Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary: The Gucci Mane Effect
On June 25, 2017, Gucci Mane was present at the BET Awards held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California.
Credit: Jamie Lamor Thompson/Shutterstock
By: Vince Wilson
As the celebration of Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary continues, there have been a lot of props paid to various pioneers of the culture. A pioneer I want to pay homage to is Gucci Mane. The East Atlanta native and self-proclaimed TrapGod is for sure an architect of the Trap Music genre. He has helped put on many of the artists in this generation of southern rappers. I look at Gucci Mane as the Red Auerbach of rap.
Dr. Dre is given a lot of credit for discovering talent, but Snoop Dogg is the only one he made an icon; you can throw Eminem in there, although he was already bubbling and self-made on the battle scene in Detroit. 50 cent was similarly brought to him. There are a lot of instances in Dre's case where young apprentices didn't work out, from Lady of Rage, Hittman, to Bishop Lamont leading to an endless list of promised albums and collabs that never came to fruition.
The complete opposite goes for Gucci Mane, who is not credited to be as influential to Hip Hop as Dr.Dre but is just as intricate in the growth of the culture, particularly in the South. The Lemonade rapper has been the epicenter of the rap game for the last 20 years.
Gucci Mane - Bricks (Official Video
To understand how and why Gucci is so great at recognizing and cultivating talent, you have to understand his journey. Not wanting to be an artist initally, a natural hustler, Gucci wanted to be like Jermaine Dupri, orchestrating things from behind the scenes. Unlike many label owners of his generation, Gucci Mane did not have to sign an artist to push and support them, which is understated in this industry full of Puff Daddy’s and Bird Mans. If he liked and believed in an artist’s talent he would throw them on a track amplifying their careers. The Gucci Mane effect includes, but is not limited to Young Thug, Waka Flocka Flame, OJ Da JuiceMan, Future, Zaytoven, Mike WIl Made It, Lex Luger, Southside, Nicki Minaj, The Migos, and Pooh Sheisty.
Legend has it that Gucci Mane signed Young Thug to a Bag of Money before ever hearing him rap. Thug was brought to Gucci by the late Atlanta legend, Pee Wee Longway, who told Gucci to sign him on the spot. Only needing Pee Wee's blessing, he signed Thugger that night. Young Thug slept in the studio that night, starting his journey to be the biggest rapper in the game through Gucci’s push. In the same year, the New York Times Best-Selling Author signed The Migos, making collaborative projects with both that helped blow them up.
The first time Future caught my ear was on a Gucci Mane track called ‘Sometimes,’ on the original TRAP GOD mixtape. A certified banger. Gucci Mane was the first artist to make a collab tape with Future in 2011 titled FREE Bricks. He recognized the potential in the multitalented artist before he started penning records for the biggest pop stars in the game like Beyoncé.
Gucci Mane and Future
Having difficulty blowing up in New York, Nicki Minaj was steered to Atlanta and Gucci Mane’s 1017 label, providing her opportunities through Waka Flocka’s Manager/Mom. Gucci then connected Nicki with the Trapaholics, who would be the vehicle for her legendary Beam Me Up Scotty Mixtape. This project got her snagged up by Young Money and the rest is history.
Gucci Mane’s ear for beats is also severely underrated. Zaytoven is Gucci’s first in-house producer, crafting the sound of countless mixtapes and his first two albums, Trap House and Hard 2 Kill. Zaytoven’s awkward piano-heavy sound would be synonymous with Gucci Mane’s awkward slow flow that would become one of the most prolific MC/Producer combos alongside The Guru and Premier. Since then, Zaytoven has become one of the most sought-after producers in the game, producing for The Migos, Drake, and Future’s most classic tape to date, Beast Mode.
Gucci Mane also discovered teenaged Mike Will Made It before he became the biggest producer in the world, producing billboard hits for Miley Cyrus during her urban radio phase. Mike Will produced various tracks for Gucci Mane before blowing up commercially, including the legendary Trap Back series. Featured in that Trap Back series were also Lex Luger and Southside, young producers signed to 1017 that crafted the sound of trap music for the rest of the decade. You can hear Lex Luger on two of Rick Ross’ biggest records BMF and MC Hammer (featuring Gucci Mane). Southside went on to become one of the most popular producers in rap. Producing the majority of Future’s classic mixtape Monster before becoming an integral part of the drill sound.
Despite his upward trajectory in the trap music genre, Gucci Mane was sentenced to three years in prison for a gun charge putting a halt on his fast progression. This was a time of transformation for the Bricks rapper coming to back society clean, sober, and in shape with chiseled abs. Some people believe the glow-up was too unreal and dubbed him a ‘clone’.
After Gucci Mane was released, the rest of Hip Hop immediately blessed and embraced him with opportunities like the ones he had provided for so many before. The fruits of his labor paid off from the seeds he helped water as the hottest artist in the game immediately paid their blessings to the Trap God upon his return. Drake gifted him a track for his album,’ Back on Road,’ and also hopped on Gucci’s track ‘Both’. Migos pulled in Gucci to be a part of their classic album, Culture for the track ‘Slippery’. Young Thug paid hommage and hopped in the video ‘Guwop’s Home,’ and Mike Will put Gucci on his first Billboard #1 with his group Rae Sremmurd’s smash ‘Black Beatles’.
Gucci continues to exhibit the work ethic that made him undeniable in the mid-2000s. He dropped 6 albums in 6 years and established a new wave of young artists with his new 1017 imprint, including the currently incarcerated Pooh Sheisty.
Gucci Mane is a legend who has cemented his place and legacy on the Mount Rushmore of trap music. A Rushmore that features Jeezy, TI, Gucci, and Future, respectively. Unlike TI and Jeezy, you can see the influence Gucci Mane has on the current artists. I can hear Gucci Mane in Young Thug, Young Nudy, and 21 Savage, as he has outlasted his peers on the Trap Rushmore, eclipsing Young Jeezy and TI in musical longevity and relevance. As we celebrate 50 years of Hip Hop and its remarkable and vast story; we must realize that this story could not be told, without Gucci Mane.
BRRR!
Gucci Mane - There I Go (feat. J. Cole & Mike WiLL Made-It) [Official Music Video]
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