WOPTOBER II X GUCCI MANE


And we are back with our ninth official review! As promised, the below are our metrics for our reviews. To see our previous review of PLAN OF ATTACK X JET LIFE OGS, click here.

FEEL- What type of feelings does the music invoke? What does it make you want to do?
LYRICS- Are there bars?
PRODUCTION- Does the artist ride the beats? Does their cadence match the production? Does the production fit well with the project?
OVERALL- How many tracks do we like compared to the number of tracks on the project?

Feel free to use the above for your own reference as you go through the music and let us know what you think! 

WOPTOBER II X GUCCI MANE
Release Date: 10.18.2019
Number of Tracks: 13
Duration: 36 MIN
Favorite Track: Wop Longway Takeoff, Highly Recommended

There is not much that can be said about Gucci Mane that has not already been said. At age 39, Gucci is responsible for countless mixtapes, studio albums, and EPs alike, and this makes it difficult to mention Atlanta rappers without him. Like him or not Gucci, otherwise known as “Wop,” has had a resounding impact on rap and rap music, and since Atlanta is a well-known mecca for hip-hop, the evidence of this is irrefutable. In my opinion, the personal issues from his past are really what hold him back from getting the credit that he deserves, however most who listen to rap have an opinion on Gucci, and that alone can be considered an achievement.

Gucci first hit the scene with his widely successful debut single, “So Icy,” alongside fellow Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy. Despite the song’s success, the two began a seemingly endless feud of which Jeezy was said to be the victor, as his career took an upward trend faster than Gucci’s. Despite the setback, Wop went on to release track after track, and played an integral part in the inception of trap music, and along with Atlanta producer Zaytoven, he is without question one of the most influential artists of the city’s history. Propelled by his friendship with Zaytoven, Gucci has demonstrated a capacity to continue making music despite critics, and with his recent release of Woptober II, he finds himself up next for review.

FEEL
Gucci is one of the very few rappers that has actually done some of the things that he raps about, from acts of violence, to the sale of drugs, and his authenticity can be felt in his raps. This does however make him hard to relate to, and this can really hamper the feel of his music. I remember seeing a popular meme where a person states that they “listen to music about banging whores and kicking doors, on their way to their 9-5 office job.” That statement pretty much sums up the type of music that Wop makes, and the type of feelings that ensue. Across his time as an artist, this message has been wildly consistent, and does not deviate from this trend. Woptober II is much of the same, however this time, it seems to be done as well as I have seen in a long time. The album absolutely KNOCKS, giving it the feel of classic Atlanta trap rap.



LYRICS
While it is debatable whether Gucci does or does not have bars, what he does have is experience. In his many years in the rap game, Gucci has featured or been a feature for nearly every artist you could think of. Additionally, the type of music that he makes is not meant to be broken down bar for bar or line for line, which mitigates the importance of the lyrics as a whole. Gucci albums are usually feature heavy, and are a key selling point, which means that even if you do not like Gucci himself, chances are he will feature an artist that you do like. The features on Woptober II are exceptionally done, with headline such as Da Baby, Lil Baby, Megan Thee Stallion, PeeWee Longway, Quavo, Takeoff, Kodak Black, and Kevin Gates. In my opinion, Kevin Gates completely bodies his verse on “Bucking the System,” securing the top spot for best feature. He is followed by PeeWee Longway and Takeoff on the song “Wop Longway Takeoff” for the second spot. Finally, Gucci demonstrates on his song, “Highly Recommended” that while features are a high selling point, he is not completely reliant on them, as he raps to advise his listeners of the plight of snitches.

PRODUCTION
Along with the features, the production is always very well done on Gucci albums, and Woptober II is certainly not devoid of big names here either. The production credits feature the likes of Sizzle from 808 Mafia, Quay, Tay Kieth, and the aforementioned Zaytoven himself. Gucci, along with his feature artists, offer a cadence that rides each beat perfectly, without a single snare sounding out of place. It is likely the strongest point of the entire album, meaning that even if you somehow get through the entire list of artists, and decide you do not like a single one, you can still cut the album on for it to, “beat down the block.”

OVERALL
Woptober II, is an excellent piece of trap music, and one of the better Gucci Mane albums I have heard in a while. The prestigious list of features, combined with the legendary producers of the past, present, and future make for an album that checks all of the boxes for an Atlanta rap record. While Wop is not a known lyricist, his strengths as an artist shine well for an album that absolutely KNOCKS. Oracle Rap Reviews awards Woptober II a score of 8 out of the 13 tracks, resulting in a must-play for your late 2019 rotation.

The album in a word: Banger

11.6.2019 – The Oracle
Edited by MJG Story Creation


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