The Bill Simmons Podcast - Ep. 153: Gucci Mane

Episode Date: December 14, 2016

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane to discuss his three-year incarceration and 2016 release (5:00), his humble beginnings in Alabama (8:00), what is unique about Atlanta's music scene (15:00), Atlanta's club culture (20:00), his goal of owning the "East Atlanta Hawks" (27:00), collaborating with Malcolm Gladwell (34:00), and Thanksgiving with Falcons receiver Julio Jones (39:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today's episode of the BS Podcast with Gucci Mane is brought to you by SeatGeek, our presenting sponsor, the only fan-friendly app for buying and selling tickets for sports and music. Drop your old ticket app. Use one bill for 2017 and beyond. 2017 is coming. You can even do absolutely everything on your phone. So download the free SeatGeek app or go to SeatGeek.com. We're also brought to you by SimpliSafe.

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Go there this week and find a ton of year in 2016 stuff, as well as Rogue One Week. Lots of Star Wars pieces. Oh, and guess who else is going to be on there this week? Me. I wrote a basketball piece. And we have Ringer Swag. What's a better holiday gift than Ringer Swag? Go to theringer.com.

You can get everything there. Columns, features, essays, and a ton of podcasts. Check it out. Theringer.com here we go you recognize this song? no I don't know what that is

Pearl Jam that's Gucci baby You recognize this song? No, I don't know what that one is. Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam. Yeah. That's Gucci, baby. It's 10 in the morning here on the West Coast. Oh, okay. You did Jimmy Kimmel Live last night.

Yeah. You're in a little tour. You got a new album coming out. Yes, I got my album coming out this Friday. The Return of East Atlanta Sonor. It would be a bigger deal if you hadn't already put out two albums in 2016. You're like an album machine.

Who puts out three albums in a year? I've never even heard of that. You know, that's just my style. I've been doing it from day one. Everybody says it,

but you just, you're like a, you're cranking out songs like all hours of the day and the night. It ain't, you know, it ain't really hard to get from me just getting a studio and record. It's easy. So how many of you day and the night? It ain't really hard for me just getting in the studio and record.

It's easy. So how many have you done this week? Well, you bet you're touring, but have you made any music this week? No, just been rolling out the album this week. Okay. So how many songs? When did you get out of prison? I got out in May, May 26th.

So what were you doing in there for almost three years when you're so conditioned to making music constantly? Were you going crazy? I don't know. I was reading books. I was writing music. I was listening to music. I was working out.

I was trying to prepare for when I get out. You know what I'm saying? So I have a whole bunch of material to record. Right. I was just using those experiences and thinking about how I was going to make it a part of my music when I got out. So what was your process?

You have a notebook? Were you writing on all kinds of things? What were you doing? You know, I just bought, I had a notebook. You know, I just, I write down ideas.

I listen, I buy, you know, they had like a music server right now. So I buy instrumentals or songs that was out where it was popular and I, you know, or songs that was out, whatever was popular. So I'd jot down notes, I'd write down verses,

and I'd just practice them to different people's beats. So when I got out, I'd just get my people to custom make me some beats and just custom the song to what I had written. How did you stay in touch with everything in there? I really did stay in touch with everything. So what was the process for that? I kind of just kind of detached from what was going on outside, you know what I'm saying, just focused on, you know,

keeping myself motivated in there, you know what I'm saying, because if I was, like, worrying about what's going on out there, it would have distracted me from what's going on in prison because it's a whole different environment, and it demands your full attention. But, like, how do you know, know, let's say it's 2014 in June and somebody puts out a new song or a mixtape or whatever

that everybody likes. How do you even find out about that? Do you have friends tell you or what's the process for that? I wasn't really keeping up with it. You're out. But like I said, they had a music server

but it was outdated so if something was hot by the time it would come into the prison music server it would be like three months later. Right. So, you know, I just was, I just would buy everything that came out. So when you got out, you must have, you were listening to three years of music you had to catch up on basically, right?

No, like I kind of knew who was hot. Like, you know, a lot of artists that's popping now, you know, I was listening to them while I was locked up. And I'm now just now meeting them for the first time. Right. I had turned, you know, I kind of like was a fan of that music while I was locked up and I'm now just now meeting them for the first time I had turned you know I kind of like was a fan of that music while I was away who was your favorite

that when you were in there that you thought either blew up or you hadn't heard of before or just somebody you heard they were like oh man

I like this guy or this girl Bryson Tiller yeah and um Kodak Blunt okay one of the things

with you that I think is interesting is you've influenced two generations of music, and it seems like when you came out, you started getting the right amount of credit for that. Did you feel like you got the right amount of credit for that all along? I think a lot of it happened when I was away. I think people got a chance to appreciate me.

Maybe it was because I was putting out so much music and I had so many other things around me besides music, you know what I'm saying? Good and bad. So it kind of like took away from, I guess, a lot of things that I had did or the influence I had. Right. But it took for me to go away for people to say, okay, wow, look at all the people that he done helped get on and look how many people he done brought into the game.

And look how, you know, I guess all the new artists are emulating what I did and putting their, you know what I'm saying, their spin on it. How would you describe your position now? Like a godfather in this scene? Not a godfather. An older brother? Definitely like an older brother. Okay.

Yeah. Why does everybody say you're in such a good place right now? I don't know. I guess they just can see it. You know what I'm saying? I'm happy. You know what I'm saying? I don't know.

You know, once you've been in prison and it's just such such a different from being now I just I don't know I appreciate my freedom so much I'm so grateful just that people even want to hear my music still that my I still had a chance to salvage my career because I almost had threw that threw it away yeah so I guess people see that you know I really appreciate it and I think you know I'm saying it could just you could just look at me and tell when you when you look back at like 2013 how bad of a place were you in and did you know you were in a bad place uh I was in a terrible place did I know I was in a bad place I don't know I was just kind of like a blur you know I'm saying I wasn't I was out of control so I can't say that you know I knew it or not I knew that you know

things were I was it was a terrible time for me you know what I'm saying it was very dangerous on so many different levels what were the

what were some of the reasons that you think your life was spiraling out of control do you think too much too soon or too much pressure

what were the reasons no definitely just bad choices and bad choices and stress. You know what I'm saying? And drugs. Yeah. I had like five, six open cases and I had those open cases from doing,

you know, from making bad decisions and bad choices and all that combined it, you know what I'm saying, like, you know what I'm saying, all that on top of using drugs and being on bond and court date coming and and then you know I had like five or six artists I had signed and he just all this stuff just was accumulating and I you know I was in a bad place with me and my label at the

time there was just so much stuff on top of each other that it just eventually just you know it crashed who'd you talk to that well as that stuff was going on who'd you talk to like how did you bounce In 2013, I hadn't talked to nobody. Yeah. I just, you know what I'm saying? I just smoked weed and drunk and leaned and just kept pushing. I was kind of like knowing myself from even, you know what I'm saying, dealing with it. So I ain't talked to nobody.

I'm sure you do some stuff differently. I know I would in my life, too. But is there one thing that you're like, that's the one moment i wish i could have back no 100 not i don't regret nothing okay that happened in my life everything i did and got me to the point i am now i feel like that's why i'm fascinated by my own story i feel like it's i can't name nobody my generation that i feel like he's even can go through half the things i've been through i in my opinion i'm the most resilient person I ever met. And I'm being serious.

Are you a movie or a documentary or a 10-episode Netflix binge series drama? Binge-watch drama. You're talking about as far as looking at movies? Yeah, your life story. Oh, my life story? Is it going to be better as a documentary or a movie or like a 10-episode series? And who plays you? I don't know.

I think I'm like, I'm just a comeback story. I'm Rocky. I'm Rocky Ray. You're Rocky Ray? Yeah. I don't know who will play me. I can't. I will play myself.

You play yourself? You can do that. Muhammad Ali played himself. Yeah. That's me. Where would you start the movie? I definitely would start it in Alabama when I was born. You know what I'm saying?

10, 17, that's the name of my company, but that's like my grandfather's house in super duper small house, little bit of street in Bessemer, Alabama. You know,

walking down, people don't even have shoes down now. You know what I'm saying? And we didn't even know we was that poor. You know, we didn't even have a house.

I stayed at my grandfather's house nine years old. You know, my grandfather's house. Nine years old. You know, my grandfather's house. I was nine years old. I moved to Atlanta. The most humble, humble beginnings ever. You know what I'm saying? Just nobody in my family had nothing.

No money. But everybody just, you know, helped each other and made something out of nothing. So when was the first time you had money in your pocket? When I got my, when I started, when I moved to Atlanta in 89, I started hustling like, like when I was like seven grade. Like from that point on, I just, you know, made a vow to myself. Like, you know, I kind of like had that moment where I seen my mother. She couldn't, even though she wanted to, because my mother's a very hardworking woman and I

salute her. But, you know, when I seen like, you know, even though she wanted to, some things she couldn't give me and I was like being more of a burden to her for even asking for it. From that point on, I just, you know, I just, I would say I was going to always keep some money. You're credited for giving, you basically launching the mixtape generation in that whole era. What even made you think to do that?

People give me the credit, but, you know, I'm not, but I kind of like, you know, just put my spin on what I've seen other people doing. People from up north was making DVDs, and it was real big back then, like the, you know, like cocaine music and all these different DVDs and stuff like that. And I started making DVDs with these people called Hood Affair. And so I put out my first major album with Atlantic 2007 back to the Trap House and it didn't do good. You know what I'm saying?

And I was depressed behind that. You know what I'm saying? I felt like I was going to go platinum on my first CD. I had these big expectations. So when it didn't sell good,

you know what I'm saying? I just went, I just said, okay, I'm going back to what I know. And I started putting out mixtapes after mixtapes after mixtapes. So, but really I seen Lil Wayne to what I know. And I started putting out mixtapes after mixtapes after mixtapes.

But really, I was singing Lil Wayne do it before me. So I was singing like, damn, Wayne is going. So he was doing it. They credit me for doing it, but I was singing what he was doing. He was jumping on. I would never do feature songs with anybody. I never wanted to even work with any other artist. So when I was singing,

he was jumping on there, but I said, okay, well, let me try that. And I put my, you know what I'm saying, my niche on it, and did it my way. What was the story that you, when you were making one of your comebacks

in like 2006, 2007, where you were trying to sell the mixtape and the guy wouldn't buy it, so you went in the parking lot and just started playing the song and everybody started

drifting toward the car? Yeah. Because when I first started, like, oh, five, I had an independent joint venture with somebody

that I put on my first CD. So soon after I put the first CD, it sold like 200,000 independently. But me and the dude I had a joint venture with, we had a falling out.

Yeah. So, I kind of went on my own then and started making my own, my first mixtape on my own called Chicken Talk. And me and the DJ I did it with, we,

you know, as soon as I made it, we went to like some place and tried you know like get them in some stores and people was like nah we don't want gucci mixtape that's how they was acting so we just went outside and started playing them and then people just start you know saying taking to it and then the guy came out there like okay let me get some of them right yeah you know one of the things people say about you is you just have really smart taste in who's good, which you hear, like, I think writers are like that. I think chefs are like that.

I think actors are like that. What is it? What do you see when you see some young kid and there's something about him and you're like, that's somebody. I want to use him for a song or something. I don't know. I guess a lot of times I've just been listening to music for so long. Yeah.

You know what I'm saying? I guess I've been doing it for so long that it gets to a point where it's some kind of unconscious thing that I can just tell. Is it a little bit of a competitive thing where you're like, uh-oh, I've got to watch out for this guy? It's not at all. Okay. It's not at all. Because a lot of people who I came up with, some of the artists that was in my era that was doing good, they wouldn't work with other artists up and coming. That just was the standard. They're not on my level.

They just came out. They might be a one-hit wonder. They would not collaborate with people. But me, I would love to collaborate because I would be like, oh, he hot. That's the discussion I would be having with my crew. Like, he might be the next to blow. You heard that song? I'm like, he hot.

And I would want to work with them. But they had to be talented. That was the only thing about it. I had to feel like, you know, for me to give them a shot of me wanting to work with them, there was something good was going to come out of it. That was something that really started in the mid-'90s where people were pulling people into certain songs and all that kind of stuff and then your generation seemed to learn from that did you have a big

influence from the 90s big influence but i'm not yes yes i used to love because everyone compares you to tupac i'm a big tupac fan just about how you're just relentless you're in the studio you have a million songs you could drop 10 more songs anytime you want that's what he was like that's a huge that's a huge comparison to have to be, you know what I'm saying? I don't know even if I deserve that. Because Tupac, you know, he was just such a great songwriter. And the music he made was so deep and so personal. Yeah.

And my music isn't as personal. You know what I'm saying? It's just fun, entertaining. I'm the truth now. But I wouldn't say I'm a Tupac Compare Atlanta East Coast And West Coast

To me With the sounds What makes Atlanta Stand out Cause Atlanta To me Just watching it From afar

As a white guy In my 40s Like Atlanta There's a There's a Just happy There's a happiness

To it That I don't know. West Coast has more of a groove. East Coast is a little more of an edge. It's like, it's so many different factors that make Atlanta, that's why we, you know what I'm saying, you know, like kind of everybody look to us, what's going on. Yeah.

It's a club culture, or just screw up clubs and get your record popping. It's a city. It's like one of the biggest cities in the South, and it got so many different people from so many different places. Like most people in Atlanta are not really from Atlanta. Right. Most of them migrated to Atlanta. And it's just a big tourist attraction.

So it's always somebody in town. You know what I'm saying? And it's like one of the only cities in the South. They probably got the Braves, the Hawks, and the Falcons. So we always got, you know, people coming in, athletes, entertainers. So it's always somewhere you can go and get your music heard at. Every day of the week is Magic City on Monday, it's Such and Such on Tuesday, it's The Compound on Saturday. And then there's 10 other places that's competing with them places and they all get huge crowds

so there's so many DJs you can touch there's so many ways and if you make it if you can make it in those clubs and everybody got a shot to go to that club

and get their music heard and if you make that it really does translate to getting on the radio and then we have all these surrounding cities and states that follow Atlanta radio

so it's like you know it's so many all you got to do is go and just, if you got some hustle by yourself, you ain't even got to be the best rapper. You can just out hustle everybody and get yourself known in the club, which is possible. And from that, you can really start making money, even if you never even make it to the radio. I have a lot of Atlanta questions, but I wanted to ask you one more thing about the mixtape

generation, because this year year the way people were really were releasing music and big artists you can feel a shift and i thought what kanye did was really interesting where he basically leaked out an album then he took it back then he kept working on it and he was tweaking it as it went along you'd beyonce just drops lemonade on a saturday night and it seems and drake's putting out mixtapes and it seems like I don't even know what an album is anymore and I guess it was like

that 10 years ago but now it feels like even in the mainstream nobody knows what an album is anymore yeah you know a lot about music you one thing about it

oh thank you you on point I got a lot of young people around me yeah cause the way you you right you right

but then you feel like this was the year when everything changed right well you know I was only here half of the year. You know what I'm saying? Two-thirds. No, six months.

Sixty percent. I opened out six months. When did you get out? I got out in May. Yeah, half the year. Yeah. So a lot of stuff I kind of had to get out and adjust to and see. You know what I'm saying?

Because like I told you, I wasn't really keeping up with it when I was in there. So I'm just seeing the way that people describe their music now. And like I said, it's tailor-made itself for me because this is how I always been. You know what I'm saying? But a lot of people, when I was doing it, that was crazy. You know what I'm saying? I remember when I told Todd, I'm going to drop three mixtapes in one day. He was like, why would you do something like that?

Don't do that. You are crazy. What are you doing? Then later, he was like, you are a genius. That was the best thing we ever did. Seriously.

You know what I'm saying? And I think a lot of people copied that. Not saying that I started that, but I just like taking chances. I always wanted to get my music heard. You know what I'm saying?

And all these big artists, they were making so much money back then that they didn't have to drop an album every, even like once every two years. Now people's attention is spanned so short, back then that they didn't have to drop an album every, even like once every two years.

Now people's attention span's so short, they saying that they gotta feed these people because the next internet person or internet craze

can come from just a dance and then, you know, that'll knock their spot from being number one. So they gotta compete

with not just all the people who signed to the major labels, they gotta compete with all these people who just organically making stuff and loading it on the SoundCloud or YouTube or SpinRuler or this, that, and the third. So it kind of leveled the playing field. So they got to come out of their comfort zone, and they got to put out music. Well, think about how different that is from, like, 05 when you had the song with J Jeezy and you couldn't decide whether to put it on an album or not. And by the time you put it out, it had already kind of gone through the club story.

Now you'd put that thing out in five seconds. Yeah. I like it like that. Yeah. I would actually, you're a sports fan, right? Huge. Yeah. It's, you know, the advanced metrics revolution.

Not sure. Simple math. Like how people like, I don't know, in basketball, everybody shoots threes now because they did the math and they're like three points is worth more than two. If you shoot 30 shots in a game and you make 12, that's better than going 15 for 30 on two points. It would seem like the more songs you put out with the way the music industry is set up, the more of a chance you put out 50 songs, three of them might hit. But that's three hits. So it would favor people like you that can just put out music and put out songs and constant, you know, quality stuff that one of them is going to hit every once in a while, right? Or am I overthinking this? No, you're right in a way.

But, you know, it's kind of like some people say, you know how they say quality over quantity. So if you put out, I guess. But you have both. In my opinion, and hopefully your opinion, but a lot of people don't agree with you. Or me. But I'm cool with that. All right. I have Atlanta stuff.

So when did you get to Atlanta? I moved in 89. So you went to the gold club once or twice? The gold club. The Marlboro Gold Club? The one that had the big trial in 2001 when all the athletes went to. You never went to that one? I know which one you're talking about.

Patrick Ewing had to testify that he had two girls at once, all that stuff. You never went there with Patrick Ewing? No, I have never been to that place right now. I heard a lot about it. But you know they have a new gold club in Atlanta. Oh, they have a new one? Yeah. Probably not as crazy

as the old ones. It's nice, but it's nothing like that. I did my album release, I did a party there on the 17th of October for my WAPtober album. It's a nice club.

What's the best gentleman's club in Atlanta right now in your opinion? The best gentleman's club, Magic City, it's the classic club. You know what I'm saying?

I would have to say Magic City is small but you know it's you know it's made for you got to be serious like you can't go into magic city playing around you probably can go in another place in atlanta go to the club and just be chilling but when you come to magic city you got to come to spend some money you know if you don't then you only need to go you you realize for outsiders atlanta is like the strangest city to go to. The couple times I've been there, it's like there's not really a downtown unless you know where the downtown spots are. And you go like every city you go to Boston, you go to Chicago, San Francisco. There's like a central something.

And Atlanta is just spread out. And you kind of have to figure out where to go and what to do. And you almost have to know somebody. You definitely have to know somebody in Atlanta to have a good time. You know what I'm saying? Like if you really want to, you got to be in the know. You go to Atlanta and don't know what's going on. You're screwed.

Yeah, you're just going to be sitting at the hotel and you're going to think you went somewhere and seen something, but you really never seen a real Atlanta. I was confused. A lot of highways. You come next time, call me. I'll take you up to them. I'll take you to Magic and show you something.

Let's talk about sports in Atlanta. So, the Falcons. They're the truth. Okay, you're a believer this year? We just made the rounds.

Matty Ice? We just made the rounds fire that coach. You didn't see that? Yeah, I saw that. The next day. Yeah. I think they were ready

to do that anyway, but I think you helped. He was standing on the cliff and you nudged him. Yeah, I saw that. The next day. Yeah. I think they were ready to do that anyway, but I think you helped. He was standing on the cliff and you nudged him. We're going to push them over there. What would matter the most to Atlanta, Falcons Super Bowl or a Hawks title? I'm guessing the Falcons, right? Both. Both.

Now we have to pick. Well, you know, my favorite teams are Alabama, Crills, and Tide, then the Falcons. Yeah. So not the Hawks. No, the Hawks. I then the Falcons. Yeah. So I love the Falcons. No, the Hawks. I'm a huge Hawks fan. But I love football more than I love basketball. All right.

So what are your feelings about the Mike Vick era all these years later? Man, I love Mike Vick. Mike Vick was so hard. I wish he never got in trouble because he was doing good with him, man. He was on the road. He was so good, man. What was your perspective on the Mike Vick thing as it was happening? Because it was pretty, the dogfighting thing in certain parts of the country,

everybody goes nuts if anything with dogs. And then there's other parts of the country where people grew up with dogfighting and they looked at it differently. I really didn't have no opinion, to be honest about it. But I just, you know, my whole thing was I was a fan of him and I was fans. I'm probably biased. You know what I'm saying? I'm in Atlanta.

He's our quarterback. Like I said, I love the Falcons. So I just wanted him of him and I was fan, I'm probably biased. You know what I'm saying? I'm in Atlanta. He's our quarterback. Like I said, I love the Falcons. So I just wanted him to stay and play because he was so exciting. You know what I'm saying? He had to see the soldiers

every time it was a Falcons game. I'm like, it was such a big deal. So when he left, that part of, you know what I'm saying, or just,

or the week just went down. And anyone who played video games, he was a big deal. Because he was the most amazing video game quarterback. I used to play with him every time. He was almost unfair. I just hyped the ball.

He was like, now you get up like that. You got to have somebody else. Yep. You just run like the five receiver shotgun and just have him run around. But now we got Julio. And I'm a huge Julio fan. So do you know these guys? Yeah, Julio is my partner.

That's who gave me the tickets to the. Yeah, yeah, I remember. You did something with him, man. He gave me the tickets to the Rams game. Okay. I was like, Julio, I'm in town. I got to come out to the... Yeah, yeah, I remember you did something with him, man. He gave me the tickets to the Realms game. Okay. I was like, Julio, I'm in town. I got to come out. That day he didn't play because he had turf to him.

So did you ever think of doing one of those songs that, like a Super Bowl shuffle type song where you do something with the Falcons and it becomes something they play in the stadium? You should do that. They play a lot of my songs in the stadium. Every time we get a first down, they play so easy. They've been doing it the last six, seven years. Yeah, they've been doing it the last six, seven years. That's phenomenal. Yeah. You should be that. They play a lot of my songs in the stadium. Every time we get a first down, they play so icy. They've been doing that the last six, seven years. Yeah, they've been doing it the last six, seven years.

That's phenomenal. Yeah. You should be really proud. It's really hard to get the song that becomes a staple in a sporting event. Atlanta, that's my city. They're supposed to play it. So, Matty Ice, you're a believer? Well, you know what I'm saying?

See, that's the reaction everyone has. Everyone has that reaction there's a pause and then you try to be nice that's our quarterback so I'm room for him you know he's doing good but you know

he has frustrated me a lot over the years but at the same time I think we might get it together this year what rapper would you compare Matty Ice to? I would compare Matty Ice to

golly. This is interesting because you might you don't want to insult a rapper and you don't want to insult Matty Ice. You got to find the right balance on this one. That's a good question. You don't have to answer it. Good one. What do the Hawks

have? I wrote some Atlanta questions down because I don't want to forget anything. What do the Hawks have to do to have a better fan base? Because, like, Al Horford left, and his dad said when he left, like, one of the reasons he left was when he played in Boston. He loved the fans and the crowd,

and it's just the Hawks fans just never got there. They should have brought me in as one of the minority owners. They would have did. They would have changed the whole landscape. Was that in play at any point?

Did you ask? Well, I was locked up when they was looking for owners, but they would have did that, they would have changed the whole landscape. Was that in play at any point? Did you ask? Well, I was locked up when they was looking for owners, but they still should have reached out. Well, they had a whole bunch of minority owners, right? They didn't have me. Maybe there's still time.

I hope so. I would love to be a part of them. We should move them to Moreland and call them the Eastern Line of Hawks on my side of town. It'll just change the whole thing. So you would move the stadium? Yeah.

I just did a part. I did a show for the Hawks like three weeks ago. They played the Pelicans on like a Tuesday and I sold it out. They brought the revenue. That guy ahead of that revenue down here was like, listen, we just sold out the Phillips Arena on a Tuesday playing the Pelicans.

Like, we appreciate you. Thank you so much. Do you know what you just did? So I told him, and I was like, y'all need to get in business with me. Yeah, give me a share. I mean, people thought Jay-Z owned the Nets, and he owned like 0.00001% or something. He might own 0.01%, but how did he parlay that into whatever he needed to do?

We don't know. Yeah, but it was the perception that he was involved, and the team really used him, in Brooklyn especially, to be like, yeah, we got Jay-Z on our side, and it was whatever they gave him, it was worth it. But people don't know probably what he used that perception to do. I think it helped both of them. So this could help you, the Hawks.

It could. The Hawks should reach out to you. Listen, they're my partners. When you proposed on the Jumbotron, that was like the biggest Hawks moment in 25 years since Dominique Wilkins. Yeah, I met Dominique that day, too. You did? Yeah, for the first time. What did he say?

Did he say, don't get married? Doesn't Dominique never get married, right? Dominique cool as hell. He told me congratulations. Dominique was a legend back in the day, off the court. Dominique is still a legend. You know, I used to do ESPN's basketball show

and a bunch of stuff with Jalen Rose. Wow. And Jalen Rose revered certain guys who, you know, did well with the ladies who played in the NBA

like Magic and Dominique in the South. He said, Dominique owned the South. Dominique owned his own, I think he started and owned his own nightclub.

Yeah, he did have a club. Jalen always said that was genius. So when I had Dominique on a podcast, I asked him about it. And I was like, Jalen said you opened a club to make it easier. And he was just like, that Jalen. He used to be my favorite player. That was good. I'm a huge Celtic fan.

So I went to those Bird-Dominique games. I went to the shootout. I was actually in the building. Dominique was amazing. That was the game when he dunked a rebound from the foul line, which is still the greatest thing I've ever seen in my life. We lost that game. Yeah, you lost that game.

Dominique was weirdly the greatest, best moment of his career, but they lost. But it was kind of that one and when he lost the dunk contest to MJ that he should have won and they gave it to mj because he was like the golden child but dominique won the contest those were like the two best moments of his career dominique was the truth so what do the hawks have to do so you think they're in the wrong part of town i think this is i like the house you as a minority owner i think they should get me in as an owner i would love to have a part

of this one franchise i would love to be a part of it all. There's one franchise I would love to be a part of. I can't see why they wouldn't do that. Well, maybe somebody needs help. They need some traction. Maybe they'll hear about this

and they'll reach out. I bet they hear about this. I guarantee you that Gucci Mane wants to be involved with the Dodgers. They got my number. They'll text me later.

Is there a right place to put these sports teams? Because the Braves are moving again. The Braves moved already. Yeah, they moved to the suburbs, right? Yeah, and they're

in Cobb County now. My Atlanta friends, including Rumbert Brown, were very, very upset about the move. You know, it happened when I was away, but I remember a lot of people

were super upset that they left. Yeah. How'd you stay in touch with sports for three years? I watched ESPN on TV. Really? Yeah.

Were you able to see the finals and that stuff, Super Bowls? Yes. Yes, I seen the finals and the Super Bowls and college football. I always would watch the SportsCenter to see what was going on and read the paper. Alabama? Were you able to watch the playoffs? Of course. Of course.

We lost Ohio State. It was so sad. Well, now it's like Alabama is, it's almost unfair. It's becoming unfair to college football what's going on in Alabama. It's a legitimate dynasty. It wasn't unfair when Auburn beat us.

It wasn't unfair when Ohio State beat us. Okay. It's starting to feel unfair. Life isn't fair. Okay. It's starting to feel unfair. Life isn't fair. Okay. Oh, what's the difference between East Atlanta and every other part of Atlanta?

East Atlanta, a major thing is, you know, Atlanta is composed of zones and it's like the city kind of set up kind of crazy. Like on the east side of Atlanta is only one zone, Zone 6.

All other zones are on the west side or central or north. So it's like when you get to the east side of Atlanta, you get to Zone 6, then you're gone. Then you're like in Decatur. You're in Stone Mound and all these different places. So it's like as far as just being the east side, it's the only place on the east side that is Atlanta. And once you get out of the city, you know what I'm saying, it's just the landscape just changes. So everybody's like super proud of that neighborhood because it's like, you know, we're the east side of town that's still really authentically considered Atlanta. You were in prison when they started making the TV show Atlanta Which then became a huge hit this year

Did you see Atlanta? I still haven't seen it, I heard about it You haven't seen Atlanta? How come? I ain't had time You have to see Atlanta No, everybody been telling me it's super good Only because I'm dying for your opinion on Atlanta

I want to know what you think I'm going to check it out, they say it's good It's really good What's the name of that show I'm waiting for your opinion on Atlanta. I want to know what you think. I'm going to check it out. They say it's good. It's really good. What's the name of that show I'm waiting to come back on I'll be looking at? I read the book about when they say one is coming.

Game of Thrones. Yeah, that's what I like. I like the Game of Thrones. You watch Game of Thrones? Yeah, I watch Game of Thrones in power. It would be interesting if you love Atlanta

or you don't like it because it's almost too close to home for you. Because it's about an up-and-coming rapper in Atlanta. If I check it out, I'm going to give it a try. It's only like eight episodes. I'm going to look at it.

I'm going to look at it. I'll get on Netflix and pull it up and see if it's on Netflix. I predict that you will be on Atlanta by season three, at least for one episode. Let's take a quick break to talk about Blue Apron. Stop wasting money on expensive takeout please just sign up with blue apron for less than ten dollars per meal blue apron will deliver all the fresh ingredients you need for a delicious home-cooked meal they have the highest standards for ingredients they built a community of home chefs that have no

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On my Instagram account, which I think is s-p-t-g-u-y-3-3, I'm on Instagram. I post good Instagram photos. You should follow me on Instagram. I will put a couple photos because I just changed my office around and added a couple things that Framebridge framed, including a pretty great Nirvana one and a Bob McAteer Braves one and a whole bunch of things. So I'll put that on Instagram and you can see for yourself. Framebridge.com, a promo code BS.

And now back to Gucci Mane. All right, I have some speed round questions for you. Ready? What's the best song you ever made? First day out to Fizz. What's the best song you ever made? First day out to Fizz. What's the best lyric you ever wrote? That's a good question, right? Come on, everybody knows what their best thing is.

I don't know. I got to think about that one. All right. You're passing. Drummer Boy said, The myths I've heard about Tupac, I think of Gucci instantly. I think Gucci would be rapping on the corner on the block,

entertaining the hood, whether he's famous or not. Is that true? Not true. Okay. You were in prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. That's where Larry Bird went to college. Wow. He used to face off against Dominique Wilkins.

Did you know that or you didn't know that? I didn't know he was from Terre Haute. Yeah, Indiana State. What's the single best thing on the Waffle House menu? The waffles. Okay. What's the biggest thing people get wrong about prison? People think that it makes you hard.

It's an accomplishment when really it's a punishment. And there's nothing to be glorified. This summer, an internet rumor started that you had been cloned. And Drake ended up taking a picture with you to prove otherwise. If you did have a clone, what kind of things would you ask this clone to do? I would doubt she would ask him to do them three years for me. Do you have any advice, because you've been in a few feuds in your day, do you have any advice for Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant?

Just, you know, get your money. You know what I'm saying? If y'all was friends at one time, y'all don't got to never be friends again. But you can wish them well. You know what I'm saying? And just silently, you know what I'm saying, just wish them. You ain't even got to tell them. Just wish them their best and just, you know what I'm saying,

just get your money and do your thing and live your life. Okay. What's the last thing you ordered online? Last thing I ordered online? A trampoline for my little boy. What do you think of Dame Lillard as a rapper? I haven't heard it, but he's a hell of a basketball player. Good answer.

Can someone learn how to freestyle, or is it something you're born with? You definitely have to learn. You can learn, because I didn't know how to freestyle. It's not innate. It's not something you're born with. I started off writing, and then I started getting so many requests for features that I didn't have time to write it no more. So it just made sense to just put it up and do it.

Is it true you're doing a mixtape with Malcolm Gladwell? I would love to write a book with Malcolm Gladwell. If you wrote a book with Malcolm Gladwell, I would buy it. That's one purchase right there. I have my Amazon pre-order ready for you. I've been thinking about that since I was locked up. That means I need to do a collaboration book. That's my friend.

I could help arrange that. I would like to meet him. I almost had him calling during this podcast, but I didn't want to interrupt our flow. He makes good books. He does. He wrote a book about me. He don't even know it. What was the book?

The Outlier. The 10,000 Hours? That was like the biography of me. You're the missing chapter in Outliers? I'm the maverick. In 2013, you said college athletes should not be paid. Do you still believe that? I think they should be paid.

You think they should be paid? Yeah. Okay, how much would you pay them? I don't know. They're making so much money in them stadiums and stuff. Man, they should give them something so they don't have to sell their jerseys and all that. Just give them something. That just makes them what they don't have to do.

You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Do stuff to hurt their career. Just give them something so they just make sure they don't have to do this. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Do stuff to hurt their career. Just give them something so they can just stay instead of having to leave school early. What would your plan be for paying Alabama athletes when they're already being paid? That is not true. What's the last item you actually purchased from Gucci? Last item I purchased from Gucci?

I'm scared to even talk about Gucci at the moment. They on my ass. Gucci's on your ass? Is there a reason? I want no smoke with Gucci, period. Okay. You know they have the store in the Trump Tower. I can believe it.

What's the craziest thing you've ever read about yourself online? The clone thing. That was like, when it first got out, that was weird. What was that? You know, like people saying I was cloned. At first, you know, it started out small, then it started growing. Like, people started really believing it. Oh, the clone, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like CIA cloning and all that. It started getting kind of outrageous. Did anybody in your life actually wonder about it? I don't know. You know, because my circle is so small now. Everybody who I keep around me, you know what I'm saying, they just see my transformation. You know what I'm saying?

They start seeing how I was working on myself, and they see me just change. So, no, they didn't know. They knew what was going on. But for people who did know me, I don't know what the hell they were thinking because I wasn't talking to them no more. What's the biggest your circle got? It used to be just, you know, I used to have artists

and they have their entourage. You know, I got to think I had Thug, the Amigos, Young Scooter, Wild Club, had all these people around, and all of them got deep entourage. So I had people around I didn't even know. Yeah. And I just didn't even care. You know what I'm saying?

It's almost like a boxer. Worse than a boxer. It was just unrealistic. I would go to the club, 100 plus people, man. 100 plus people? Yeah. It's like throwing your own wedding. It was bad.

When is your wedding, by the way? October 17th, 2017. Yeah. How many people You inviting to that Do you know I don't know Are you involved

In the planning Nah My fiance I'm just I'm just there Okay Where did you meet This young lady

I met her in Atlanta Okay What's your favorite Adlib Gucci Ya Or Burr Burr

Definitely Burr is the best Adlib in the history of music. Are you ready to... And it's all germs. Have you talked yourself one way or the other with Dwight Howard into liking him or not liking him yet? Or are you just new to the ad-libs sometimes?

I love Dwight Howard. What do you mean? You love Dwight Howard. As a player, yeah, for the house, we need him. He's hometown. You don't like Dwight Howard? Not really, no.

I think he's going to be a Hall of Famer. I think he was the best center from maybe 05 to 2010. But I don't think he knows what he is. He should just rebound and block shots. Stop posting up, Dwight Howard. He's starting to post up again for you guys now.

Just stop. Nobody wants to see you throw jump hooks off the backboard, Dwight Howard. When you see us in the finals, I don't want to hear you say that, Dan. In the finals? You're 12-12. That would be a big turnaround. A lot of people. You got to start somewhere.

You like the German? The tall guy? No, the point guard. Schroeder. Oh, he's from Germany? Yeah. I knew you were start somewhere. You like the German? The tall guy? No, the point guard. Schroeder. Oh, he's from Germany? Yeah. I knew you were from somewhere. Yeah, that's why he acts like that.

Man, I wonder where he was from, man. That's why he's such a shitster. Yeah. I like Schroeder. He hard. They probably got him after you went to prison the last time. I've been watching it for a minute, but I still wanted to keep Teague, though. Yeah, I like Teague.

Teague always used to burn the Celtics. Best female rapper ever? Best female rapper ever? Lady of Rage. Were you okay with Beyonce naming her album Lemonade? Hell yeah. I liked that. But 10% of you

wasn't like, come on. No, 100% was like, that was dope. Beyonce is one of the best to ever do it. All right. Favorite professional athlete

you ever hung out with just as a hang? You don't have to, don't say Julio Jones just because you're friends with him and you wanted to feel good. Like, give me a genuine answer. The best, oh, how about that? Most fun. Most fun, best hang, professional athlete, just because you're friends with him and you want him to feel good like give me a genuine answer the best oh how about fun most fun best hang professional athlete just like you're

like I love this guy and you say I can't say Julio you can't say who it is I said I can't say Julio you can if it's if it's true 100% Julio Julio Julio cool as hell man he humble he humble as hell Julio invited me one time to his house with his mother-in-law for Thanksgiving dinner when he knew I was just out of town. When I was in Alabama, like, you know, my mom over here, she kick and come over here. So 100% Julio. Okay. Your favorite month of the year, is it October or December? 100% October. My favorite date, 10-17. It's like Black Friday in my world. Was

your Twitter hacked in 2013 or not? Nope. It was not hacked. Okay. If you were ever going to tattoo your face again, what would you get? I would never tattoo my face now. I'm the most handsome I've ever been right now.

Your new chain is called St. Brick, and it has its own Instagram and Twitter, and it goes for 50 grand. It's actually really cool. Who is the most famous person that you know who has bought it? No, St. Brick is my chain. They got an Instagram account. But it's like, you know, I don't have a hype man. So I say like St. Brick is my hype man because he always with me on the stage. But what's the chain that actually?

I call it St. Brick. But actually, he just elicits features from other artists. There's just a page that I use him to communicate. But what about the actual chain? That's not for sale for 50 grand. Did I get duped by the internet? Man, if you couldn't get that. I got duped by the internet. Do you know how many 50 grand it'll take to buy that chain? Can't believe you said that. I went to a bad internet page. Don't blame me. I thought I could buy it. I was thinking about buying it for myself for Christmas. I had a rough

year. You can buy it, you're gonna have to Get it You're gonna have to It's gotta be more than 50 grand You're gonna have to Multiply that Okay You

The Brick Factory Migos Young Thug Pee Wee All these guys Anybody coming up That we don't know about yet That you feel like

Could move into that Stratosphere group Who could Like the next up and coming Yeah That you're ready that you feel like could move into that stratosphere group? Like the next up and coming? Yeah. That you're ready to kind of adopt to throw into that group? I'm relaunching my label Top of 2017, so I'm looking for that next person. I can't say, you know, I'm looking for talent now,

so if anybody knows somebody who is talented, they need to turn me on to them. It seems like everybody, you know, there's always new people coming out, but everybody who I feel like got something going, they already got a deal and already got signed. Last question. What's your favorite story that you've never told? My favorite story? That you're like, man, every time I do an interview,

I keep waiting for somebody to ask me about blank, they never do and this is a great two-minute story and I'm going to tell it right now I got so many stories that I can't even is man I don't even know which one give me one give me one from like 2006 2006 that Anything? I don't know. To be honest, I don't, I can't, it's kind of hard on top of my head to think about just a good story that ain't nobody heard. Everybody know everything about me. I'm just, I'm just. You think that's true?

I thought you had a chain called St. Brick for 50 grand. I was wrong. I think there's a lot of misinformation out there. You gotta, I don't know, man. Sometimes you, sometimes I like being an enigma. I like the rumors I like the mystery of being me

you know what I'm saying yeah you get so much out of me from just hearing my music if you just listen to my music I tell you how I feel

you get my opinion you get my stance on just everything alright so this album is coming out December it's coming out Thursday the return of

East Atlanta or it's Friday the return of East Atlanta Or it's Friday The return of East Atlanta Santa And this is not your last album Of 2016 You're squeezing in one more In the last two weeks This is it

You have two more weeks after this You can put one more out What's the record? Even God Even God Wristed on the seventh day So 2017 You put out maybe one

Or you Two Two albums next year My first book My first So 2017, you put out maybe one? Two. Two albums next year. My first book. Your first book? Yes. So this is happening?

Yeah, it's coming, I think, in May. Who helped you write it? I wrote it myself, but I'm going to get somebody to help me put it all together. But I definitely wrote the whole book myself when I was in prison. Really? How long is it? It's, uh, I'm still compiling it, but it's a whole bunch of papers that I just wrote. I can't even, I can't even tell you how long it is. I just wrote and wrote and wrote. I showed my kids your St. Brick intro video last night. I have an 11 year old daughter and a nine year old son. They were riveted by it. Wow.

Cause it gets scary about a minute in. When it stops. Yeah, when it stops and they were like, and then all of a sudden there was money under the tree and stuff and they were super happy. They got worried for a second

that something bad was going to happen. I bet they're some wonderful kids. They got good taste. Yeah, it was good. Oh, no, they liked it. They love any holiday song

that has a little hip-hop. I mean, that's not technically a holiday song, but it feels a little bit holiday-ish, right? It's in the city. It's got a little bit of Jingle Bells in there. It's got a little thing. All right, so what other press are you doing? Is this it?

No, I got a bunch of stuff I'm doing in New York tomorrow. Nonstop. But this was the most fun thing you've done all week? 100%. All right, cool. Good luck with Maddie Ice and the Falcons. Thank you. I wish you less than good luck with the Hawks because I'm a Celtic fan.

We're going to see you in the playoffs. We're going to see the Patriots in the Super Bowl. The Patriots-Falcons. I would love that. Me too. That's my team. My team laid the smackdown on Monday. You reminded everybody that we're a dynasty with four Super Bowls.

No, y'all are the truth. Y'all ain't nothing to play with. Have you written anything about Tom Brady ever? Have I ever written something about Tom Brady? Have you ever written a song or anything? Tom Brady? I shot him out on the tourney, still on the sign. Oh, there you go. I see you have good taste.

Yeah. All right, good luck with everything. Thank you. Thank you so much. It was so much fun talking to you. All right, thanks again to Gucci Mane. Thanks to SeatGeek. Thanks to Stamps.com.

You got to avoid the post office during the holidays god the last two weeks of december is just brutal stay away from the post office buy and print official us postage with your own computer and printer go to stamps.com click on the microphone at the top of that home page type in bs you'll get a four-week trial plus a 110 bonus offer that includes postage and a digital scale stamps.com promo code bs thanks to the ringer.com thanks to pearl jam.com and we are back on friday with a fresh brand new podcast and don't, I have a new column coming this week. Unless it disappears from my computer magically, which would suck. I will see you then.

I will see you in print. I will see you back here Friday. All right. I don't have a few years with him on the wayside I'm a person I never was I don't have

a few years