Album Review: Gucci Mane – The State vs. Radric Davis

Radric Davis is behind bars today while arguably the most important release of his career hits the streets.

The Alabama born, Atlanta raised, rapper who was deemed “sixth hottest emcee in the game” by MTV, violated his parole on November 12, 2009 and is expected to spend up to a year in jail.

Prison is not an unfamiliar place for the artist, who was also locked up at the beginning of this year.  These frequent incarcerations are undoubtedly the inspiration behind the artwork of his sophomore release, which shows Gucci in handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit.

The album, The State vs. Radric Davis, dropped today, and with the success of lead singles “Wasted” and “Spotlight,” I’m sure everyone in Gucci’s camp is expecting big first week numbers.

Aside from his mainstream buzz, Gucci had the mixtape game on lock this year with a number of impressive releases culminating with The Cold War Series that consisted of BrrRussia, Great Brrritain, and GucciMerica.

The album starts off with Drumma Boy cooking up a motivational opera style intro in “Classical.”

The opera singers shouting “Gucci!” on the “Classical” intro is a hilarious way to start off the album.

Gucci exercises his quick flow on this track, spitting lines about his legal problems and current position in hip hop.  He goes on to explain that where he’s from, people “don’t bump The Blueprint 3.”  This isn’t the first time Gucci belittles the world’s obsession with Jay-z either, as he stated that Hov is not the greatest rapper alive on a Burrprint 3 skit.

The track is a great way to start off Gucci’s album, and is sure to satisfy his fans, both old and new.

Gucci Mane – “Heavy.”

“Heavy” is a Gucci Mane mixtape track on steroids.

Gucci spits lines about drug trafficking, his heavy chain, and guns, over the quick paced, bass-heavy Shawty Redd track.  In the second verse, Gucci spits:

“I keep Miami heat,
Got more straps than a gun show,
Run up on the kid, I’ll have you mourning like Alonzo…
Yea I got amigos,
But they don’t bring me tacos,
Only bring me kilos,
But keep that on the d-lo,
I’m gettin my top fade,
At Bouldercrest and Flatshore,
Wish a nigga would run up on me like I’m Brisco.”

That line about Brisco was borrowed from “Dope Boys” off the Burrprint 3 mixtape, and refers back to when the Opa Locka rapper got robbed while getting his hair cut.

Gucci Mane – “Lemonade.”

The video for “Lemonade” premiered today on BET, coinciding with the release of The State vs. Radric Davis, and looks like it’ll be one of Gucci’s biggest hits to date.  Watching him buy lemonade off the little girls in the video is my favorite part, ha!

Gucci Mane’s fans have come to expect over-the-top tracks like this, that feature Gucci going in on yellow accessories:

“Cocaine white exterior,
Interior lemonette,
Yellow with the off-white trim,
And I call that the supper drank,
Yellow diamond pinky ring,
Call that there the lemon rock,
Jewelry box a lemon bag,
My ear ring size an apricot,
Yea I smoke that strong a lot,
Yea I need some what ya got?
Half a pound of lemon kush,
Call that pack the lemon drop,
Canary yellow lemon watch,
Big Bird yellow drop,
Yellow polo,polo strippers,
White and yellow polo socks.”

Gucci Mane is a hilarious trend-setter.

Big shout out to Muffy who made the hook, but wasn’t present in the video.

Gucci Mane – “Bad Bad Bad” (Featuring Keyshia Cole).

“Bad Bad Bad” is one of my favorite tracks on the album, although neither Gucci nor Keyshia say anything exceptionally quotable.

Gucci always seems to make great tracks when he talks about trying to find a significant other.

A track that shows more of Gucci’s lyrical side, and offers plenty of quotable lines, is the reflective “Worst Enemy.”

Gucci gives us a rare glimpse into his serious side while speaking about his Young Jeezy beef, and commenting on his relationship with both Tiny and T.I.

He speaks to Young Jeezy with:

“That day they tried to murder me,
That day I can’t forget about,
And I don’t wish no death on homie,
Just want him to hear me out,
Think about the past and all the many things we talked about,
Think of all the people influenced by what comes out our mouths.”

After releasing the track, Gucci stated that this verse is not solely directed at Young Jeezy, who he doesn’t believe will hear the meaning anyway.  Instead, he used those lines to show his fans how he’s grown and that he now understands the power behind his words.

On a DJ Drama radio spot last week, Gucci and Young Jeezy publicly squashed their beef, which had been going on for 4 years.  This movement is great for hip hop, and I hope we see a collaboration between these two when Gucci finally gets out of jail!

Gucci Mane – “Wasted Remix” (Featuring Lil Wayne, Birdman, Jadakiss)

This is a great remix to Gucci’s most successful single to date, and it was especially cool to hear Jadakiss bring his uptown flow to the southern beat, spitting:

“Rockstar lifestyle might not make it,
Wasted,
Just performed “we gonna make it,”
Bitches gettin naked off the stones and the bracelet,
Said you got coke, I brought a fiend along to taste it,
Money come fast now, we aint gotta chase it,
Kush got a nigga feeling like he in The Matrix,
Hennesy, Patron, Grey Goose, Aces,
Alcohol, tobacco, fire arm cases.”

There are plenty of other interesting guest spots on the album which include artists such as Cam’ron, Bun B, Rick Ross, E-40, Nicki Minaj, Waka Flocka Flame, and Soulja Boy.

Given Gucci’s changing fan base, his major label backing, the recent trip to jail, and the ever-changing nature of the music industry, it’ll be interesting to see how many units The State vs. Radric Davis can sell in its first week.