Deen is wonderful.
So you got my attention Gucci Mane La Flare, Esq, but whatchu gon do with it? I hate to admit it, but your ominous trolling was entertaining enough to ensure that I’d be listening to your shit the minute it dropped. Well, more like the minute I was done with the Kendrick Lamar tape, dinner and a phone call, but you get the point.
Before I get into this for real, let’s examine how Gucci and I came to be. Pause. I became a casual Gucci Mane listener (tolerant not a fan) in the same way I’ve listened to tons of rappers, especially Southern, in recent years. For me, there’s a dual path cycle when it comes to these folks. Let me try to articulate this shit a bit.
My most predictable reaction to hearing the new “bamma rapper de jour” for the first time is usually something between pure disgust to sniggering nonchalance. My first exposure to Jeezy back in 2004-5 is an example of the former, while indifference characterizes my reaction to a rapper like… let’s say Rocko. Occasionally, I’m just confused: see 2Chainz or Plies. However, I’m very generous with my ears, so I’ll listen to these guys several times until I place them in one of two categories: LASTING or TOLERATING (I just made these up).
In other words, I’ll either become a bit of a fan at some point in the future, or I’ll learn to tolerate and occasionally enjoy a song here or there. Very rarely do I just outright dismiss/ignore a rapper, but only because that shit is almost impossible to pull off in 2012. Yes, I’m talking to you, Wale. I know you aren’t a bamma rapper, but you definitely picked up the traits, didn’t ya?
Folks like Jeezy, Waka, T.I. and even though I’ve never purchased any of his shit, Lil Wayne, are firmly entrenched in my LASTING category. I would consider myself an active fan of their music. I happily recommend their stuff and I enjoy most of it with nary a hint of irony.
On the other hand, folks like Gucci Mane, Plies or Rick Rawse fall in to the TOLERATING category. They can make the dopest shit ever or write a song that speaks to me and just me and I’ll still never even consider opening my wallet. I’ll download, I’ll listen, I’ll discuss. I won’t buy. If they make enough shit I fuck with, they might even jump into the LASTING category. I fear that 2Chainz is rapidly approaching this level.
A while ago, Gucci Mane almost made this jump from tolerating to lasting. I recall the precise moment too: the minute I heard “Lemonade.” That song was and remains amazing. It’s like the bamma version of Jigga’s “Hard Knock Life.” Annie plus Twerk, if you will. As a matter of fact, I recall thoroughly enjoying the retail album “Lemonade” is on, The State v Radric Davis, despite Gucci’s mostly unintelligible mush-mouthery throughout the thing.
So yeah, I started listening to Gucci Mane tapes. By listening, I mean that I would listen to the tape once, cherry-pick the best 4 or 5 (if that) tracks, and toss the rest. So I suppose he never quite reached the promised land. It also didn’t help that he kept doing weird shit and ending up in jail.
However, the buzz Gucci generated for this ‘Trap God’ tape was so intense that I was actually looking forward to listening to this. Despite the fact that he made an entire tape with V-Nasty recently. I should also note that I gave I’m Up (decent) and Trap Back (even better) thorough listens when they dropped earlier this year – just outta courtesy and curiosity. But I was EXCITED for ‘Trap God’.
Well, I’m disappointed to inform you that Gucci disappointed me. Trap God isn’t bad per se, it’s just unmemorable. Trap Back is far superior. I can’t exactly pinpoint what makes one Gucci tape better than another Gucci tape, given that I’m only paying attention half the time, but this shit is just meh. I can’t believe he went through all that trouble and talked all that shit just for this. I’d discuss this in more detail, but I think I’ve written enough. I’m just hurt. I was BURR-ing all over the internet like some idiot and I can’t even find a song to add to my clubbing playlist.
Thankfully, I’ll always have “LAAAEMON” and “Stupid Wild” and “Heavy.” I’m clearly not a real nigga since I prefer retail album Gucci to mixtape La Flare. I’ll quit right here before I accidentally become embroiled in some drama. As brash as I am, even I know that it isn’t wise to slander the alleged Trap God too explicitly. I’ll say this though: maybe we should grant the Trap God title back to its rightful owner. Yeah, you know who…
Download:
ZIP: Gucci Mane – Trap God (Left-Click)
