Gucci Makes Moves With His New Autobiography
“If you keep looking back, you gon’ trip moving forward.” — Guwap
From humble beginnings in the small, rural town of Bessemer, Alabama, Gucci Mane, whose name is synonymous with the invention of Atlanta Trap Music (a name inherited from his father, the original Gucci Mane), has skyrocketed into a superstar. In his new self-titled autobiography, we learn how Gucci, born Radric Davis, used his hustler mentality to become the kingpin of the rap world and how he has almost lost it all on several occasions due to a nagging addiction to drugs and the thrill of the streets.
Gucci’s autobiography was written with the help of former XXL editor and author Neil Martinez-Belkin, who captures Gucci’s raw, unfiltered voice both tastefully and with finesse. Martinez-Belkin and Gucci take us on a journey from his Alabama beginnings to Atlanta, where Gucci not only uses his dad’s nickname, but also his cunning ability to flip a dollar — as well as the phrase, “If you keep looking back, you gon’ trip moving forward.” The authors eloquently use this phrase as a metaphorical guide through Gucci’s life, from the ups of penthouse Vegas suites full of strippers and money, to the downs of Gucci’s battle with lean addiction and prison.
“If you keep looking back, you gon’ trip moving forward.” — Gucci Mane
In this story, we also see the most important part of Gucci’s evolution — his music. Martinez-Belkin seamlessly sews the evolution of Gucci’s work from elementary school poetry and basement mix tapes, to studio albums like Trap House with Zaytoven, to BET performances and platinum records with anecdotal excerpts of the stories behind these songs. Gucci even shares a few stories of fellow rappers like Migos, who threw their fake chains in the Brick Factory trash after being signed to Bricksquad. Martinez-Belkin does a phenomenal job of putting the reader right in the room with Gucci as he fine tunes his craft and shares it with the world.
You’ll find an underlying hero in this read, too, in the form of his then girlfriend, now wife, Keyshia Kai’or. Mrs. Wop makes her grand entry about halfway into the book and is a constant support system for Gucci. Martinez-Belkin does a phenomenal job capturing how important she is in Gucci’s life, which Gucci echoes with songs like “Better Baby,” a heartfelt confession about wanting to treat her better than he has in the past. She stayed by his side through all the partying, women, and through his stints in county jail and the feds.
Martinez-Belkin Does a phenomenal job of putting the reader right in the room with Gucci as he fine tunes his craft and shares it with the world.
All in all, this book is definitely worth a read. In just 304 pages, this autobiography sucks you in with a compelling story and nostalgic picture of a young Radrick. Better yet, you’ll find comfort in looking at Gucci’s life today and knowing that this story has a happy ending. You could say he never looked back.
You can stream Gucci Mane’s album Mr. Davis below:
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