“It’s Gucci!” No, you didn’t just drop four figures on your girlfriend’s birthday present. It’s one of the most polarizing, confounding, and fascinating figures in 21^st-century hip-hop. It’s soon to be followed by cries of “BURR!” (A.K.A. the Rebel Yell of rap music). It’s Atlanta’s trap king, Gucci Mane!

Trap Back is the first of what promises to be many releases from the Brick Squad CEO in 2012. According to Wikipedia, he released four mixtapes alone in 2011, not to mention the Ferrari Boyz collaboration with Waka Flocka Flame that came out the same week as Watch The Throne. So basically, I don’t know when the Trap ever left, but it’s here to stay.

Trap Back begins with an introduction delivered by the infamous gangster Big Meech. While the crime lord never mentions Rick Ross explicitly, the very act of getting the Black Mafia Family leader may be enough to constitute Gucci firing shots at the Bauce’s direction. It will make for some interesting music in the future at the very least.

The first highlight of the 18 following songs is “Walking Lick,” mainly because it features Brick Squad ace-in-the-hole Waka. When you look out at today’s hip-hop landscape and evaluate the best Batman-and-Robin duos, you have the two established legends (Jay-Z and Kanye), the two establishing-themselves-as legends (Lil’ Wayne and Drake), and the two guys you don’t want to see across from you in a parking lot brawl – Gucci and Waka. The chorus may be nonsense, but is there anything confusing about Waka screaming “Me and Gucci Mane, bitch we hard to kill!” at the end of his verse?

To be honest, most of the songs on this tape sound the same, with Gucci rapping slowly, delivering hooks that probably couldn’t be more simple, and beats that sound like they were cooked up with a “trap muzik” app on an iPhone. In fact, I’m pretty sure the 2 Chainz collabo “Get It Back” samples a Super Nintendo. That said, he’s the only rapper (besides Gucci and Waka) who can make me laugh just by saying his name, so I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy that one too.

Drumma Boy delivers the beat of the tape with “Sometimes,” the last track (excluding the bonus), and Gucci rises to the occasion by trying his hands at similes and puns. I’ll admit, I laughed at the “hands on like a laptop” line. My favorite track title, though, has to be the bonus track, “North Pole.” The thing that separates Gucci from the umpteen other “trap” rappers flooding the Internet with mixtapes is the way he’s elevated himself from rapper to character. “A igloo full of white snow when the white – BURR!” It’s not intelligent, but at least it’s entertaining.

2.5 / 5 bars

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Gucci Mane – “Walking Lick” (Feat. Waka Flocka Flame)

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Gucci Mane – “Get It Back” (Feat. 2 Chainz)

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Gucci Mane – “North Pole”