Yesterday, we got wind of a rumor that Gucci Mane might be a free man(e) come July 11th. The 1017 rapper's been incarcerated since September 2013-- first for a probation violation, then for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon-- and although he's been able to drop more music than arguably anyone else during these past 21 months, his presence has been sorely missed in the rap game. More indicative of this than anything is the sheer number of shout outs he continues to get on tracks by other artists.
Of course, many of these cries to "Free Gucci" come from rappers who were discovered or mentored by him, but his range of influence is so far that even a certain New Jersey crooner calls GuWop his biggest influence. We've catalogued all of the calls to end Gucci's incarceration that've popped up since he went away in Fall 2013-- read on to get a list.
Metro Thuggin - "Free Gucci"
Let's start with the obvious. Young Thug and Metro Boomin are two guys who've both worked with Gucci in the past, and to at least some extent, have him to thank for getting their careers rolling. Linking up for "Free Gucci" earlier this year, the duo boil down their desire to see GuWop walk free into a single, banging track.
"Everything Gucci, everything Gucci / Everything Gucci, bitch I'm good"
Remy Boyz - "Free Gucci"
Next up is a song with the exact same title, which comes from Fetty Wap, whose rap name was inspired by big GuWop himself. Dubbing his squad "101738" on the intro, Fetty offers up an excellent tribute with a Zaytoven-esque beat to boot.
"To wake up in the morning is a motherfucking blessing / Til they free my nigga Gucci, I ain’t motherfucking resting"
Rick Ross on Omarion's "Post To Be" remix
For the most part, this Dej Loaf, Trey Songz, Ty Dolla $ign and Rozay-assisted remix to Maybach O's hit single has nothing to do with the East Atlanta Santa, but Ross comes through with some support for his former "MC Hammer" collaborator.
"Copy paste, tweez niggas even 'bout that slang / Black bottle in the sky, free Gucci Mane"
Two-9 - "Did It"
Although Two-9 didn't make the major move of signing with Ear Drummers until Gucci was already locked up, they've still clearly got respect for their ATL forebear (and even collaborated with his former signee OJ Da Juiceman in 2013).
"Zone 6, bricks, free Gucci in this bitch / Know I'm always with the shits"
Kevin Gates - "Khaza"
Released last month, "Khaza" is one of the best and most unrelenting Kevin Gates tracks ever. Although he mainly focuses on intensely personal subject matter, he chooses to close the hookless song out with a shout to Gucci.
"Cheeseburger hit, got the tape, bout to drop / The rap game fake, Kevin Gates, free the Wap (Gucci, nigga)"
Young Dolph - "Big Deal"
Young Dolph is definitely a stylistic descendent of Gucci, so it's only right that he shouted him out on this year's High Class Street Music 5.
"Sold out shows, bad bitches, and trappers / I got the streets going stupid, free my nigga Gucci"
Fat Trel - "Real"
Like Dolph, Fat Trel is a rapper who hails from an area that's a little removed from Atlanta, but has taken a ton of influence from the city. On "Real," a cut from last year's Gleesh, he pays homage to GuWop.
"Free my nigga Gucci, know what’s up, squad shit / Ready get money, get money, fuck bitches"
Plies - "Welcome Home Boosie"
"My brother been in the pen for damn near ten / But now it look like when he come out man I'm goin in"
It captures the same sentiment as Plies' "Welcome Home Boosie," released just as Boosie was getting out, and Gucci was getting more time added to his sentence. There will always be someone whose freedom is worth a shout-out in a song.
"Welcome home Boosie, welcome home Boosie / Now they need to free C-Murder, BG, Meech and Gucci"
Chief Keef - "Gucci Gang"
Keef's among the artists who've had the pleasure of releasing a joint tape with Gucci in the time since he's been imprisoned, so it's good to know that he's looking out for his Big Gucci Sosa collaborator.
"Free Wop, aye Justo, free my nigga Slick / I gotta pull my pants up my ass, free, free my nigga you know"
Isaiah Rashad - "R.I.P. Kevin Miller"
Isaiah Rashad's music may not bear any similarities to Gucci's, but credits the rapper with introducing him to aspects of the trapping lifestyle.
"Slow it down, we losin' 'em, I've been on the booze again / Shit, that sober livin' hell, free Guwop if he in jail /Nigga taught me 'bout the scale, it was vivid, I was there / I was on my first offense, I hope they gon' give me bail"
Shy Glizzy - "Cut Her Off" freestyle
Shy Glizzy and Fat Trel don't have many trap-rap idols they can look up to DC, so it makes perfect sense why they gravitate towards the Trap God himself.
"Bitch its Young Jefé so you bet not call me Jeff-ay / Screaming "Free Guwop" let my bitch out on the expressway"
Young Scooter - "Please God"
This 80's Baby track finds Scooter reminiscing about the time him and Gucci shared a cell after being arrested on separate charges in April 2013.
"I pray to God they free Guwop, he took a chance on me I fucked around and got caught up / Two months later they got both of us locked up, same cell he saying 'Be cool bruh, God got us'"
OG Maco - "OG Mac"
While collaborating with longtime Gucci producer Zaytoven on this year's OGZay mixtape, Maco prayed that Wop would be free next year. Hopefully, he gets his wish later this summer.
"I work by my damn self cause niggas talk like build-a-bear / Neck look like a build-a-burr, this shit sound like Guwop, yea free Guwop, pray he free next year"
Young Thug - "Check"
One of my favorite tracks of the year (y'all will probably disagree), Thugger's "Check" includes a Gucci shout out in its most unintelligible part. I saw him and Travi$ Scott perform earlier this year, and because Thug had the audeince chant "Free Gucci" about five times, I'm ready to call him GuWop's most loyal supporter.
"20, 50, 100, 500 millions made / Big hunna Thugga, screamin' free that Gucci Mane"