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.
Julius
Yo Gotti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Homeboy want twelve, I want thirty, boy that's forty-two
Call that pick, that James Worthin, zone six, (Julius Erving)
Set my dunk on (Julius Erving) ride through the six like George Gervin
See the feet, on the fleet, white cleats on an athlete,
Tell em paper attack me, damn that thing look nasty
Damn this thing a classic, everybody starin
Simple dunk can't catch me, I'm dammit twisted backwards
Candy painted sixes, like them rims just did a backflip
My rims just did a backflip,
Dem lips on my rims so big they fucked round and did a front flip
The way I got my dunk flipped, way I got the motor flipped
Punch it then the front lift, whamming at the light belt
Slammin at the light self, pull up in a white dunk
White guts, white rims
73 chevy, but it look like a dump truck
Trunk like a concert, that mean that bitch loud as fuck
Everything kitted up, that boy digital
Hundred thousand dollars in the chevy, that was pitiful
Hardwood floors in that bitch look like my grandma's house
White on white leather my seats remind me of my grandma's couch
Trunk having a heart attack, when I'm doin a summersault
Michael Jackson twenty-six inches, they doin the moonwalk
Sunday I ain't bumpin no rap, I'm bumpin Al Green
Monday I ain't sellin no white, I'm sellin all green
Yo Gotti I'm the king, no soon as I hit the scene
I'm watchin (colors), and then I watch my plasma screen
In the opening lines of Yo Gotti's song Julius, he is referring to the illegal drug trade and asking for a favor from his associate to purchase some drugs. The illegal drugs are referred to as birds, and he wants a few of them. However, before he goes on with the deal, he mentions that he needs to defecate, and he will take care of that before continuing with the drug purchase. He then talks about the quantities of the drugs his associate wants versus the amount he wants. He wants thirty, while his friend wants twelve, which comes up to forty-two. He uses basketball references when he calls his associate to pick up the drugs. He mentions James Worthin, who was a player in the NBA for the Atlanta Hawks, also known as "Pick." Then, he refers to Julius Erving, a basketball player who played in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers, known as "Dr. J." Finally, he mentions George Gervin, who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA, known as "The Iceman." Yo Gotti also mentions the two as he sets his "dunk" on them, referring to his car, a Chevrolet, which he rides through the city, like George Gervin.
Yo Gotti then proceeds to talk about his car's appearance, which has attracted attention from people. The car is equipped with white cleats, which are usually found on athletes, giving it an athletic appearance. The rapper brags about how his car is attracting all the attention, and it looks like a classic. He also mentions how his car is candy painted, and the rims on it did a backflip, front flip and are so massive that they resemble lips. Yo Gotti further boasts about riding in a white dunk with white rims and white seats, similar to his grandmother's furniture. He continues to talk about the sound of his car, which is incredibly loud, and how the trunk shakes, reminiscent of a music concert. He ends the verse discussing his preferences in music; he listens to Al Green on Sundays and sells only marijuana on Mondays.
Line by Line Meaning
You got them birds I want a few, first I'm a drop a deuce
You have some drugs that I want to buy, but first I need to use the bathroom.
Homeboy want twelve, I want thirty, boy that's forty-two
Someone wants to sell me twelve drugs, but I want to buy thirty which equals forty-two total.
Call that pick, that James Worthin, zone six, (Julius Erving)
I am using a code name for my drug dealer (James Worthin) and a location (zone six), named after Julius Erving who played basketball there.
Set my dunk on (Julius Erving) ride through the six like George Gervin
I am driving through zone six with my drugs like Julius Erving who was known for his impressive 'dunks,' and I feel like George Gervin, who was also a basketball player known for his impressive moves.
See the feet, on the fleet, white cleats on an athlete,
I notice the 'feet' (wheels) on my car, which look like an athlete's white cleats.
Tell em paper attack me, damn that thing look nasty
I am telling people to bring me money (paper) and my car looks impressive/cool.
Damn this thing a classic, everybody starin
My car is a classic and everyone is looking at it.
Pull up in a chevy, put your cutlass in a casket
My chevy car is superior to your cutlass car.
Simple dunk can't catch me, I'm dammit twisted backwards
I am faster than any simple move and I have a unique way of doing things (twisted backwards).
Candy painted sixes, like them rims just did a backflip
My car is painted in a bright color (candy painted) and my rims look like they have done a backflip.
My rims just did a backflip,
My rims look so impressive that they appear to have just done a backflip.
Dem lips on my rims so big they fucked round and did a front flip
The lip (outer edge) of my rims is so big that it looks like it did a front flip.
The way I got my dunk flipped, way I got the motor flipped
I have customized my car in a unique way, both with my 'dunk' (style) and the engine.
Punch it then the front lift, whamming at the light belt
I accelerate and the front of my car lifts up, and I am driving quickly through the traffic light.
Slammin at the light self, pull up in a white dunk
I am driving quickly through the traffic light and then pull up in my white car.
White guts, white rims
The interior and rims of my car are both white.
73 chevy, but it look like a dump truck
My car is a 1973 chevy, but it looks like a dump truck.
Trunk like a concert, that mean that bitch loud as fuck
The trunk of my car is so loud that it is like a concert.
Everything kitted up, that boy digital
I have customized everything in my car and it is all digital.
Hundred thousand dollars in the chevy, that was pitiful
I had one hundred thousand dollars in my car, which was not a lot considering how impressive the car is.
Hardwood floors in that bitch look like my grandma's house
The interior of my car has hardwood floors, which remind me of my grandmother's house.
White on white leather my seats remind me of my grandma's couch
The white leather seats in my car remind me of my grandmother's white couch.
Trunk having a heart attack, when I'm doin a summersault
The trunk of my car shakes violently when I am doing a 'summersault' (crazy move/driving fast).
Michael Jackson twenty-six inches, they doin the moonwalk
My rims are 26 inches (impressive) and they look like they are doing the moonwalk (move by Michael Jackson).
Sunday I ain't bumpin' no rap, I'm bumpin' Al Green
On Sundays, I do not listen to rap music, I listen to Al Green.
Monday I ain't sellin' no white, I'm sellin' all green
On Mondays, I am not selling cocaine (white), I am selling marijuana (all green).
Yo Gotti I'm the king, no soon as I hit the scene
I am the king of my scene as soon as I arrive on it.
I'm watchin (colors), and then I watch my plasma screen
I am watching the movie Colors and then I am watching my plasma screen.
Contributed by Lillian T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.