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.
That's Not Yo Bitch
Yo Gotti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
...yea this some personal shit here nigga!
I'ma take it there...
[Hook:]
You can kiss her, You can hug her
You can tell her that you love her to her face bro'
But that bitch ain't yo bitch dawg
You can lick her, You can stick her
You can give it to her right all nite bro'
But that bitch ain't yo bitch dawg
Said, that bitch ain't yo bitch dawg
You can like her you can wife her
You can get married and fight her all nite bro'
But that bitch ain't yo bitch dawg
Said, that bitch ain't yo bitch dawg
[Verse 1: Yo Gotti]
I'm the same nigga off tha chain nigga
I get's paid to giving game to lame niggaz
I learned early way back in my younger days
Following my heart I fell in love at seventh grade
Late nite on the phone quality time king
Malco movie screens she was my queen
We was everything and I was so faithful
Fucked my homeboys and that was so hateful
I thought taped her
In denial and didn't wanna believe in the truth
Man but they taped her
Made me strong so I can live with that
So I gotta thank that Andrea for that
[Hook]
[Verse2: Yo Gotti]
How many real niggaz can stand up and tell the truth
Lay it all on the line when they step in the booth
Not that many pimpin' close to any pimpin'
That boy Gotti a fool that's why I'm winning pimpin'
Nineteen-nintey-six I was moving bricks
Opened my heart back up and got another bitch
I changed that hoe life I copped that hoe ice
I showed that hoe wrong I taught that hoe right
And she was ride or die I seen her smile and cry
I sent that hoe to school I made her work nine to five
They kicked my door in they shot my bitch up
The cut my whole head they stole my white stuff
But she was still there cause she did not care
She's a soulja man she was so real
I asked her one day do you know dude there
She said hell naw man she said she swear
Poseda been out of town I popped up in my home
Man it' was going down
And I ain't no damn fool
And it was clear to see she was fuckin the enemy
She made me strong and cold-hearted for that
Man I gotta thank Ranarda for that
[Hook]
The lyrics of Yo Gotti's song "That's Not Yo Bitch" are about relationships and the complicated nature of love. The hook is a direct message to men who might think they have exclusive rights over their girlfriend or wife. It's stating that just because you think you own her, and you've done everything a man should do to secure a relationship, it doesn't mean she's yours to keep. The song is self-reflective as Gotti shares his own experiences with relationships and how he should have listened to his instincts when they told him that his girlfriend at the time was not his "bitch."
In the first verse, Gotti talks about how he learned the lesson the hard way when he was a teenager. He fell in love with a girl, and they had a special bond, but he found out that his friends were also having sexual relations with her at the same time. He chose to ignore the truth and continue to be with her. In the second verse, Gotti talks about his experience with another woman who he was in a relationship with for a more extended period, and he thought that she was loyal to him. Still, he found out that she was cheating on him with someone he knew. He acknowledges that these experiences made him stronger and more guarded when it comes to relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
...yea this some personal shit here nigga!
Yo Gotti is going to get real and share some personal experiences and emotions through his music.
You can kiss her, You can hug her
You can tell her that you love her to her face bro'
But that bitch ain't yo bitch dawg
Said, that bitch ain't yo bitch dawg
Just because you have physical or emotional intimacy with someone, it doesn't mean that they belong exclusively to you. This line emphasizes that point.
You can lick her, You can stick her
You can give it to her right all nite bro'
But that bitch ain't yo bitch dawg
Said, that bitch ain't yo bitch dawg
Again, physical pleasures and sexual satisfaction do not imply ownership. A person is free to be with whoever they choose, regardless of any physical or sexual contact they may have had with someone else.
You can like her you can wife her
You can get married and fight her all nite bro'
But that bitch ain't yo bitch dawg
Said, that bitch ain't yo bitch dawg
Even marriage doesn't result in ownership. A person can choose to be with whomever they want, and marriage is no exception to that. Marriage doesn't give anyone exclusive rights over the other person.
I'm the same nigga off tha chain nigga
I get's paid to giving game to lame niggaz
I learned early way back in my younger days
Following my heart I fell in love at seventh grade
Yo Gotti is an experienced person who shares his wisdom with others. He fell in love early in his life, and he followed his heart to do so.
Late nite on the phone quality time king
Malco movie screens she was my queen
We was everything and I was so faithful
Fucked my homeboys and that was so hateful
He spent a lot of time with his girl, making her feel like a queen. However, he was disloyal and cheated on her with his friends, which was wrong and shameful.
I thought taped her
In denial and didn't wanna believe in the truth
Man but they taped her
Made me strong so I can live with that
So I gotta thank that Andrea for that
He suspected that his girlfriend was cheating on him, but didn't want to believe it until he saw proof. The experience made him stronger, and he is grateful to have learned that lesson.
How many real niggaz can stand up and tell the truth
Lay it all on the line when they step in the booth
Not that many pimpin' close to any pimpin'
That boy Gotti a fool that's why I'm winning pimpin'
Yo Gotti is proud that he can be honest and vulnerable in his music. He believes that honesty sets him apart from other artists and contributes to his success.
Nineteen-nintey-six I was moving bricks
Opened my heart back up and got another bitch
I changed that hoe life I copped that hoe ice
I showed that hoe wrong I taught that hoe right
After being single and dealing with drugs, he got into a new relationship. He helped his new girlfriend financially and helped her make better choices in life.
And she was ride or die I seen her smile and cry
I sent that hoe to school I made her work nine to five
They kicked my door in they shot my bitch up
The cut my whole head they stole my white stuff
His girlfriend was loyal and supportive, and he helped her improve her life. However, someone attacked them, and he lost both his drugs and his girlfriend in the process.
But she was still there cause she did not care
She's a soulja man she was so real
I asked her one day do you know dude there
She said hell naw man she said she swear
His girlfriend's devotion was unwavering, even in the face of danger. She was a true soldier and never wavered in her loyalty to him.
Poseda been out of town I popped up in my home
Man it' was going down
And I ain't no damn fool
And it was clear to see she was fuckin the enemy
When Yo Gotti's enemy was out of town, he visited his girlfriend and found out that she was cheating on him with this very enemy.
She made me strong and cold-hearted for that
Man I gotta thank Ranarda for that
This experience made him emotionally stronger, but also made him more callous and less trusting. He is grateful to his girlfriend for teaching him that lesson.
You can kiss her, You can hug her
You can tell her that you love her to her face bro'
But that bitch ain't yo bitch dawg
Said, that bitch ain't yo bitch dawg
The chorus is repeated to reinforce the idea that no amount of physical or emotional intimacy implies ownership over a person. Each individual is free to make their own choices and be with whomever they wish.
Contributed by Parker L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.