“I changed a lot in there,” Davis recently told the Los Angeles Times. “I know this is serious now and I have a lot to get off my chest. This record is painful and gothic and epic, but it’s the soundtrack of my past.”
Although Gucci is no stranger to a government-issued jumpsuit, having served time in 2006 and 2009, the MC said he had to adjust to certain aspects of life outside the prison walls.
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“It’s strange to go from being locked up to a month later everyone saying, ‘Gucci, let’s party!’ ” he said. “But I lost so much in there that I came out with a much sharper focus.”
As one of many high-profile lyricists entangled in the U.S. penal system, Gucci also reflected that bringing street elements into the music game is an issue for MCs.
“(Prison) is a real problem in hip-hop — it’s a struggle to let that culture go. You can’t let the ideology of the street get you in trouble,” he said, adding, “I just wish I didn’t have to go to jail to learn that. But sometimes we have to sacrifice and be responsible.”
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After a six month stint in Fulton County Jail and a top 5 album on the Billboard Top 200, Gucci Mane reflected on how his latest bid affected him. “I changed a lot in there,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “I know this is serious now and I have a lot to get off my chest. This record is painful and gothic and epic, but it’s the soundtrack of my past.”

The Georgia-bred rapper was sentenced to a year after violating his probation, which he received after a 2005 assault charge. It was not his first jail stint, but it was his first since becoming so successful. “It’s strange to go from being locked up to a month later everyone saying, ‘Gucci, let’s party!’ ” he said. “But I lost so much in there that I came out with a much sharper focus.”

Gucci, real name Radric Davis, also sees the bigger picture, “(Prison) is a real problem in hip-hop — it’s a struggle to let that culture go. You can’t let the ideology of the street get you in trouble. I just wish I didn’t have to go to jail to learn that. But sometimes we have to sacrifice and be responsible.”

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