By now, the phrase “Free Gucci” has lost any semblance of relevancy. With prison stint after prison stint, probably not even Guwop himself can count how many times he has had cuffs slapped on his wrist. But despite being locked up, Gucci is determined not to let his name be milkboxed into obscurity. Most rappers that go to jail wait until their release date to bless fans with an extraordinary level of creativity cultivated from months of staring at walls, doing push-ups, and writing rhymes 24/7. Although he stated that prison “kills your spirit,” a fresh outta jail, California-dreamin’ Tupac reportedly came out the gates and recorded the multi-platinum classic All Eyez On Me in just two weeks, as the legend goes. But being locked away constantly, Gucci’s situation is a little different. He appears to be comfortable behind bars, which is why he has released a plethora of free music during his latest bid, like The Oddfather and Trap House 4. “Free Gucci” is now reformulated to denote Guwop’s insistence on releasing free bars via mixtapes while simultaneously behind bars.

For the majority of the tape, I Am Trap is vintage Gucci Mane. When his heart is in it, he has always had a knack for crafting top-notch Trap music, like “White Diamonds.” Featuring a few outdated references, the track may have been recorded years prior, but nonetheless it drips of the sort of commanding exertion that has led to the most remarkable moments of his career, like “My Kitchen” and appropriately, “Diamonds.” Similarly, “My Bitches Get Money” featuring Young Thug, is the stuff Trap dreams are made of. Gucci is known for laying down hilarious bars with a straight-faced disposition, subsequently augmenting the hilarity, like, “I got a 10 o’clock appointment at the office trick / Aye pour a half a pint of lean in that coffee bitch.”

People that have heard the majority of Gucci’s rhymes over the past decade are mostly in agreement that he has skills on the mic, but ever since OutKast got booed at The Source Awards, Southern emcees for the most part are criticized unfairly. Gucci will never string words together like a Ghostface or Talib, but to paraphrase Lil Wayne, the rapper racists and region haters are lying if they claim to have never uttered the phrase “Girls are like busses / Miss one next 15 one coming.” The biggest testament to Gucci’s skills is the fact that despite of his oddball behavior in recent times, esteemed rappers are never hesitant to work with him. Gucci and Lil Durk are a perfect match for the beast mode aura of the “War Wit Us” remix. More notable however is the official “Me OK” remix with Jeezy. Now with Freddie Gibbs to worry about, Jeezy and Gucci have squashed their longtime beef, and their chemistry together on the remix is a tad bittersweet. The track is flames as you would expect, but is a shame when one thinks of the “So Icey” moments these two could have created over the last decade if not for their beef.

Given the situation, a couple of tracks inevitably sound rushed. Tracks like “Boss Shit,” “Roll One” and “Out The Bowl” fail to register in comparison to bangers like “Ridin’ Foreign.” At times, it seems that Gucci lets his guests occupy too much time to fill up the gaps. The result is disastrous in some cases, such as “Bossed Up” where an absent Guwop lets Keyshia Ka’oir and Young Thug punch in some of their most shabby performances. But the best moments on I Am Trap would sound like welcome additions to his most critically acclaimed tapes, like Trap Back, Writing’s On The Wall, or The Cold War mixtape trilogy. With a guest spot from Wale on one of the tape’s standout tracks, “Used To It,” Gucci states in the chorus “Imma keep doin’ what I’ve been doing.” Looks like Guwop will be releasing much more “free Gucci” in the foreseeable future.