Gucci Mane

Born Radric Delantic Davis in Birmingham, Gucci Main started rapping as a teenager and eventually went to New York, where he made his first pair of singles distributed by the Tommy Boy label. Basing himself in Atlanta, he released his breakthrough single "Icy" in 2005. A collaboration with fellow Dirty South rapper Young Jeezy, "Icy" was street-tough and threatening in its lyrics. Included in his debut "Trap House," the song spawned the "trap" subgenre of rap-distinguished by its upfront percussion and EDM influence. The mood was usually ominous, a "trap" being the site of a drug deal. The question of who actually wrote "Icy" touched off a major feud between Gucci and Jeezy. Problems began when Gucci put the song on "Trap House" while Jeezy was claiming it for his own album instead. Jeezy then released a single, "Stay Strapped," which claimed he had a bounty on Gucci's head; Gucci shot back and called Jeezy a fake on his own next single, "Round One." Soon afterward Gucci was charged with the murder of Pookie Loc, a rapper in Jeezy's stable. Gucci was acquitted on the grounds that he'd acted in self-defense, but he was jailed later in 2005 for an unrelated assault on a nightclub owner. The title of Gucci's second album "Hard to Kill" riffed on the murder charge, though its hit single "Freaky Girl" took on a different topic. Further albums would also refer to his conflicts with the law, 2010's "The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted" got a commercial touch from production by the Neptunes and a collaboration with Nicki Minaj. Gucci continued to drop in and out of jail; during 2010-11 he was arrested four times and served two sentences, one for violating his probation over the assault, and another in September-December 2011 for two counts of battery. Meanwhile he continued to record prolifically, releasing two sequels to "Trap House." During 2009 he even began collaborating with Jeezy again, though they fell out once again before long. Gucci's 2012 track "Truth," which claimed that jeezy's girlfriend Keyshia Cole was sleeping around on him, ended any chance of a renewed partnership. Trouble brewed up again in 2013, when he allegedly attacked a fan who tried to take a photo with him. After a few more confrontations with police, he was charged in May 2014 with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and this time served two years behind bars in Terre Haute, Indiana. His first post-release album, "Everybody Looking" showed traces of a more introspective tone, with "1st Day Out the Feds" taking responsibility for his actions, but tougher tracks were still the norm. The album touched off another prolific wave of recording that continued into the next year.