Gucci Mane's glorious emergence from jail last week spawned a saucy celebration track with Mike Will Made-It and a pow-wow sesh with Zaytoven. While we are happy to see him work with these top-flight producers, we would like to see La Flare branch out and forge new creative partnerships as he enters a new phase in his career. Mike-Will is arguably the production MVP of 2016 and Zaytoven is his oldest, most trusted collaborator.
Here are five artists we want to see collaborate with Gucci Mane. Click through the gallery and comment with producers you'd like to see get in the studio with GuWop.
Ricky Racks
A few of Atlanta's biggest artists, including Gucci Mane, Zaytoven, and Metro Boomin didn't actually grow up in Atlanta. (Gucci moved there when was nine... Zaytoven and Metro as young adults.) For Ricky Racks, who grew up in the town of Greenville, North Carolina, this outsider ATL perspective might produce a bond between him and Guwop.
Ninety percent of trap producers, or producers in hip-hop -- if you listen to the drums, they're all using the same drums," Racks said in an interview with HNHH. "So just by switching the drum sounds, my beat is already gonna feel different."
Murda Beatz
Though we would certainly settle for a Gucci "Pipe it Up" remix, we'd like to see Gucci collaborate in greater depth with the young Canadian trap sensation known as Murda Beatz.
Like Zaytoven, Murda engenders the trap aesthetic with a certain levity. Zaytoven has been integral to the success of both Migos and Gucci Mane; by the transitive property, Murda Beatz's natural chemistry with Migos augurs greatness if he ever gets in the studio with Gucci.
Wheezy
Wheezy has been closely tethered to Young Thug up to this point. He produced over half the songs on Barter 6 (standouts: "Amazing", Constantly Hating"), several on Slime Season 2 ("Pull Up on a Kid"), a few on Bankroll Mafia ("Up One"), and the most recent single from Thug's upcoming album Hi-Tunes ("Gangster Shit)." He has an original sound -- warm, slow, meditative, with a voluptuous low end and feathery touch. It's about time he spread his wings and worked with an artist like Gucci Mane.
Maaly Raw
Like Wheezy, Maaly Raw is primarily known for his collaboration with a single artist: rising Philly star Lil Uzi Vert. (HNHH covered Uzi and Maaly's partnership in detail.) Maaly's trademark synth bursts represent uncharted territory for Gucci, but it's aesthetic that could be worth exploring now that he's entered a new chapter of his career.
Mike Dean
Dean represents something other than the first four artists included in this list. He is beyond proven; he is one of the most respected and innovative names in hip hop production. His towering interplanetary/gothic synths and enthusiasm for taking blunts to the dome make him an intriguing production prospect for Gucci Mane. He is currently on a mission to salvage Desiigner's already-slumping career. Last year, his mission involved rocketing Travi$ Scott to superstardom. Other than his work with Kanye, he mostly seems interested in helping younger artists. Which makes a collaboration with Gucci unlikely, though their shared capacity to produce an enormous volume of music makes such a collaboration possible.