Keeping Gucci Mane out of the headlines is no easy task. Once again he’s back, although this time with the release of his digital album The State Vs. Radric Davis II: The Caged Bird Sings. While the rapper is surrounded by mounting legal problems, he's nonetheless found the time to keep his fans fed with this Christmas day release.
As with most Gucci projects, the production on The State Vs. Radric Davis II is a strong point. Heat from Atlanta beatsmiths Honorable C-Note, Zaytoven, and Mike WiLL Made It make the album an easy listen.
Led by singles "Jackie Chan" and "#MentionMe", the album starts off with a bang. The 17-song project quickly develops some hiccups though. Question marks arise when the seventh track "Bad Bitch" kicks in. Placed amidst a bunch of bangers, "Bad Bitch" sticks out like a sore thumb. The looping beat practically never switches tempo, and Gucci's monotone flow adds insult to injury. Fortunately, GuWop picks up the slack on the next track, "Tell Me Nothing".
Gucci's first verse on "Tell Me Nothing" begins with him saying "Took my car to the baby sitter 'cause I had to drop my top off." 'Wop can definitely be a funny guy sometimes, and there are spurts of that through out this digital album. Along with his humorous side, Gucci also shows off his conceit and wealth on songs like "Rude" and "Wish You Was Me". It's not all about himself, though. He shares the cake with other Atlanta natives too, like Rocko, Young Scooter, Migos, and Young Thug.
As the album comes to a close, Gucci has some interesting remarks. On the outro track, "Threw With That Shit", he claims he's done drinking lean, smoking kush, and buying expensive jewelry. These are strong words coming from a guy who dropped a trio of albums titled Gas, Molly, Lean earlier this year. Though it may be a while until the caged bird is freed, we can still applaud his vow to stay out of trouble. Liberated or not, Gucci continues to feed the streets with The State Vs. Radric Davis II, and albeit a few mishaps on the LP, it's a satisfying project.
