NEWS
EVENTS
Hip-Hop Legend: Gucci Mane
RnB/Hip Hop | Thursday 3rd December 2015 | Tom
Radric ‘Gucci Mane’ Davis is one of the most controversial artists in hip-hop, he has spent large portions of his career in jail but has released an astonishing 41 mixtapes and 12 albums, whilst being instrumental in the rise of Nicki Minaj, Young Thug and others.
Through an intense work rate and excellent eye for talent Gucci Mane has single handedly put Atlanta on the hip-hop map, earning the title of ‘Trap God’ in the process.
Gucci’s prolific run started when he put out his first independent album in 2005 entitled ‘Trap House’ which featured the popular single ‘Icy’ alongside Young Jeezy.
The song however, led to issues between Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy over unpaid royalties, culminating in murder charges being pressed against Gucci after an alleged associate of Young Jeezy was shot, charges that were eventually dropped.
Unlike those in the industry such as Drake, Nicki Minaj or even Young Jeezy, rappers who have been able to crossover between the mainstream and the underground with ease, Gucci has not been able to do this, operating by his own set of rules.
By his own self admission Gucci is not the most lyrically gifted rapper, but instead of focusing on his lyrical ability he treated rapping as a business, working overtime to flood the musicsphere with a relentless flow of mixtapes.
Producer Mike Will Made-It claims that he once made 20 songs in three days, and Quavo from ‘Migos’ stated that it would take Gucci a night to complete a mixtape. According to Atlanta radio host DJ Holiday, Gucci Mane said, 'They sleep, bruh. They sleepin, I’m working. That’s how we gonna kill ’em.'
Gucci Mane remains an artist that divides opinion but as well as working hard to create a backlog of tunes, he has actively seeked to promote new artists, in the process nurturing many of the South's biggest talents.
Despite his legal troubles, Gucci Mane has been relentless in his work, he is currently in prison until 2017 on firearms charges, but still remains influential on the rap scene. This leads me to believe that a Gucci board game is next, ‘Maneopoly’ - the only version of monopoly where you make money by going to jail.
Facts
Gucci Mane got into rapping by standing on a power generator box and rapping to good friend OJ da Juiceman.
He starred alongside James Franco and Selena Gomez in the movie ‘Spring Breakers’.
He’s name comes from his Dad’s nickname, ‘Gucci’.
He has a tattoo of an ice-cream on his face.
To date Gucci Mane has released over 3000 songs, with his productivity unaffected by his prison sentence.
