After being released from prison last year, Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane has been back with a vengeance. He has ditched the grilles, and traded in his doughy appearance for a set of six pack abs and is over four years sober.

Mr. Davis is Gucci’s third studio album since his run in with the federal police in 2012.  It’s the latest installment of the many projects he’s released since getting out of jail in order to regain his once-large fan base.

The album starts off as expected, heavy hitting trap beats paired with Gucci’s expertly crafted flow he is known so well for. The second track, “Back On”, is Gucci showing us the style he has created and perfected. Gucci reflects on his time spent selling drugs on Atlanta street corners, realizing now that he is past that phase in his life, all while a heavy hitting Zaytoven beat keeps your head nodding.

The next two songs, “I Get the Bag” and “Stunting Ain’t Nothin” feature up-and-coming Atlanta rappers. The rap trio Migos bring their unique and often copied triplet flow to “I Get the Bag” while Slim Jxmmi and Young Dolph boast alongside Gucci on “Stunting Ain’t Nothing”. These songs serve as a passing-the-crown moment. Gucci is highlighting the next generation of rappers who are on the rise through the trap music Gucci helped create.

After a few more trap-styled bangers, the album takes a soulful turn. On the eighth song, “Money Make Ya Handsome”, we get to hear Gucci do something he has rarely done before: sing. Gucci’s soulful and autotuned voice serenades us with the benefits of how “money make ya handsome even if you’re ugly”. Later on in the song, Gucci warns us of the attention he receives from females because of his “bails”.

On the ninth song, “changed”, featured artist Big Sean draws us in with a mesmerising hook. At the conclusion of the hook, Gucci delivers bars about his transformation, rapping, “old Gucci Mane was addicted to drankin’, new Gucci Mane I’m addicted to Franklin’s. No we not the same, I’m evolving. I’ma elevate long as the world keeps revolving.” The exciting part of this lyric is that Gucci claims that he is not even in his final form yet. This stage is just one of the many we will get to experience, enjoy and learn from until Gucci has reached his final form.

The essence of R&B is showcased on the tenth song, “We Ride”. Gucci’s prophetic voice and Monica’s mesmerizing tone inspire us to succeed in do-or-die situations. Gucci is talking to his past self, reflecting on the street grind. “We Ride even when it don’t go right”, is the message in this song that underlays the whole album.

Gucci has been made hard by the streets, so it’s only ethical that he picks up the pace towards the conclusion of the album with the eleventh track, “Lil Story”. After exchanging flows with fellow ex-trapper Schoolboy Q, the message is clear Gucci is on rise, and he has no intentions of slowing down.

Gucci flexes on the opposition with the concluding track on Mr. Davis, “Made It (Outro)” . He entails the horrors he has had to witness on the corner. A self proclaimed “Genghis Khan, drug don, certified killer”, Gucci has lived a life nobody wants to, and he wants us to know it’s about time all his hard work is finally paying off.

The once-hardened dope dealer and consumer has transformed into a role model we can all look to for inspiration. From riding around in “drop tops” to flying exclusively in expensive private jets, Gucci has made a man out of himself. His contributions to society cannot go unrecognized. Gucci had turned himself from a menace to society, to an author of a New York Times bestseller, a husband and one of the most influential figures of our society. Overall I give this album 1017 ice cream face tattoos out of 1017 ice cream face tattoos.  

Gallery • 5 Photos

All photos by John Schulte

Gucci Mane released his autobiography, which describes his troubled past and rise to fame.