Time is ticking closer to Gucci Mane September 20th release date from federal prison. Rappers who have served significant time from Boosie Badazz to Lil Wayne dropped a few mixtapes or projects for relevancy, but no one has matched The Honorable Roderick Davis’ damn near seamless behind-bars output. Being locked up since 2013, it’s been extremely difficult to count the exact amount of projects released, though archives indicate somewhere around the mid-twenties.
One thing is for sure, it’s been said that someone could spend somewhere in the ballpark of $750 on releases from Gucci during his jail time era. Hell, that music alone allegedly pocketed Gucci over a million dollars in 2014 alone. 2015 wasn’t any different with the March 17th digital drops of Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner alongside other releases. Over a year later, Team Gucci compiled all three projects together for the 33-track Trap God epicMeal Ticket. Those who previously purchased all three know exactly what to expect.
Everyone else will find an album featuring some of the best and worst of Gucci’s prison material. When all three meal-titled mixtapes dropped last year, it was extremely difficult to conceptually differentiate between them, with no skits or anything thematically linking the trio. Maybe once Guwap is freed, he’ll be able to give better context to Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
The gems to turd ratio on Meal Ticket pans out, though not by much. It’s not surprising why tracks including “Tone” and “Money Do” have collectively acquired over a million streams on Spotify. The marble mouth delivery and hood wit still manages to be charming. The singing of “Run” and “Make Yo Money” are flat-out cringeworthy as Gucci has never been seen as the melodic type. Meanwhile, throwaway Zaytoven production on “Choose Us” and “Russian” can’t be elevated by Sir Davis’ charisma. Of course, the absence of the cutting room floor treatment is par for the course for the bloated project.
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Albeit things get flat-out atrocious on the Chief Keef and Andy Milonakis assisted “Right Now,” he keeps this mostly an Atlanta affair outside of the few Fredro Santana appearances on “Play With Your Children” and “Angry.” Guest spots from everyone like Waka Flocka Flame to Trinidad James and Sy Ari Da Kid to Quavo prove why he’s the evolved into the heart of his city’s contemporary rap scene. At this point, it’s an interesting game of “six degrees of Hotlanta” with features on Gucci projects with ATL artist. Even the two iLovemakonnen appearances on “Take It Easy” and “Cash Cash,” it becomes a no-brainer in witnessing exactly where the “Tuesday” artist got his inspiration from. Even “Gucci and Trinidad” utilizes the appropriately catchy “Them fuck niggas just watch” chants of the “All Gold Everything” rapper.
Maybe once Guwop is freed, he’ll be able to give better context to Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Like other mixtapes in line with Gucci’s incarcerated chronicles, the choices are endless. Don’t be surprised if someone curates a “best-of” prison Gucci mixtape eventually.
