As the Key Arena began to fill up an hour and a half before Gucci Mane’s set, I was trying to take it all in on who and what type of performance I was about to see.
As he walked out on stage yelling “S’GUCCI!” fans began to roar as he opened up with his hit single “Both” feat. Drake. It was at that moment that it all began to sink in on what I was witnessing. Not only was I watching one of my favorite artists, I was watching a rap legend.
Gucci Mane at @Bumbershoot 2017 pic.twitter.com/2Ejsuy088N
— Respect My Region (@RespectMyRegion) September 5, 2017
There are not many artists who can touch a stage and present a catalog of just hit records to you. When a below average Gucci listener is familiar with every song performed, that’s special.
“Both,” “Back On Road,” “Lemonade,” “Bricks,” “I Think I Love Her,” “Freaky Girl,” – this only scraped the surface of his performance, and there was much more of his catalog I wish he had time to perform. When you look back on a career that has been as illustrious as Gucci’s, you realize how much of a staple he’s been to one of the most important cultures within hip-hop; that being trap music.
They don’t call him the “Trap God” for nothing. He’s paved the way for many Atlanta artists and producers. OJ Da Juiceman, Wooh Da Kid, Young Scooter, Waka Flocka, Young Thug, Future and more. Not to mention Zaytoven, Lex Luger, Southside, Sonny Digital and 808 Mafia on the producing side.
It was good to see a legend get the respect and love he deserves. Many would like to create the narrative that Seattle is not a city for hip-hop, but I’ve seen Drake come to Seattle, Kendrick, Travis Scott, Migos, Future, Big Sean and J.Cole. Our city is a destination for artists to come to because they know they have love here. Amongst other factors, in addition to the love I saw being shown to Gucci, I would say that narrative is completely false. Seattle just needs it’s next torch holder.
I couldn’t be any happier with the performance Guwop put on, and seeing that he is “Mr. Zone 6” himself, I can’t wait for his return to our 6 code.
