Gucci Mane’s road to redemption reaches another key mark with the release of his latest album, The Return of East Atlanta Santa. His press run for the album took him to The Breakfast Club on Friday morning and the conversation paints a picture of just how far he’s come in not only the days since his release from prison but also from that legendary interview of 2012.
The group of hosts and Gucci cover a wealth of topics quickly over the course of the 30 minute interview. He reveals how he gave his fiancee Keyshia Ka’oir a substantial amount of money to flip right before he went to jail, selling Young Thug’s rights over to 300 and explaining to the then budding rapper why it was the best route to stardom, his apologies to people like Rick Ross, Monica and A$AP Rocky.
One of the more insightful moments of the interview captures Gucci having to look back at the person he was. Charlamagne asks if he thinks jailed saved him and Gucci indicates he knows it did without a doubt. “I think it saved my life and somebody else’s life because somebody was gone get it,” he says. I felt like I was gone hurt somebody. I was just so mad, somebody was gone get it. It didn’t matter who it was.”
The tales of his past Twitter beefs and public fights are part of the legend that is Mr. Zone 6. But, they’re early chapters in a book that’s being re-written in the present. He’s sober, clean and has a refreshed outlook on life. He admits that he takes rap more serious now versus years prior when he recorded and released without any cares about the level of quality associated with his material.
Gucci also reveals just how he has been able to become an A&R to the streets, having worked with so many new artists like Thug, OJ Da Juiceman, Waka Flocka and countless others before they were even blips on the radar.
“That come from just not being no hater. Every artist knows what’s hot. I always felt like a lot of artists, they don’t wanna help nobody because they don’t want them to get bigger than them. It’s true. Me, I never been like that, I don’t have that problem. I’m open to work with someone who’s talented. If it sound good, I want to work with you. That’s the only thing you gotta bring to the table: that it sound good to me.”
Whole interview isn’t all serious though. One of the more hilarious moments come near the 14-minute mark when Gucci and host Angela Yee go back and forth over who may or may not have hit on the other first back in the day. According to Gucci, Yee was interested in him way back when, but she categorically denies they “had a history.”
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Looks like their still may be a little dog in Gucci still. We’re all works in progress though and the Lord ain’t done with Guwop yet!
Stream his new The Return of East Atlanta Santa album right here.
