It was a big week for fans of prolific Southern trap king Gucci Mane. The newly-svelte rapper surprised his loyal following by dropping Woptober, his second post-prison release, early. The LP also marks Gucci’s first project since the end of his house arrest. Though it was originally slated for October 17, in true East Atlanta Santa fashion, he brought Decem-burr early. Prior to the album going live, Gucci took to Twitter to announce the early release. He chalked up the decision to drop the project to his desire to show fans how much he appreciated them.
Gucci even bought out Finga Lickin, DJ Khaled’s Miami eatery, to host a free listening party.
Wotopber is as palatable as lemon-pepper wings with a freeze cup, mostly because it doesn’t depart from Gucci’s syrupy (though admittedly less occluded) delivery, or the tenacious, trap-seasoned beats he favors. Most of all, his very East Atlanta ethos is still present, probably to the disappointment of clone conspiracy theorists.
All in all, it’s a clever and pithy blessing that proves to be much more than the frenetic ramblings of a once drug-addled Zone 6 hero. The last few years have been tumultuous for the embattled rapper, but his ability to unpack some of his lowest moments with a great sense of irony, introspection, and often quite a bit of humor, make the artist more relatable than his music might immediately imply.
Whether it’s an existential crisis about the nature of love versus lust (as seen on “Love Her Body”), or a been-there-done-that warning to the young and reckless on “Dirty Lil Nigga,” Gucci tackles a range of subjects with more focus and finesse than we’ve previously seen.
Here are the highlights from Woptober.