucking city back against the wall cause now we going to war with the whole town caught some of my homies down bad with they guard down

[announcer:]
Yes this is tom anderson reporting live w.h.I.g.v. and I'm coming to you from north memphis were massive gun fire has sadden the community were a young man was shot several times outside of the community grocery store people let's please stop the violence if anybody have any suggestions please dail 527 - gunz

[Yo Gotti:]
A couple funerals had to mask up then the feds scoop have of the whole hood up a couple niggas started pointing fingers around the time back to the basics dropped and I had a nice single had the whole world saying watsup and the feds was trying to see what's watsup but fuck ya they had 11 witnesses who said they bought some or sold some to me niggas all in my business and this that real life no bullshitting this that straight facts no fiction I see hoe niggas and I just feel friction givem one to they head leave they top missing

[DJ Drama:]
Please don't get offended I mean cocaine muzik it's the american way let's look at histroy those that get to the top never leave street mentality government business and you know this motherfucking rap game

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Chapter 1 Intro by Yo Gotti is a narrative about his personal life experience. The song presents a picture of the rapper shooting to the top of the music industry while still maintaining relevance in the streets where he came from. DJ Drama paints a picture of Yo Gotti's past hustling days and how his transition from the streets to music brought him more fame and success. Yo Gotti talks about his personal life experiences growing up in Memphis and how he had a rough upbringing. He describes the lifestyle of a Memphis gangster, running around for money, women and indulging in kush.

The artist explains how his music has brought him a lot of success and fame, but his past still catches up to him, especially when the feds come sniffing around his business. Yo Gotti talks about how people started accusing him of selling drugs and how witnesses testified, but he still kept his head high and focused on his music. The lyrics also touch on the theme of violence in the community; the song points out a news report with an appeal to stop violence and to make the community peaceful. In summary, the song's message is about the artist's journey from the streets to the top of the music industry while touching on themes such as violence, loyalty, greed and the love of the hustle.

Line by Line Meaning

I mean basically I name it 4 and 1/2 because it's a very special number to me 125 grams I mean some people may not even know what it mean but for the people who do this who it's for
The song is titled '4 and 1/2' because the weight 125 grams holds special meaning to Yo Gotti. Not everyone understands the significance of this weight, but those in the street culture do.

Aight let me paint the picture use to always sit around talking bout how you was known in the streets when this music shit pop off he was out because he was so damn good at it so you got to the top an the streets still needed you what now
DJ Drama discusses how Yo Gotti was formerly known in the streets, but when he found success in music, he left his previous life behind. However, the streets still require his presence, and that creates a conflict.

Once upon a time in a small city Memphis it was some gangsta young niggas running round through north memphis getting money fucking hoes smoking kush chopper by the house another one by the bush [repeat] democrats no republicans like bush
This line describes the nostalgic reminiscence of Yo Gotti's past life in North Memphis. He was living a lifestyle of crime, indulgence and partying, armed with firearms. This picks up after the second line of the song.

so we had that killer cali we coming in by the bush shoot a hundred bet hundred it ain't nun to me caught a plug take that work that was sum to me one move turned to another then niggas got greedy before you know it we rob the whole fucking city back against the wall cause now we going to war with the whole town caught some of my homies down bad with they guard down
In this line, Yo Gotti continues narrating his past; he discusses how his gang originated from California, identified as the 'Killer Cali'. They made money quickly, but after getting greedy, they ended up robbing the whole city, causing a rivalry with the entire town. Some of his comrades were caught slipping and were killed since the group was against the wall.

Yes this is tom anderson reporting live w.h.I.g.v. and I'm coming to you from north memphis were massive gun fire has sadden the community were a young man was shot several times outside of the community grocery store people let's please stop the violence if anybody have any suggestions please dail 527 - gunz
This line serves as a news report announcing violence in North Memphis. A young man was shot multiple times outside of the grocery store, leading the community to plea against violence, hoping for a solution to the problem.

A couple funerals had to mask up then the feds scoop have of the whole hood up a couple niggas started pointing fingers around the time back to the basics dropped and I had a nice single had the whole world saying watsup and the feds was trying to see what's watsup but fuck ya they had 11 witnesses who said they bought some or sold some to me niggas all in my business and this that real life no bullshitting this that straight facts no fiction I see hoe niggas and I just feel friction givem one to they head leave they top missing
Yo Gotti explains how he had to wear a mask and attend several funerals because of the violence surrounding him. The authorities arrested several people in his neighborhood, and some of his associates began implicating him in their crimes. However, he chooses to focus on his music and his success in it, ignoring those trying to bring him down. He sees through fraudulent people and feels friction towards them, often taking violent actions against them.

Please don't get offended I mean cocaine muzik it's the american way let's look at histroy those that get to the top never leave street mentality government business and you know this motherfucking rap game
DJ Drama defends the use of cocaine culture in music and explains that those who make it to the top never entirely leave that life behind--the street mentality carries over into government and the industry. Thus, this music genre reflects the American way of life.

Contributed by Annabelle H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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