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.
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.
For The Record
Yo Gotti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
Hey Gotti
What's happening?
You ever heard that story
About when the real niggas came in last place?
Nah, nah, nah, I don't believe that
Shit, me neither
Ha
Shout out to Grip and Jook (Grip and Jook)
Cocaine Records (Cocaine Records)
I'll die for them three letters
Make these streets respect us (Go ask 'em)
I did deals that didn't benefit me
Why would I do such a thing? So my niggas could eat (One hundred)
My nigga on that dog food (Food), stole a hundred K (crushed me)
It was a million in that safe, why the fuck you play? (Pussy)
If you gon' take it, take it all, nigga, nigga
'Cause when I see you, I want it all, nigga, nigga
Baby momma up and left (Why?)
She left me scarred (It hurt me)
But I can't blame her, all the shit I done (Why?)
I know it's hard (Yeah)
To love a nigga like me (Me), I'm too deep in these streets (I am)
Dedicated to hustlers whom dedicated to me (I am)
Six hundred for a Richard Mille, now we sellin' bricks
I'm rockin' niggas record deals (on my wrist)
Twenty mill' for an advance check (twenty what?)
I fuck around, decline that (I don't give a fuck)
First we want the money but now we gotta own the masters
How you live in a mansion but you don't own the land?
I'm on some other shit
Uh, I gave these niggas the game
I guess that they didn't listen, so fuck 'em
I told 'em big homie rules, didn't pay attention
These niggas some suckers, uh
They flex on the 'Gram
They show they lil' racks but they live with their momma, uh
Gun emoji sign, with the smoke but they don't want no drama, uh
Let me clear up the air, no beef with no rappers at all
My focus has been on my niggas
On gettin' 'em some money and freein' my dawgs, uh
When it come to these broads, I'm different
I buy her Chanel, not Tiffany
I fuck around, sendin' like ten thousand flowers to her job
'Cause I know that she miss me
And she know my history, I know her potential
The realest, you is, and fire that head
God Good must sent you, but back to the issues at hand
Don't wanna play on your dawg, don't sacrifice your lil' mans
You got to build up the team, gettin' a hundred racks was a dream
Gettin' a million didn't even seem like it was possible to achieve
Now I'm playin' with a forty, ridin' in a 'Rari
Strapped with a forty
That was 400K, yeah, a nigga ballin', I ain't just talkin'
Fuck the bitch good, now the hoe stalkin'
Can't get her off me
Had a good month, tricked on a bitch, but I don't do it often
Yeah (Yeah) Big Gotti, I'm cocky
'Cause I know everybody got their money right
Yeah, the team solid (Yeah)
CMG
All I ever did was show niggas how to get money
How to do it on their own
How to put their niggas on
Definition of a hustler
Treat my partners like brothers
Been understood business
Had a joint venture with the plug
Never joined a gang, still a thug
Never did nothin' to kids or women, that's off limits
In the streets I'm official
If I ain't with you, I'm against you
What's happening?
You ever heard that story
About when the real niggas came in last place?
Nah, nah, nah, I don't believe that
Shit, me neither
Ha
Cocaine Records (Cocaine Records)
I'll die for them three letters
Make these streets respect us (Go ask 'em)
I did deals that didn't benefit me
Why would I do such a thing? So my niggas could eat (One hundred)
My nigga on that dog food (Food), stole a hundred K (crushed me)
It was a million in that safe, why the fuck you play? (Pussy)
If you gon' take it, take it all, nigga, nigga
'Cause when I see you, I want it all, nigga, nigga
Baby momma up and left (Why?)
She left me scarred (It hurt me)
But I can't blame her, all the shit I done (Why?)
I know it's hard (Yeah)
To love a nigga like me (Me), I'm too deep in these streets (I am)
Dedicated to hustlers whom dedicated to me (I am)
Six hundred for a Richard Mille, now we sellin' bricks
I'm rockin' niggas record deals (on my wrist)
Twenty mill' for an advance check (twenty what?)
I fuck around, decline that (I don't give a fuck)
First we want the money but now we gotta own the masters
How you live in a mansion but you don't own the land?
I'm on some other shit
Uh, I gave these niggas the game
I guess that they didn't listen, so fuck 'em
I told 'em big homie rules, didn't pay attention
These niggas some suckers, uh
They flex on the 'Gram
They show they lil' racks but they live with their momma, uh
Gun emoji sign, with the smoke but they don't want no drama, uh
Let me clear up the air, no beef with no rappers at all
My focus has been on my niggas
On gettin' 'em some money and freein' my dawgs, uh
When it come to these broads, I'm different
I buy her Chanel, not Tiffany
I fuck around, sendin' like ten thousand flowers to her job
'Cause I know that she miss me
And she know my history, I know her potential
The realest, you is, and fire that head
God Good must sent you, but back to the issues at hand
Don't wanna play on your dawg, don't sacrifice your lil' mans
You got to build up the team, gettin' a hundred racks was a dream
Gettin' a million didn't even seem like it was possible to achieve
Now I'm playin' with a forty, ridin' in a 'Rari
Strapped with a forty
That was 400K, yeah, a nigga ballin', I ain't just talkin'
Fuck the bitch good, now the hoe stalkin'
Can't get her off me
Had a good month, tricked on a bitch, but I don't do it often
Yeah (Yeah) Big Gotti, I'm cocky
'Cause I know everybody got their money right
Yeah, the team solid (Yeah)
CMG
All I ever did was show niggas how to get money
How to do it on their own
How to put their niggas on
Definition of a hustler
Treat my partners like brothers
Been understood business
Had a joint venture with the plug
Never joined a gang, still a thug
Never did nothin' to kids or women, that's off limits
In the streets I'm official
If I ain't with you, I'm against you
The lyrics to Yo Gotti's song "For The Record" depict his life experiences and values as a hustler in the streets. The song opens with a conversation between Gotti and his friend where they discuss the notion of real niggas coming in last place. Gotti expresses his disbelief in this idea and asserts his loyalty to his crew and his dedication to making sure they eat.
Throughout the song, Gotti reflects on the sacrifices he has made for his friends and the consequences of his actions, including his baby mama leaving him due to the lifestyle he leads. He acknowledges the difficulty of loving someone like him, deeply ingrained in the streets, and expresses his dedication to fellow hustlers who have been dedicated to him.
Gotti also addresses the importance of ownership and self-sufficiency. He criticizes those who flaunt their material possessions on social media while lacking real wealth and independence. He emphasizes the need for knowledge and living by big homie rules, urging his listeners to focus on their own success and the well-being of their loved ones.
Overall, "For The Record" serves as a reflection on Gotti's journey in the music industry and the streets, highlighting his experiences, values, and determination to succeed.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Mario Mims
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
@YoGottiTV
Rep your city in the comments
@frankwhite3982
SOUTH CAROLINA... CMG LETS GO BIG HOMIE 💪🏾
@bugattibrandon7206
Las Vegas!!!
@YoGottiTV
@@frankwhite3982 💪🏾
@YoGottiTV
@@bugattibrandon7206 🎰🎲🎰🎲
@deveonrogers6627
Michigan
@jessecaldwell7819
Long Live King Dolph 🙏
@papiisauce
If you’re thinking about quitting don’t something big is coming! Stay blessed!
@brianpeak793
R I p dolph
@kobejordan5699
“CMF” 🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬