Video After The JumpWithin a space of a year, Gucci Mane went from being a much-buzzed-about MC to another, if exceptional, inmate at Georgia's Fulton County Jail. After wrapping up a six-month prison bid in May for violating his probation, Gucci got on his grind for his latest LP, The Appeal, which dropped late last month.
The Atlanta mic-ripper said the obviously difficult circumstances of his prison stint affected his new music.
"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.
"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."
Armed with newfound insight, Gucci recently told MTV News that the just-released Appeal LP is a candid expression of his personal experiences and perspectives.
"The Appeal, I think, is my best album to date. I had a great time making the album," Gucci said. "It's my last five months recorded of my life. My take on things, my principles, my morals. That's all it is. I just spoke it on 15 tracks, so I think people are gonna love it. If they ain't got it, they need to get it, or they'll hear about it."
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