Gucci Mane's freedom after a 39-month stint in jail has been more glorious than anyone could possibly have imagined. From the moment he set foot outside that correctional facility, he has been cranking out and/or lending a hand on a bevy of certified slappers, including "First Day Out The Feds," "All My Children," Drake's "Back on Road," Kanye West's "Champions", and Kodak Black's "Vibin In This Bih." Amazing.
Gucci is set release his official comeback album Everybody's Looking on July 22nd. Before that drops, revisit 10 of Gucci's greatest hits from his 2005-2009 era of notoriety.
“Icy” feat. Young Jeezy and Boo (2005)
"Icy" is evident of the bridge that exists between Atlanta rap and Bay Area rap. Zaytoven helped build that bridge, and the "Teach Me How To Dougie"-esque elastic toms of "Icy" reveal his California roots.
There was some controversy as to whether "Icy" would be Gucci's song or Jeezy's song -- Jeezy wanted it for his debut album.
"Pillz" (2006)
Another early Zaytoven smash, "Pillz" is one of the great MDMA anthems of our time as well as an example of Gucci's underrated storytelling abilities. He establishes the song's drama at the intersection of drugs and girls within the first 4 bars: "Now everything was gravy til your bitch came in, bout the same time that that thang kicked in."
Arguably better than the original is the "Go Buck Bootleg" remix, which has been removed from most sites but is surely floating somewhere in the digital ether. Hard to kill.
"Freaky Gurl" (2006)
My personal favorite Gucci Mane song. "Freaky Gurl" is fun to rap along to whence in the whip and the beat is simply amazing -- it starts with a funky, off-kilter groove that'll bring the inner freak out of anybody, then adds a layer of melancholy strings straight out of "Love Story" that imbue the song with a surprising pathos.
"Swing My Door" (2006)
The 808s used in most of Gucci's early songs would be considered tame by today's standards. Not so with "Swing My Door," which employs thunderous 808s to imitate the sheer volume of customers breaking down his door looking to buy his product.
"My Kitchen" (2008)
"My Kitchen" is a reminder that Gucci Mane is first and foremost a cook, a chef, and he asserts his absolute control over his domain.
Gucci's Bart Simpson chain that appears in the "My Kitchen" video and the No Pad, No Pencil cover is one of the greatest pieces of jewelry in rap history. Gucci loved that chain, one time, he even let Bart hit the loud.
Never forget, When Gucci Mane let bart hit the loud pic.twitter.com/9EXBLQ9Gis
"Photoshoot" (2008)
Lost in the shadow of Gucci Mane's celebrated partnership with Zaytoven is his partnership with Drumma Boy, who has provided the production on many a La Flare banger. "Photoshoot" might be his magnum opus. And as Gucci raps "UGK my favorite group, for years been riding with them guys," he proves hip hop frequently overflows across borders, going against the common narrative of regional provincialism. Houston's UGK influenced Gucci; Gucci was the main influence behind Chicago's drill scene; and it continues ad infinitum.
"I Think I Love Her" (2009)
Produced by Polow da Don, "I Think I Love Her" contains more refined aesthetic than Shop Boyz' "Party Like a Rockstar" (To-to-to-totallly duuuude!!). It takes no ordinary woman to play the part of the woman Gucci admits he loves; Ester Dean's charisma more than carries the role.
Bonus: the video features Gucci rubbing his hands fiendishly as he runs game on an oversized chess board.
"Lemonade" (2009)
Widely regarded as Gucci's greatest song ever, "Lemonade" foreshadoweed a common style of hook seen today, most notably employed by Ty Dolla $ign, in which the author takes a single keyword or image and simply free associates all the ways that word/image can be manifested.
Plus, there's something about that piano... shoutout Bangladesh.
"Wasted" feat. Plies (2009)
Peaking at #36 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Wasted" is Gucci's highest-charting single ever. His exhortations for the listener to "party, party, party" have never failed to inspire.
2009 was Plies' golden year, when he dropped "Becky" and rapped a fire verse on "Wasted": "I don't wear tight jeans like the white boys, but I do get wasted like the white boys."
"First Day Out" (2009)
Gucci Mane recorded "First Day Out" after he was released from jail for the third time. He no doubt hit the studio immediately upon his release then as he did last month when he recorded the sequel, "First Day Out The Feds." Gucci Mane's work ethic is simply incredible, and while it is most apparent in the number of songs he has released, it is also cooked into his lyrics:
"I'm starting off my day with a blunt of purp
No pancakes just a cup of syrup
Baking soda, pot, and a silver spork
You already know it's time to go to work."