Davis was born in Birmingham, Alabama and moved with his single mother to Atlanta in the fourth grade. Since elementary school, he had enjoyed writing poetry, and he began rapping at age 14. He signed to Big Cat Records after his debut single "Black Tee" was frequently played on local radio. In 2005, he released his independent debut album entitled Trap House, which featured the successful single "Icy" with Young Jeezy. However, disputes over the rights to this single eventually caused a rift between the two artists. Hard to Kill followed in 2006.[2]
Back to the Trap House, his 2007 album, included hit single "Freaky Gurl". The song peaked at #12 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart, #19 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and at #62 on the Hot 100. Mane appeared on OJ da Juiceman's "Make the Trap Say Aye" and began working on various mixtapes.[3] Gucci Mane signed to Warner Bros. Records in May 2009.[4]
He appeared on remixes of the songs "Boom Boom Pow" by Black Eyed Peas and "Obsessed" by Mariah Carey. and made a guest appearance on Mario's "Break Up". Gucci Mane is set to release his next album The State vs. Radric Davis on Warner Bros. Records December 8, 2009.[5] Its first single, "Wasted" featuring Plies, was originally from Mane's 2009 mixtape Writing on the Wall. It peaked at #37 on the Hot 100, #3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and #4 on the Rap Songs.
On October 2, 2009, Gucci Mane was named #6 on MTV's annual Hottest MC's In The Game list.[6] Legal issues
On May 10, 2005, men attacked Gucci, trying to steal his trademark "So Icey" chain. The men were shot at by Gucci’s clique, and the dead body of one of them, Henry Lee Clark III, turned up at a middle school. Gucci Mane turned himself into police investigators on May 19. Mane claimed that the shots were in self-defense[1] The DeKalb County district attorney's office dropped the murder charges against Gucci Mane in January 2006 due to insufficient evidence. At the time, Mane was serving a prison sentence for assaulting a nightclub promoter last June.[7] He left prison later that month.[2]
In September 2008, Gucci Mane was arrested for parole violation for completing only 25 out of 600 community service hours following his 2005 arrest for assault. He was sentenced to a year in prison but was released after six months.[8]
