By Sean McDonald
Sports Editor
Fresh out of prison, Gucci mane is looking to rebuild his reputation as an elite rapper in the ever growing world of hip hop with his release of his second album since his exit from prison, Woptober.
It seems like Gucci’s prison stint was nothing short of necessary, as his music since then has been notably improved. The story is no different on “Woptober” as Gucci hits it home with diverse beats that seem to feed off of current trends while still remaining authentic to Gucci’s own style. It’s an album of concentration, lasting for only 43 minutes.
Born in Alabama but claiming Atlanta for his rap origin, Gucci has been chipping away at the rap game for a while now. He released his first album in 2005 but has seemingly flown under the radar until the last couple of years.
Gucci produces music through his own record label, 1017 Records. Over his career, he has had some under the radar albums reach the top 20 of the Billboard Hip-Hop/R&B chart but he didn’t find the stardom and big success until about 2010 with the release of “The Appeal: Georgia’s Most Wanted.”
For the average listener, it is easy to see how someone could get a little bit bored by listening to the first few songs of the album. The tracks on Woptober succeed with the lyrics, beats and the blend that they create. The biggest shortcoming noticeable is the big drop the listener waits for but never gets. He teases at the possibility in “Bling Blaww Burr,” but it lacks the high frequency of fat drops and bass usage that is becoming the norm in Hip-Hop today.
Gucci ultimately builds a strong album off of his ability to stray from what is “common”. In today’s world of Hip-Hop, people have become trained to expect certain things in songs that when they don’t hear them in a new song, you don’t like them. Gucci kept this idea in mind and provided the listeners with enough of what keeps them listening while still incorporating his own originality.
“Icy Lil Bitch” is a song that really pops out and catches the attention of the listener. Its drop is comparable to that of “Bling Blaww Burr,” but the rest of the song is much more capable of maintaining someone’s interest. It almost sounds like he is physically speaking louder, which was one of the more glaring problems of the album.
Furthermore, Gucci provides a deep background into his personal life by making an emotional connection with the listener. “Addiction” provides great commentary on the life of an addict and realizing that he had a problem that needed to be addressed. It is a great way to end the album, and it is hammered home with lines like “I can’t blame nobody but myself.”
The album is available for Apple Music users and is available on Spotify as well.
Read about Gucci Mane’s release from prison here
It is definitely worth listening to as it provides insight into what Gucci’s future style and releases will be like. The album seems to carry a motif of past decisions that Gucci has regretted, and he lays it all out on the track in “Woptober”.
Check out Gucci Mane’s YouTube channel to view his latest content
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