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.
East Atlanta Memphis
Yo Gotti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pound fir ound sbd l i want my khruvd ti be ling dbough fir all this ti ckunt uo white nen csnt juno but thsy white girk csb
It seems that the lyrics in this particular song by Yo Gotti are quite difficult to interpret due to the use of slang and contemporary terminology. However, based on the context provided, it appears that the artist is bragging about his wealth and possessions, namely a large quantity of bricks or money. The line "sang that shit" may indicate a sense of pride or satisfaction with the lyrics being delivered, while the phrase "whole lotta bricks" could suggest that Yo Gotti has amassed a significant amount of wealth or assets, most likely through illegal means such as drug dealing.
The following lines may also be referencing Yo Gotti's criminal activities or gang affiliation, as he mentions "pound fir ound sbd l" which could be interpreted as a code or signal used within a particular group. The line "I want my khruvd ti be ling dbough" could either indicate that he wants his crew to be successful and wealthy, or potentially that he wants to be respected and feared by others in his community. The phrase "for all this ti ckunt uo" may represent the amount of money that he has generated through his illicit activities, while the use of "white nen csnt juno but thsy white girk csb" is unclear and may be difficult to interpret without further context.
Line by Line Meaning
Sang that shit. Whole lotta bricks
Sing this track about having a lot of drugs to sell
Pound for pound, I want my crown to be legit
I want to be recognized as the most successful drug dealer, based on the quantity and quality of my product
Dough for dough, all this paper coming in
I am making a lot of money from selling drugs
White men can't jump but they white girls can
Even though white men can't jump, their white girlfriends are able to attract black men with money and drugs
Contributed by Lily I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
SonicBoomC98
yall need to share this junt all over facebook and twitter. 47,000 hits aint nowere high as it should be
Jorge Mendez
buena rola hermanos amor y paz locos
playamadebanks
Dam man this a hard ass track that you play when you tryna get some cash gotti gucci juicy pat and skinny fire them boys putting it down for for the south
shaneterry2
skinny kill the track..no doubt..shout out to skinny pimp..USTREAM ALL NIGHT HOMIE!!
TJ CARTIER
SKINNY PIMP & PROJECT PAT str8 KILLED IT !!!
SKINNYJNOW
I know I gave this video at least 1,000 views .....Shouts out to Skinny Pimp killed that track.
triple6mafia187
word this track bumps
Donovan Howard
Yo... Chillin In Club Skinny.... Im Bumping Da F*kk Out Of This Joint.... Peace...
Itsyaboy 14
Pat went ham as always!
CL
ralph finnie - and you know this mannnnn