Eat My Shorts: Gucci Mane
Posted by bigced on October 3, 2007
http://www.hhnlive.com/features/more/349
From a highly publicized beef with fellow Atlanta native Young Jeezy, to being charged with murder and finally getting the charges dropped, it’s safe to say that Gucci Mane has gone through his fair share of controversy in his personal life and in his career. However, it seems like all of the trouble in his life has just made his hustle that much stronger. Finally parting ways with independent label Big Cat Records and signing with Atlantic Records earlier this year, Gucci Mane has definitely made some noise in the streets and on the radio.
With his hit single “Freaky Gurl” gaining considerable airplay on MTV and the radio in the last few weeks, Gucci Mane is finally back in the commercial spotlight and will release his Atlantic debut, Back 2 the Traphouse, on November 13. That’s not to say that Gucci hasn’t been feeding the streets what they want though. Since February, he has released the first two installments of the popular Ice Attack mixtape series and also has a mixtape with DJ Drama in the works.
HHNLive.com’s Aaron Frank sits down with the always controversial Gucci Mane to discuss past beefs, his murder trial, So Icey Entertainment, his Bart Simpson chain and more.
Gucci Mane on Young Jeezy stealing his ad-libs: “Man a lot of people bite my adlibs. It’s not just Jeezy…”
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AF: So you got one of the hottest records in the country right now with this Freaky Gurl. How does it feel to be out there on the radio getting that type of exposure again?
GM: It feels good man. It feels real good to just be back out there grinding again, going to all the radio stations and doing interviews, and going to the clubs and getting my face out there. It definitely feels great though to be getting on the radio again with “Freaky Gurl” and everything. It’s the first single and it’s making the rounds on BET and MTV and everything, so people need to start requesting it.
AF: So how did you get Ludacris on the remix?
GM: Man shout out to Luda man. DTP and them just listened man and Luda liked the song, so he laced me up.
AF: So what happened with you and Big Cat?
GM: We just parted ways man. They were just slimy in their ways and I just had to leave them alone man.
AF: Fair enough. So when your previous label situation didn’t work out, did you just decide to grind it out until you finally got your deal with Atlantic?
GM: That’s exactly what I did. I came out with about 4 or 5 mixtapes and just let everybody know how good my rep was. And then after that it wasn’t even a question. I knew something was gonna open up for me.
AF: And Zaythoven produced and helped you put most of those mixtapes together right?
GM: Yeah, he’s my producer and he helped me put most of the tapes together. He’s down with So Icey Entertainment.
AF: When is the new album dropping and how long have you been working on this one?
GM: Well I worked on it for about three months, but all of the time was just me getting the beats together. It only took me like four days to actually record all the lyrics and it’s tight. It’s coming out November 13th.
AF: What can we expect from Gucci Mane this time around? Are you treating this album any differently than your previous releases?
GM: I definitely stepped my lyrics and my production up on this one. I got some big features on there. I got Rich Boy on a song. I got Ludacris and Shawnna. I just put all I could into this album. I put everything I got into it and just tried as hard as I could.
AF: Man I like the tracks you’ve done with Shawty Redd. Is he going to be doing any production on there?
GM: Yeah we got another one we did together on the album called “Stash House.” It’s like “Trap House,” but we called it “Stash House” this time. So I got Shawty Redd on there. I had to have him on there. I got Frank Nitti on there too. I also got Reefa and Fat Boy on there.
AF: So your street songs on the mixtapes are crazy. There’s some pretty hardcore stuff on there. Because the album is on a major label, did you treat this any different than something like the Ice Attack series?
GM: Well that’s why we called this one Back 2 The Traphouse, because everybody was rocking to my album like it was the mixtape stuff. I wanted to keep that going, but I also wanted to put more into the development of the songs. My mixtapes are more just like a side project you know. I put a lot more into this.
AF: Do you think your music might be a little too real for some people?
GM: It definitely can be too real. If you want something watered down, this is not the album to go get. If you wanna really hear somebody going hard and an artist that just in his prime and doing his thing, this is what you need to cop.
AF: Going through the experience of actually being charged with murder, what was it like for you when they finally dropped the charges?
GM: I felt good man, because I already knew it was gonna happen. Because I knew what had actually happened and I prayed on it. I just kept my faith and knew that I would be ok. My people kept their faith in me and God just worked it out.
AF: What would you say the biggest difference is between you and these other cats out in Atlanta like T.I. or Jeezy?
GM: The difference between me and any artist is that I’m a great songwriter and at the same time, I’m able to treat the rap game like it’s a business. I treat it like a business and a sport, and I really put my heart in to it. That’s what sets me apart the most.
AF: So what was up with that T.I. diss? Are you all cool now?
GM: Yeah it was just a rebuttal to a song on his album that I thought was directed towards me. Turns out it wasn’t about me, and I apologized to the whole squad and to all my fans and his fans, because it was just a misunderstanding.
AF: As far as Young Jeezy and USDA are concerned, what are your feelings towards them right now?
GM: Man I really don’t have any negative feeling towards anybody right now. I’m feeling so good and I’m just making so many great songs that it doesn’t even bother me. They can get in the studio and do their thing, but everytime I go in the studio and make a hit, I know it’s gonna generate a lot of interest. So I’m just over here trying to start this record label, and come out with this album, and do some more shows.
AF: I feel you on that, but I know you all used to be around each other a lot and it seems like he kinda bit your adlibs and made them famous. What do you have to say to that?
GM: Man a lot of people bite my adlibs. It’s not just Jeezy, but I think it’s flattering, you know what I’m saying? I guess when I came in the rap game and made that, I made it for all of hip-hop to use, so I can’t really be mad about it. But I got my new album and my new mixtape coming out. Both of em are crazy.
AF: You got a new mixtape coming out too?
GM: Yeah man, we went in and just did a bunch of crazy freestyles. I got about 31 songs on there and used about $30,000 worth of studio time just to do a bunch of freestyles. That’s gonna be with Zaythoven and Bigga Rankin.
AF: So how do you come up with stuff like “Bird Flu” and “My Kitchen”? Are these realistic interpretations of your life or at least what it used to be like?
GM: Just being from the hood man. I’ve seen it all and been through it all, so it’s just like me being a fan from the hood, I can speak to the fans like I’m one of them, because I am. I listen to a lot of different rappers, but I listen to my own music a lot too. Because when a fan hears it, they might hear one thing, but when I listen to my own music I can feel how I felt the day I made that song just from hearing how my voice sounds. That’s how real I am. If I sound angry, that’s because I was really angry that day. Everything’s just reflection of what I’m going through and I like that.
AF: So now you’re trying to put some artists on yourself with this new label. Can you tell us a little bit about So Icey Ent?
GM: So Icey Ent is my label man. We doing it real big over here. I’m signed to the label, but I’m also the CEO. I’m not really talking about it yet, because everything isn’t final, but the first project is my album. We’re gonna push that first and then we’re gonna start working on the next project.
AF: Oh, so you’ve got some artists you’re ready to put out, but you’re waiting on your album to drop first?
GM: Yeah we got the So Icey Boyz. It’s about four or five artists and they’re just in the development stage right now until they get their swing right.
AF: Last but not least, what’s up with the Bart Simpson chain?
GM: I wanted to have a chain that was gonna shock the world and was gonna draw a lot of attention to me. So I thought about it while I was in jail. I was thinking about the colors and I wanted to have something crazy like the Big Cat chain, so I just went with Bart Simpson. I got a new one now though with a heart and an arrow going through it.
AF: Man that’s crazy. You’re definitely one of the more creative dudes coming out of the A these days.
GM: Thanks man. I got to, because ever since I was a shawty, I wanted to be respected in the rap game and I wanted to get fans. And now that I got my fans, even if I can’t get no more, then I’m still gonna keep doing it for them.
