Review Summary: The State Vs. Radric Davis made me cum.
2009 is an absurdly good year for hip hop: why is this? Could it have been the sequel to the classic
Cuban Linx? Could it have possibly been
Relapse, a return to rap’s most infamous whitie Eminem? Maybe it was
Blueprint 3 (just kidding)? It might have been these in the eyes of the general hip hop audience, but to the mixtape world it would most definitely be the productivity and amazing amount of work put in by a certain Radric Davis (ITS GUCCI). Throughout the year, Gucci Mane has consistently been writing funny lyrics, rapping over some of the best beats of hip hop, and steadily improving his formerly lackluster flow.
The State vs. Radric Davis closes off Gucci’s incredibly busy year with a bang, in the form of Gucci Mane’s best release yet, combining everything the man has done correctly with a couple of new highlights and, very rarely, lowlights.
The State vs. Radric Davis simply reinstates Gucci’s mixtape experience except, for some reason, has an odd state of relative consistency throughout that elevates its status as an album as a whole. Gucci’s rappings are usually quite hilarious, mixing in pop culture references and just over the top silliness (“Geeking like Whitney, geeking like Britney/Gucci no hippie but it's on like Jimmy… Pink don't wasted, mix up, grandma drunk it/Then taste it, now grandma sipping syrup” from “Wasted”), and overall makes the entire album an enjoyable lyrical thrill ride. Gucci’s slurred voice puts on the illusion of ignorance, but lyrically his performance is undoubtedly impressive throughout.
To be consistent with the silly lyrics, the beats are over-the-top in that same similar way, with many taking Gucci’s fanfare for Nintendo-esqe synths to the next level, whether it’s the sprawling amazing pop over-production that is “Sex In Crazy Place”, or the keyboard shredding anthem of “All About The Money”. Throughout this album Gucci Mane sticks to a 95% Synthesiser diet, and despite that, makes an incredibly splashy and lively record. Oddly enough, 08’s laziest rap producer, “A Milli”s own Bangladesh, is involved with one of the records best cuts, the upbeat piano line of “Lemonade”, which, along with some of Gucci’s best imagery yet, unfolds one of Gucci’s best songs yet.
For an album so centered around what is considered rap’s satanic no-no’s, Gucci Mane manages to make
The State vs. Radric Davis one of the best rap albums full-on this entire year. Gucci has got an ear for beats, a nack for hooks, and a great sense of humor, and a flow that mixes a former laziness with a certain rejuvenation brought on by his constant productivity over the year. Other than the easily ignorable, gooshy R&b mid-section that ends quickly,
The State vs. Radric Davis is completely solid throughout, both in its slick sexual slender, and its bloated, bowling hustle.
