Review Summary: Strike two.
On "Bosses," the last song on
Gucci 2 Time DJ Love Dinero exclaims "2011 our year!" Not only does this showcase the general obliviousness of promote-and-rewind 'DJ's, but it also serves as a sour reminder of just how
great Gucci used to be. If 2009 made me proud to be a Gucci Mane fan and 2010 made me embarrassed to be one, then 2011 is already starting to make me abandon that fandom altogether.
Almost 31-years-old, Gucci appears to be far past his prime. His wispy flow for the most part sounds sleepy and it seems that he's run out of ideas lyrically. Once upon a time, Gucci could be unique effortlessly. Now he's just stumbled into the realm of absurdity. Tearing a page out of Jay-Z's book, Gucci raps "
Red everythang, Valentine's Day.Red AKs, Valentine's Day/Red .38's, Valentine's Day." When he's not going out of his way to spit outstandingly awkward lines, he's entirely ignorable. Formerly his specialty, the punchlines here are mediocre with little exceptions. He doesn't even stand out amongst his B-list affiliates and Brick Squad cronies. Hell, even Waka outshines him
lyrically on the tape's best song "Bite Me."
Gucci 2 Time isn't special; it isn't even good. It's just generic trap rap tripe.
Sporting a decrepit array of instrumentals,
Gucci 2 Time is only further weakened by the bevy of wannabe producers that only attempt to recreate the signature styles of Zaytoven and Drumma Boy using an FL Studio 6 free trial. While the darkness of
The Burrprint was theatric and immense, the darkness of
Gucci 2 Time is insipid and minimalist. Thin, icy synths, weak electronics, and prefab 808 drumlines litter the mixtape and rarely is there an instrumental that isn't a throwaway.
The more you listen to the mixtape, the more the songs begin to run together. Although it's consistently bad with only a few highlights spread far apart,
Gucci 2 Time is pretty good when it's on point. "What I Do" clicks on all cylinders and "Bite Me" sees Gucci working some magic into his flow once more and Waka Flocka hilariously waxing "Brush my teeth with them Benjies, wipe my ass with them fifties." But other than a few delightful post-lyrical deliveries by affiliates and some catchy hooks,
Gucci 2 Time is a snoozefest populated with obtuse hooks, boring beats and mundane verses. If it weren't so boring, it would almost be painful to listen to. Gucci's definitely started the year off on the wrong foot and if this wasn't bad enough, did you peep that face tat? Yikes.
