Recording at an almost impossible pace, Gucci Mane reinvented himself in 2009 as the ultimate mixtape rapper, releasing more than a half dozen mixtapes that year, including several essential ones that made a case for him as one of the most inventive lyricists of his time. When the quality of his output began to dip in the following years, it didn’t seem so much like a decline as an inevitability, an acknowledgement that no artist could keep operating on that level indefinitely. Yet last year Gucci rebounded impressively, recording three outstanding mixtapes that recaptured his old spark. He's followed those up with a whooping five more mixtapes this year, with the promise of many more to come. Not all of them are gold, of course, but the best of the bunch, February's Trap God 2, is every bit as entertaining as anything from his 2009 run.
Unfortunately for Milwaukee fans who were hoping to catch Gucci Mane perform while he’s still on this hot streak, the rapper’s Thursday show at 618 Live has been canceled in the wake of the rapper’s arrest for assault at a club last month. According to HipHopDX, he'll remain in prison at least until his next hearing on April 10.
Thursday won't be a complete wash, though. 618 Live has scheduled a different Atlanta rap group, Rich Kidz, to perform instead that night. They're not as lyrically minded as the night's canceled headliner, but last year the duo released a ludicrously infectious, swag-minded mixtape called Everybody Eat Bread, which is well worth the download. Among its many standouts was the Waka Flocka Flame collaboration "My Life"; stream it below.
