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.
Definition Of A G
Yo Gotti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The reunion, me and DJ Drama
Nigga we made history like Barack Obama
Nigga we had them choppas like we Bin Laden, Osama
One mixtape, stayed hot for three summers
One trip, one plug, nigga two runnas
Know how many bricks can fit in one Hummer?
Ounces jumpin 35 and nothin under
Go on do ya research, you aint got to wonder
I′m the realest nigga walkin, bitch I'm one hunda
Trap nigga this, trap nigga that
Man you rappin ass niggas ain′t did shit
I'll give you a brick what you gone do with that
Besides rap about that motherfucker
And bring it back
I'll take em to school, teach em a lesson
How to mix it with the soda, they tryin to stretch it
I′m the definition of a G
Reputation of the streets
Distribution of a key
You will never be as real as me
Never be as ill as me
You could never do the shit I did
Never see the shit I′ve seen
Never be as quite as big
I already done the shit you did
Bitches I already hit
Money I already spent
I'm born and raised North Memphis, cut throat city
Where you could come up off that work,
Or you could die with it
I was on that battlefield
You was back chillin
Yeah that sound good, that may rhyme right
But when I break it down, aye that don′t sound right
Them prices way too low, you must know Escobar
If he really got that shit like that I'm callin him tomorrow
I′m clearing out the bank, put my shit on hold
Want many as I can buy, want many as I can hold
See I know you's a lie so Ima stay on pause
If he really got it for that ticket he may be the laws
Too good to be true my dawgs
Nine times outta ten it is
And the truth be told,
If he ever rapped about dope he don′t know what no chickens is
I'll take em to school, teach em a lesson,
How to mix it with that soda, they tryin to stretch it
I'm the definition of a G
Reputation of the streets
Distribution of a key
You will never be as real as me
Never be as ill as me
You could never do the shit I did
Never see the shit I′ve seen
Never be as quite as big
I already done the shit you did
Bitches I already hit
Money I already spent
In "Definition Of A G," Yo Gotti talks about his experience in the drug dealing world and the lifestyle that comes with it. The first verse talks about his success with DJ Drama where they made history by staying on top for three summers with one mixtape. He also talks about how they had the power of having choppers like Bin Laden, which highlights his dangerous lifestyle. Yo Gotti then boasts about his knowledge of the drug dealing game, how many bricks a Hummer can carry, and how he can break them down into ounces. He also takes a dig at other rappers who only talk about drug dealing in their songs and haven't lived the life by saying that he'll give them a brick and see what they can do with it. In the second verse, Yo Gotti highlights his reputation on the streets and calls himself the definition of a G, which means a Gangsta or someone who is well-respected in the streets. He also takes a dig at other rappers by saying that they could never be as real or as ill as him and that he has already done everything they've done. He then talks about his hometown of North Memphis and how it's a cut-throat city where you either come up off that work or die with it. Finally, he talks about how he knows all the tricks of the trade and those who rap about drug dealing but haven't lived the life don't know what they're talking about. Overall, the song showcases Yo Gotti's experience in the drug dealing world, his survival skills, and his street credibility.
Line by Line Meaning
And this that gansta shit
This is the type of rap that speaks about real gangsta life
The reunion, me and DJ Drama
Me and DJ Drama are back together to make more hit songs
Nigga we made history like Barack Obama
We achieved something great like Barack Obama's election as President
Nigga we had them choppas like we Bin Laden, Osama
We had a lot of guns like Bin Laden and Osama
One mixtape, stayed hot for three summers
One mixtape became popular for three summers
One trip, one plug, nigga two runnas
With one trip and one connection, two runners were able to transport drugs
Know how many bricks can fit in one Hummer?
Do you know how many drugs can fit in one Hummer?
Break em down, straight thunda
Break down the drugs and sell them quickly
Ounces jumpin 35 and nothin under
Sold ounces of drugs for no less than $35 each
Go on do ya research, you aint got to wonder
You can research and confirm that I'm telling the truth
I'm the realest nigga walkin, bitch I'm one hunda
I am the most authentic gangsta and nothing less
Trap nigga this, trap nigga that
Many rappers brag about being in the drug trade
Man you rappin ass niggas ain′t did shit
Most rappers who talk about the drug trade haven't actually lived it
I'll give you a brick what you gone do with that
I'll give you drugs to sell but you probably won't know what to do with it
Besides rap about that motherfucker
You'll probably just rap about selling drugs instead of actually doing it
And bring it back
Repeat the same thing in your music
I'll take em to school, teach em a lesson
I'll educate those who want to know how to properly sell drugs
How to mix it with the soda, they tryin to stretch it
I'll teach them how to mix drugs with soda to make it last longer
I′m the definition of a G
I am a true gangsta
Reputation of the streets
I have a good reputation among the gangsta community
Distribution of a key
I am a big-time drug dealer
You will never be as real as me
Others can't match my level of authenticity
Never be as ill as me
Others can't match my level of toughness or skill
You could never do the shit I did
Others can't match or replicate my drug dealing experiences
Never see the shit I′ve seen
Others haven't witnessed the things I've seen in the drug trade
Never be as quite as big
Others can't match my level of success in the drug trade
I already done the shit you did
I've already accomplished what you're trying to do
Bitches I already hit
I've already had sex with women you're trying to attract
Money I already spent
I've already spent the kind of money you wish you had
I'm born and raised North Memphis, cut throat city
I grew up in North Memphis, a dangerous place where violence is common
Where you could come up off that work, or you could die with it
In North Memphis, you can either make money selling drugs or get killed
I was on that battlefield, you was back chillin
I was actively selling drugs while you were not involved
Yeah that sound good, that may rhyme right
That may sound good and make sense in a rap song
But when I break it down, aye that don′t sound right
But when I think about it in real life, it doesn't make sense
Them prices way too low, you must know Escobar
Your prices are too low, you must be connected to someone like Pablo Escobar
If he really got that shit like that I'm callin him tomorrow
If your connection is real, I'm calling him tomorrow to buy from him
I′m clearing out the bank, put my shit on hold
I am withdrawing a lot of money to buy drugs and putting my other expenses on hold
Want many as I can buy, want many as I can hold
I want to buy as many drugs as I can afford and hold onto them to sell later
See I know you's a lie so Ima stay on pause
I know you're lying about your drug connection so I'm going to hold off buying from you
If he really got it for that ticket he may be the laws
If your connection is real and you're selling drugs for such a low price, you may be a cop
Too good to be true my dawgs
It sounds too good to be true, my friends
Nine times outta ten it is
Most of the time, it turns out to be false
And the truth be told,
To be honest,
If he ever rapped about dope he don′t know what no chickens is
If he ever rapped about selling drugs, he wouldn't know what he's talking about
Writer(s): Jordan Thomas Suess
Contributed by Nathan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.