I have always been a Gucci Mane fan. Something about his lazy southern drawl had me captivated the moment I heard him. At one point, Gucci was the only thing that I was listening to. After reading Gucci Mane’s book, The Autobiography of Gucci Mane, I really believe that Gucci deserves far more credit than what he is given.
Gucci’s battle with addiction
Gucci Mane was infamous for his toxic relationship with drugs, and particularly codeine. His relationship with substances led to some great music but it also led to his erratic behavior. In his book, he chronicles how weed, lean, and ecstasy caused Gucci to spaz on people, particularly the police, and how it was ultimately affecting his health. Gucci also describes how he was constantly in and out of rehab as a way to avoid jail time, which we know happened anyway.
It is truly commendable how Gucci was able to shake a strong habit. At the height of the lean craze, we saw many people, rappers specifically, dying as a result of overconsumption. As described in his book, Gucci could have been another name added to that list. Thankfully he got his act together, which also resulted in the ultimate physical transformation.
From Brr to Bae
When we were listening to “Photoshoot” and “Freaky Girl”, we were never visualizing Gucci Mane as a sex symbol. He was just the trap rapper we all loved. But following his last trip to prison, Gucci came back a new man. In his book, he shares how working out helped him battle his addiction. Gucci Mane was so unrecognizable upon his return home that people were speculating if he was a clone. As long as Gucci was in the public eye, he was never seen as attractive, but now you may reconsider.
Crazy Work Ethic
You can’t say that Gucci does not put in work. Gucci is well known for putting in the work. Gucci was constantly releasing music, even dropping trilogy mixtapes in one day. Considering that many of his great tapes were pre-social media, Gucci made a name for himself by constantly releasing music. Often times, we would forget that Gucci was even locked up because we were still getting new tapes every few months. That work ethic is unmatched in the current music landscape.
Atlanta Legend
There is no doubt about it that Gucci Mane is Atlanta to his core. He makes sure that we never forget. However, I don’t think we are all aware of how Gucci Mane has touched the careers of almost every major artist to come out of Atlanta. In his book, Gucci explains that he worked with many of the Atlanta artist in the beginning of their careers from Young Thug, Migos, Young Dolph, 2 Chainz, and many more. These artists now shape Atlanta sound and acknowledge Gucci’s role in their success.
I love Gucci Mane, and I think I love him even more because we are able to see his authentic growth as an artist and as a man. He seems to be in a really good place and that is great to see as a fan.
I suggest to any Guwop fan to read his book, The Autobiography of Gucci Mane. I listened to his book thanks to the Libby app and still kind of upset that he wasn’t reading his own book for audio.
