What up gang.
Back with the real you know what’s the deal. It seems having friends in the hood isn’t out of the normal, but remaining friends is where it seems to be taboo. Friendship between rappers from the street always fall apart, but the worst is it begins falling apart because of breaking the bro code and over things that a phone call or conversation would solve. This is even realer for the beef between Gucci Mane and Yo Gotti.
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Both were homies, taking over the industry, then one fallout and everything went to waste. From betrayal, to disrespect, to love triangles, whatever bond that was there, is all hate. Time to see how these two OG’s became bitter enemies. Let’s chop it up and break it down.
Back in the early 2000’s hip hop was an entirely different scene from it is now. No skinny jeans, or mumble rap, and hood dudes was making it out the trap with bangers that taught the masses of their struggle and violent lifestyle. Two of these rappers in particular that were making a name for themselves, Yo Gotti and Gucci Mane
At the time both weren’t the bosses they are now
Back then, they were the old school version of themselves, raw, uncut, pure hood mentality
Both had their name buzzing in music but also had their street credentials. Gucci grew up in Atlanta and became known as the infamous Ice Cream man of Zone 6
One of his most savage moments forever putting him in the gangster hall of fame, was during the height of his beef with the Snow Man, Young Jeezy
On May 10th 2005, Radric Davis aka Gucci Mane was caught lackin’ by his opps. Gucci was kicking it with a female friend he visited at her Decatur apartment when she opened the door and five men dressed in black stormed in with tape, a gun, and brass knuckles. Reports state that they threatened to shoot Gucci, punched him in the mouth and pistol whipped his female companion. It continues to state that witnesses heard a scuffle and gunshots and saw the men flee the apartment, with one asking another, “Are you hit?”
The one who was hit walked by the witness and ran into the woods while the other three ran the other way and left in a truck,” The landlord of the apartment told authorities it looked like a robbery, however, Gucci’s lawyer felt otherwise and said it may be a set up by the female https://youtu.be/Z8jTuXzd3oc (0:14-1:40)
The man that got shot would later be identified as Henry Lee Clark III aka Pookie Loc after he was found deceased a few days later outside a nearby middle school. That exposed what actually happened. Pookie Loc was Young Jeezy’s artist, and the hit was put on Gucci head by Jeezy
http://www.mtv.com/news/1502738/atlanta-rapper-gucci-mane-faces-murder-charge/
http://www.mtv.com/news/1519599/murder-charges-against-gucci-mane-dropped/
Gucci would beat the murder charge on self defense and release the cult classic Jeezy diss “The Truth” where he raps “a $10,000 bounty put on my neck, hope you didn’t pay em cause they didn’t have no success” and “go dip your partner up homie bet he can’t say shit, and if you lookin’ for the kid I’ll be in zone 6” https://youtu.be/sVgd0pIZ8fQ
Yo Gotti developed a reputation himself in his city of Memphis. He was trappin way back in the day since before the age of 12 https://youtu.be/HWDvGtbEmIE (2:52-3:13) Like Gucci, he was no stranger to shootouts with the opps. During thanksgiving weekend in 2010, in the parking lot outside Level II nightclub, there was an altercation that left 6 people shot. According to court records, the violence began with a verbal altercation between Mario “Yo Gotti” Mims and Lance “OG Boo Dirty” Taylor.
Both Gotti and OG Boo Dirty were arrested for the shooting but due to no witness and lack of evidence the charges were dropped https://youtu.be/ZEnOFNQ1tvk (6:33-6:58)
So these two been down in the streets, so I guess that’s why they clicked so well. Gucci and Gotti would end up linking and dropping banger after banger. From “Mo’ Money” https://youtu.be/odU1Ru1oyio to “Colors” featuring Dipset member Juelz Santana https://youtu.be/U-9dRGXiOqk to “Ridiculous” https://youtu.be/gHlk6MUbLw0 and “Bricks” https://youtu.be/bIS8twlzuMw the two were running up numbers in the industry. They’d go beyond just dropping singles, releasing projects like their “Definition of a G” and “G Shit” mixtapes
That chemistry was broken before the two could take over the industry together, sparking a beef that saw the downfall of their camaraderie as rappers and street dudes. On October 17th 2012 Gucci was ready to release his mixtape “Trap God” and take his label and career to the next level.
The date was significant in all that, because it represented his brand 1017. Turns out Yo Gotti was also releasing the next installment to his Cocaine Muzik series, CM7 (The World Is Yours)
on the same day as his homie Gucci and this was the beginning of the end for their friendship. At first, Yo Gotti said he didn’t know they were dropping the same day but when he found out he took it as him and his homie about to crush the industry. So Gotti claims he was hype as hell and hits up Gucci about their releases but he got no response https://youtu.be/Vui0C-NO2VY (2:05-2:32) Thinking its probably nothing he tried to get in contact with Gucci again and still no response, but still, Gotti didn’t think anything ‘bout it cause that’s his homie https://youtu.be/Vui0C-NO2VY (2:33-2:47) But that all changed when Yo Gotti caught on to something Gucci posted online about the situation so he hit up Gucci’s line to see was up https://youtu.be/Vui0C-NO2VY (2:50-3:15) In fact, at first Gotti claims they chopped it up but Gucci wasn’t on the release date issue but on Gotti doing a song with his opps TI and Jeezy on his “I Got That Sack Remix” https://youtu.be/a7MyxNHOOPk https://youtu.be/NTsdH4Yk098 (1:42-1:52)
After going back and forth on the phone, Gotti assumed everything was cool and was back to the music https://youtu.be/NTsdH4Yk098 (2:03-2:15) Gotti saw it as a moment to celebrate with two homies dropping, Gucci saw it as Gotti trying to ride his wave because the 1017 date was a part of him and his label brand https://youtu.be/amS5PtIf45k (6:19-6:58) Once Gotti found out that was why Gucci been slighting him, out of respect he changed his release date to 10/18, the day after https://youtu.be/Vui0C-NO2VY (3:16-3:47) Gucci released on 10/17 and Gotti dropped on 10/18, but the rift was already caused and it was going to get worse.
Gucci went on to release a diss track towards a bunch of opps including, Jeezy and TI, and in it he dropped a diss to Gotti with the bar “I used to F with Gotti till he turned into a buster” https://youtu.be/r3KGMUMaef0 (0:36-0:39) Publicly they both expressed different feelings over the beef, Gucci saying he lost respect for Gotti, and Gotti saying he was disappointed in Guuci https://youtu.be/amS5PtIf45k (7:00-7:02) https://youtu.be/Vui0C-NO2VY (4:38-4:56) Looking in from the outside, I could understand where Gotti was coming from, because Gucci is his homie so hell yea we’re gonna drop the same day and take over, but I can also under Gucci side for getting upset especially when Gotti said he didn’t know his tape was dropping that day. This your home boy, ya’ll making music and all that and Gucci was promoting the tape throughout the year too, so how didn’t he know Gucci was dropping
Gotti’s reason was that he only focuses on his music and not the type to be on social media or following what another rapper is doing https://youtu.be/Vui0C-NO2VY (1:34-2:01) But if that’s your homie like that, and ya’ll making all these tracks and projects, how likely is it to not know your mans dropping on that day? So I guess that’s how Gucci was seeing it. But that could have been something squashed by just a conversation, but nope, hood dudes have way too much ego, so Gucci dropped the diss and Gotti returned with a diss of his own titled “Have Mercy” https://youtu.be/HgLfztDL9PQ
Whatever friendship they had went all down hill, but Gucci was going through it, losing his way being too wrapped up in drug addiction, mainly lean, something his now wife Keyshia Ka’oir confirmed he was struggling with https://youtu.be/U0SRlLy6XQU (6:27-6:33) https://youtu.be/U0SRlLy6XQU (22:28-22:35)
While fighting his demons Gucci had a breakdown and came at everyone on twitter, nobody was safe. From Nicki Minaj, to Drake, to his former artist Wacka Flocka and you guessed it, right back on Yo Gotti neck
Gotti didn’t feed into it, but in a later interview he exposed something that may have been what triggered the entire beef with Gucci. Turns out, before the whole mixtape release date fiasco happened, Gotti had smashed Keyshia Ka’oir https://youtu.be/NTsdH4Yk098 (3:00-3:15) Damn.
How many times dude’s got to learn that crossing a dude’s shawty is always going to end in trouble. We see it every time. This played out while Gucci was in jail, which I believe would be for this 1-year jail sentence for violating his parole stipulations https://youtu.be/SeHXogXbiYo
Gotti talked about the disrespect like it was just a part of the game, saying he didn’t know Gucci was loving on her like that and that Gucci should know how the game goes https://youtu.be/NTsdH4Yk098 (3:19-3:27) https://youtu.be/NTsdH4Yk098 (3:50-4:41)
Gucci would have even more bad luck getting arrested late 2013 and facing 20 years behind bars on two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon after police in Atlanta found weapons on the Ice Cream man during two different encounters, on September 12 and again two days later.
http://www.mtv.com/news/1718399/gucci-mane-facing-20-years-jail-weapons-possession/
That worked out in his favor because it slowed him down and gave him time to work on himself. He returned home clean of his addition to become a father and the boss of one of the hottest label rosters out https://youtu.be/U0SRlLy6XQU (13:47-14:20)
Yo Gotti on the other end has also leveled up and established a successful label taking over the game as well
Hopefully both of them can dead whatever beef they had and get back to creating hood classics like they did in the past.
So there you have it. Thanks for kicking it with yah boy, appreciate the love and support. Catch ya’ll in the next one. Peace up and peace out.
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Chad is a professional journalist specializing in Hip-Hop culture and writing music reviews.
