To his credit, Gucci Mane has always had the talent and musical intelligence to really connect with his fans, and create new fans, to a level that few artists have ever achieved. Having a tumultuous personal life, and a storied career that includes an assassination attempt, time in prison, and countless beefs with fellow artists, many might be inclined to focus on his troubles in life. Many choose to criticize Gucci, page up and page down. But for me, it’s just business – music business. I’m here to dissect his new album, “Evil Genius”. This is a No Cap! Album Review. Let’s go!
Off the top, these are the 3 hottest tracks on this record:
“Wake Up in the Sky” – Gucci Mane, Bruno Mars & KodakBlack
“On God” – Gucci Mane
“Kept Back” – Gucci Mane & Lil Pump
There are eighteen songs on the album, and many songs that one could vibe to, but these 3 songs are the best, trust it. There are those that were holding out hope that Gucci would try to switch up his approach to his sound on the album…maybe because he’s more mature, and sober now. When he snaps off the line “I’m selling dope ‘cause dope don’t sell itself” on the song, “By Myself”… you know that this is the same old Gucci Mane. Although, there is one song that does seem to offer a slight reframe from the Trap Music style that he helped pioneer, and that song is “Wake Up in the Sky” with Bruno Mars & Kodak Black. This is the best song that the album has to offer. Musically speaking, this song has a sophisticated, artful melody, combined with the highly competent singing style of Bruno Mars. After hearing this one song, any listener will know his or her money was well spent. Yet, “Wake Up in the Sky” still has that trapper’s bounce that Gucci Mane’s fans are looking for – just listen to it, you’ll see.
“On God” is just hot! Gucci is on this track all by himself and delivers a true Gucci G’d up lyrical flow. The beat is club fresh and instantly makes your head bob, from the start. The “On God” saying is popular right now, and it works perfectly on this track – easy man. With lyrics like “My bitch changed her wig then she switched her personality”, this jam is just fun and crankin’. “On God” is likely to be in the streets for a while.
As you’re listening to the record, just when you think it’s over, and there’s nothing more to see here, the last song of the album “Kept Back” with Lil Pump comes on, and you’re instantly thrown back into the experience. “Kept Back” turns it up at the right time, on the outro. The beat on this one is infectious, really bumps, and with lyrics like “Booty so big it got kept back” and hearing Lil Pump snap off “Lil Pump smash your main ho” – it’s funny and entertaining. Any Gucci fan will like this song.
Now, having given you the top 3, it cannot be ignored that several entries on this record should not exist… like “Off the Boat”. Unfortunately for the project and the listener, this song does exist, and it is the first thing you will encounter when you crack the wrapper.
Still, and more importantly, there are lots of other cuts that are hot looks on the album. On “Father’s Day” Gucci Mane goes hard. He let’s the listener know who started this whole Trap Music thing in the first place – that would be Gucci Mane. Both tracks with Quavo are awesome. Looks like Gucci’s team decided to promote the “Bi Polar” joint with Quavo, but I think “Lost Y’all Mind” is the hotter song. The beat stands out a lot better on this one, and with lyrics like “2012 did more drugs than I sold”, it pops harder. Oh, and “Outta Proportion” – “My choppa keep blowin’ shit outta proportion” – this is another banger for the listener. Gucci Mane fans will have a good time with this album.
This review is just a blueprint – feel free to find your own way. Gucci Mane’s “Evil Genius” is a good buy for anybody, and a great look if you’re a true Gucci fan. I give this album 3 Daggers out of 5. It’s very Gucci and deserves respect, but it did not draw blood.
