Just two months removed from his eleventh studio album Mr. Davis, Gucci Mane is back doing what he does so effortlessly: release full-length projects; this time in the form of El Gato: The Human Glacier.
Releasing an autobiography-turned-New York Times Bestseller, a collaborative mixtape with Metro Boomin atop two albums has culminated into La Flare being named HipHopDX’s “Hardest Working Artist of The Year” — for the second straight time.
Gucci has been working with fellow Atlanta native, Southside, since 2011’s The Return of Mr. Zone 6 and the pair close out the year with an eleven-track project that showcases Gucci returning to his signature trap sound without the assistance of famous collaborator’s to boost the songs’ visbility in the mainstream.
Southside (with various additions from the underappreciated maestro Jake One) laces Guwop with eleven menacing instrumentals, reminiscent of his work on Future’s 56 Nights. El Gato: The Human Glacier is for the streets, for it runs like a vintage Gucci Mane mixtape. Out the gate, they open up with “Rich Ass Junkie” where Mr. Zone 6 delivers distinct drug dealer memoirs over a chilling Southside instrumental. He raps “Cause I’m the one that’s serving/Am I the one to blame?/Crack cocaine, got my cousin losing weight/ Used to be a plug, now he just a chay/Snort his life away, a couple G’s a day.” The duo is at their sharpest on records like “Peepin Out The Blinds” and “Strep Throat” where Gucci’s street and braggadocio raps shine brightly.
There are stretches where Gucci reminisces on his difficulties leaving the streets even after his musical success. On “Smiling In The Drought” Gucci declares “I thought if I got 20 mill that I would go legit/Soon as I got that 20 mill I bought 1000 bricks.” Southside’s production is consistent throughout, with hard-hitting 808’s complimenting Gucci’s charismatic rhymes. El Gato is La Flare’s most compact works in years in regards to length, capping out at just over a half-hour. The outro “Southside and Guwop” serves as a strong conclusion to the project, as Gucci is at his most potent on the album lyrically delivering one final verse over a grimy, slow-paced Southside production. The song is under two minutes, but even in its brevity, the length does not diminish its impact.
Still, upon the sturdy album’s completion, you are left wanting a few more moments of introspection from Gucci. He showed flashes on a handful of verses but never really committed the way he has on previous albums, but this is to be expected for an album he’s stated was recorded in two days. Gucci also doesn’t give us his Grade-A street philosophizing on El Gato: The Human Glacier but he sounds more comfortable than he’s been at any point since his return from prison.
While the commercial success that he enjoyed on Mr. Davis (No. 2 on the Billboard 200) likely won’t be duplicated here, his dedication to cranking out music proves no heat can melt a Gucci Mane in his purest form: raw, unorthodox and uncensored.
This sound more like the old Gucci,fat in the trap Gucci! Better than Mr.Davis at first listen and Southside’s production shines considering he basically done the whole project without any throw away beats or fillers…I hadn’t noticed any features either
FACK OFF
Thats a 5
This shit is terrible! Gucci bag needs to give it up. The only reason gucci bag got a 3 something is because the rest of the rappers are just as bad. Please stop giving wack ass artists attention they don’t deserve. There are so many great hip-hop artists that receive very little praise.
why does it matter that your favorite artist needs a co-sign or validation from somewhere mainstream when their fan base obviously isn’t there? that makes no sense to me.
Wrong! You don’t know what good rap music is. You come from the rap years 2000-2018. 99 percent of these rappers are garbage. Gucci bag looks like a white ronald mcdonald by the way he dresses. He needs the radio because nobody would listen to him. You think he is good because gucci bag is so called hot. Hip-hop artists don’t get played any more because the corporations want the watered down trash to sell to the kids. The artists i listen to would kill gucci bag because they are good but gucci bag is just hot. My artists have lasted over 15 years because you must be good in hip-hop. Gucci bag couldn’t survive in hip hop because he needs the radio to make him hot but he is not good. DEATH TO THE RAP YEARS!
That’s right, Gucci needs to give it up, why on earth would he want to continue making a shit load of money, why would he want to continue rapping at the most successful point in his career? Do you think perhaps “Hip Hop on top” that your opinion might just be a little outdated. The fact that you’re clearly impressed with yourself by calling him “Gucci Bag” (hilarious by the way, keep running with that one) makes you sound like the one who’s out of touch here. “The artists I listen to…” blah blah blah, mate you sound like some kid pissing and moaning because your parents won’t let you stay up later than nine o’clock and its just not faaaiiiiiiirrr!! Please tell me you’re a Hopsin fan.
Any fool now a days can get paid because the music is terrible that’s the way the corporations want it to be. If you go to the museum it takes time to figure out a master piece and corporations aren’t concern with art. They want paint by numbers. It is easy to understand because it’s not a master piece. Gucci bag is paint by numbers. The radio loves this garbage because it’s all about the MONEY NOT THE ART. TRAP MUSIC WILL DIE JUST LIKE MUMBLE RAP BECAUSE IT’S NOT BASED ON ART IT’S A FAD. HIP-HOP MUSIC IS A MASTER PIECE. Gucci bag better save his money. The radio will stop playing trap music one day then 99 percent of listeners will disappear because he is just so called hot but no talent. The radio will come up with something new that is more hotter than trash music. DEATH TO THE YEARS 2000-2018! By the way, my bed time is 9:15 not 9:00. Your wrong once wrong buddy!
So you don’t rate Kendrick? Danny Brown? Wiki? Your Old Droog? Shabazz Palaces? Vince Staples? Action Bronson? Brockhampton? I can go on and on. Hip Hop is actually in a pretty healthy place these days if you look in the right places.
That’s right you must dig for good records. In the golden era, we always looked for something new or fresh. You couldn’t be a bitter in those days. It was about originality and who was the best. We use to battle on stage to prove who was the greatest. I know nothing stays the same. Today its just about the money. In the past, it was about the love of the music. You see the difference now. I like some of your music choices. I think their good not just hot. My era doesn’t care about the hottest because we know what that means hot but not good. We listened to hip hop before it was on the radio 24-7. Hip hop only came on late at night. Therefore only the best records would be played. Back in the day, the records were hot and good and we loved it. LONG LIVE HIP HOP AND DEATH TO THE RAP YEARS 2000-2018.
I’m sorry, but who the fuck made you the King of Hip Hop? How the fuck is your opinion worth more than anyone else’s????
Just because you don’t fuck with modern hip hop does not mean that it’s trash. There are some really good modern trap songs (even by artists nitentiomed above) if you would just listen to them. Also music is art and it’s subjective, it’s whatever you fuck with.
*not mentioned above
Yes, music is subjective that is true! Rap and hip-hop are not one in the same. Rap is the watered down version of hip hop. Rap is a bunch of fads including autotunes, mumble rap, trap music and others. Hip hop isn’t about fads. It is about skills. In hip hop u must have talent to survive. Pop rappers couldn’t live in hip hop because their not good. The corporations tell the the rap years 2000-2018 what is hot but not good. We must go after the corporations to stop this madness then lil wayne and the rest of them will die. You guys really don’t understand the principles of hip-hop thats why today’s fan will like anything the corporations feed them. DEATH TO THE YEARS AND CORPORATIONS.
Rap is the watered down version of hip hop, NOPE wrong, it is an element of HIPHOP like graf, djing, bboying
What are you smoking man? I Want some of that shit now. Garbage is not a part of hip hop. You lil kids don’t know anything and that’s the problem. Hip hop is about skills and for love of the music. Yes, it is about turn tables, djing, bboys and bombing trains and etc. It is not about fads like autotunes, trap music, mumble shit and rnb mixed with hip hop. You lil kids are control by the corporations. Lil kids don’t know good music even if it hit them in the face. Plus, the corporations are turning you fans into homosexuals. The corporations make you guys wear gay men’s clothing. How sick is that? I thought gays were born that way. I guess i’m wrong because this generation is turning from hetersexuals to gays. Lil wayne started this gay shit by tongue kissing a man and you still support him. The golden era would never allow the radio the the corporations to turn us into a bunch of gays because we had our own styles. You lil kids do not have any skills, style and now your gay because you follow so call hot rappers. DEATH TO THE RAP YEARS AND THE CORPORATIONS FOR MAKING MILLENIALS INTO GAY FANS. By the way, i do not hate gays they are people too.
“everyone should listen to what I like to listen to, because my taste in music is good”. You are wrong, people are entitled to listen to whatever they want to and not feel shamed. You should state some of these rappers for example, instead of vaguely say without any proof. “Death to the rap years” are you kidding? There are more rappers in the chart now days, its one of the most popular types of music. You should ask Santa for one less chromosome instead of hating.
There is more rap on the charts nowadays but not hip hop music. I guess you can’t tell because your from the rap years. Most music on the charts is terrible rap. The charts mean nothing any damn fool can be on the charts today. Its not about talent any more. The hottest rappers are corporation slaves. The best music is hip-hop not rap. Once the radio stops playing lil wayne, gucci bag, soldier boy and others they will die. They have no talent but are so called hot by the radio. The radio will find something hotter and will drop these clowns for new clowns. 99 percent of the rap fans will move on to the next so called hot rapper. Rappers can’t survive without the radio because their a fad. Hip hop is not a fad therefore it doesn’t need the radio.
I would feel ashamed if i thought my taste in music was good but in reality it’s not. You lil kids do not know about good hip hop music. You don’t listen to the golden era to find out what is good because the corporations don’t want you to learn about skilled mcs. Lil kids just follow the radio around like homos in love waiting for the next so called hot rapper. Lil kids today’s dress up like homosexuals because this hot. Yo, wake the fuck up! Plus, you listen to gay rappers. Why not go watch some gay porn. Frankly, what is the difference between gay actors and gay rappers their both taking it up the ass. You can listen to anything you want but don’t ever think homo rappers are better than hip-hop gods. DEATH TO THE RAP YEARS AND THE CORPORATIONS THAT MAKE GAY RAPPERS FOR LIL KIDS.
personal taste cant be bad… c’mon bro. That’s what opinions are
gucci the most consistent trap artist doing it plus he on the radio. been a fan since 03
Gucci has a better album than Eminem. What a time to be alive.
I hate M’s albums over the years but gucci bag is even worst. M can at least rap. Gucci bag can barely talk. Your comparing gucci bag to one of M’s worst albums that means gucci bag is terrible himself. Compare gucci bag to someone who has a good album out then make a judgement.
*even worse.
Gucci saved Rap he is the trap god! Rap was dying all that was left was radio rap. They wouldn’t play his songs or his videos because they didn’t like the violence that he was associated with. He did it against the odds trap is the sound of rap now yeah it’s evolving but that original sound came from the streets just like all real hip-hop does. 90’s are over buddy you have no idea about the culture and what you are talking about. Rap had surpassed the other genres in sales you can thank Gucci Mane for that.
I probably replied to the wrong person bit you get what I’m saying
????
This shit is so fucking hard… The Wopsters best album so far ???
U man need to go off and fuck a helpless donkey in the highlands if u don’t rate this.
Guwop brought it with this and u would be chatting shit to say otherwise.