Delusions of Grandeur

Gucci Mane is feeling pretty good about himself. If you couldn’t tell by the cover of his Evil Genius follow-up Delusions of Grandeur, you can hear him tell you about it on the project’s opener, “Bussdown.” “I’m richer, more handsome, more healthy, more cocky, wrist more rocky, money longer, bread stronger, my b*tch badder, I got more stamina…” he says. How much better Gucci is doing than everyone else has been a longtime part of the brand, but if you thought ten-plus years of balling might have mellowed the sentiment, you’d be sadly mistaken.

Delusions of Grandeur plays like something of a victory parade for Gucci, the rapper celebrating his existence nearly every chance he gets. “I don't need diamonds to make me special,” he reminds us on “Special.” “Proud of You” is essentially an open letter to himself, and on “Human Chandelier” he declares himself “the coldest n*gga who ever lived.” He accepts congratulatory daps in the form of features from Wiz Khalifa, Anuel AA, and Justin Bieber (among many others), but is likewise perfectly happy to be the only one in the shot for the majority of the project. And it makes sense, because it’s Gucci we came for, and like any good host understands, you gotta give the people what they want.