Gucci Mane

For those who don't know much about the artist Gucci Mane, he was raised in Atlanta Georgia from a young age, but came from Birmingham, Alabama. He wanted to take the name of Gucci Mane as his performing name because the nickname of his dad was "Gucci Man" and he wanted to keep the memory alive. Even though his dad was not around for him growing up, he still idolized his dad because he was a hustler in the streets.

His real name is Radric Davis and he was born in 1980 in Birmingham and raised mostly by his mother. He got started with writing poetry and self-expression when he was about ten years old. He started making rap music in 1997, but always looked up to artists like Lil Flip, 8 Ball, and MJG who were having a lot of success for the south. Eventually, he would follow suit and end up having just as much success, if not more success, than all of the people he looked up to.

Before his rap career, he got his first job at a local bakery and said that he actually liked it. However, he knew that there was more money to be made by doing what he refers to as "hustling" on the streets. When you really want to have financial success coming from a difficult place, it takes a lot more than putting in work at a low paying job. Radric worked with a lot of people out on the streets and got his money to the level that he needed.

The road to success was not easy for him, though, as he was faced with many legal troubles. He ended up getting locked up in 2005 because he was involved with a shooting of someone that attempted to rob him; he fired shots in self-defense. He turned himself in to the police, but there was not enough evidence to convict Radric for his crime. He would end up in and out of jail several more times for things like gun charges, possession of drugs, and a probation violation that kept him locked up until 2009. He is now free on the streets and making music with some superstars like Mariah Carey and Lil Wayne.

His musical perspective as a rapper reflects his life as a hustler on the streets, which is why so many people can relate and enjoy his songs. He is considered a legend in the South; especially East Atlanta Zone 6 where he continuously represents in his music. He also currently owns and manages his own entertainment label called "So Icey Entertainment." On the "So Icey" label you can find artists like OJ Da Juiceman, the highly-acclaimed producer Zaytoven, as well as the up-and-coming artists like Wooh Da Kid, Frenchie, Waka Flocka Flame, and Chilla Pertilla.