Having gone back through Gucci Mane's greatest hits in honor of 10/17 day, it's absolutely surreal to juxtapose the behavior of "Old" Gucci and "New" Gucci. Surreal, but also inspirational. Though always keen on accruing wealth, Guwop has essentially reinvented his brand, going so far as to secure a massive bag from a newfound Gucci deal. Suffice it to say, the man's been on a winning streak in many facets of life, be it romantically, creatively, and commercially. In honor of his new Woptober II album, Big Guwop took a moment to hit the Hot 97 Studios for a conversation with Ebro, Laura, and Rosenberg.
Around the 7:13 minute mark, Ebro raises the topic of accountability which in turn prompts a discussion on snitching. Naturally, it's hard not to associate a specific rainbow-haired young man to the term, which makes his presence feel implicit within the discourse. "You had to do some real time a couple of times," says Ebro. "You have come out a different human being, holding yourself responsible." Gucci takes a moment before responding. "I guess I bumped my head enough so I had to really reevaluate stuff, think you really making mistakes," he reflects. "I knew my flaws, I knew my hurdles I needed to jump."
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Gucci Mane also doubles down on the fact that he's no longer surprised by the frequency with which snitching transpires in the streets. "I had went to county jail," explains Gucci. "I had did three stints of maybe six months. It's always county jail, it was never prison. When I did go to prison I went to federal prison. It was an education I got there, because people aren't prepared with the guidelines with how the federal court system goes about doing things. Once I went through that, it made me grateful for my freedom. But second I got an education on the laws and how they go."
"Once you been in the feds, you understand the power of snitching," he continues. "That's why they have a conviction rate of ninety-eight percent. Everybody who goes to the feds, they either plead guilty or they tell. There's no fighting trial and beating it." He soon realized that the snitches were essentially guaranteeing a lofty conviction rate. He also reveals that many inmates go on to be confidential informants, using that as a get-out-of-jail-free card. "You can pay, get out of jail, and snitch forever," he says. "In the rap game, managers, drivers, artists, the people are doing it. They did it to me!"