Artist Playlists
-
Like a great watchmaker or sushi chef, the Atlanta rapper and trap trailblazer Gucci Mane built his legacy doing a single thing better than almost anyone else. Even after he went to prison, got sober, and lost 100 pounds (a transformation so radical that some of his fans thought he’d been replaced by a clone), there were no ballads or tear-stained confessionals. If anything, freedom and sobriety only made his punchlines harder. Blunt, funny, and tough as anything, these tracks represent some of the meanest rap of the trap era, whose influence can be heard all over the music of ATL’s newer generations, from Young Thug to Lil Uzi Vert. Where’s his equal? If he meet him, he’s gonna greet him, beat him, eat him up, and leave him. - Gucci Mane's flows, slanguage, and slurred rap style remade hip-hop in his image, inspiring legions of MCs and producers to follow. Young Scooter's "Columbia" is a brash extralegal tale delivered with Gucci's no-nonsense spirit. Migos' "Bando" borrows Gucci producer Zaytoven's understated organs to home in on the hustler's day-to-day details, while Chief Keef's brooding, unbothered "Sosa Chamberlin" nods to Gucci's cocky nonchalance.
- Verses packed with street dealings at times distract from the fact that Gucci Mane is an exceptionally gifted storyteller. This skill is evident on grim cautionary tale “Timothy,” as well as the nuanced “745,” a complicated character study. While his flow varies—a relentless shout on “I'm a Star,” a sly singsong cadence on “Swing My Door”—his flair for rich narrative imagery remains front and centre.
- Gucci Mane's Trap God persona didn't materialize out of thin air—it was inspired by acts like Project Pat, the Memphis cult hero whose rubbery flow is mirrored in Gucci's own. Guwop's anger at the trappings of street life echoes the disenchantment of rappers like 2Pac, Ice Cube, and Eazy-E, while his ability to take it in stride can be sourced to the deep grooves of a track like Too $hort's “The Ghetto.”