Who Had A Better Year: Drake or Gucci Mane?
Like it or not, this question is 100% legitimate, relevant, and difficult to answer. I’ll explain why.
2009′s musical year got interesting after the release of Drake‘s eclectic mixtape, So Far Gone, which had the internet goin’ nuts. He racked up 60,000+ downloads on the first day it dropped.
How’d he do it? He built up hella anticipation with his two previous mixtapes, along with a couple of tracks with crooner Trey Songz, but his stock rose exponentially after he was invited on tour with current Young Money boss, Lil Wayne. They even leaked a few tracks in which the former Degrassi cast member arguably outshined Weezy (you can’t tell me he didn’t kill that “Ransom” track. Click here to listen), and that’s when the stars began to align for the 23-year-old.
A couple days after So Far Gone possession, everybody’s status had a Drake quote on their Facebook profile and AIM status. Oh, and don’t forget Twitter. He had girls shivering and shaking and the dudes jammin’ too. I won’t even lie, me and my roommate borrowed our friend’s car and had it on repeat driving around campus to see if anybody was up on it.
Summer hit, and Drake’s unsigned self was on the Billboard Charts twice (“Best I Ever Had” and “Every Girl” with his Young Money cohorts), and had Kanye executive producing his first video. Which sucked, but still. The fact remains, he was becoming a household name quickly, even though he had been rapping excellently for a while. It shows how far a solid co-sign can take you, especially from a self-proclaimed Martian who went platinum in a week. He eventually signed with Young Money, and has worked with everybody from Jamie Foxx to Young Jeezy since his recent blowup. He even repackaged his mixtape with all the hits and released an EP for sale on iTunes, adding one bonus track, “Fear”, and still sold 109,000 in two weeks. He probably did this to be included for this year’s Grammy nominations; he’s genius for that.
While Drake had the first half of the year on lock, Gucci Mane came out of nowhere and decided that the second half of ’09 was to be his.
Nobody thought he’d eclipse that “So Icey” joint from back in the day. Then “Freaky Girl” dropped and even after Luda killed the remix, people still didn’t think Gucci had any star power. The Gucci/Jeezy beef (which was squashed today, apparently) had me thinking that his career was as good as dead. But I went to Atlanta to visit my cousin at school, and Gucci had billboards everywhere. He was like an underground king in the South who was worshiped by both the goons and goblins in the streets and the college students and high-schoolers.
His cult following grew and seeped into major cities and hicktowns across the country. Gucci Mania had been steadily building, but following his early release from jail in ’09, sh!t hit the fan. His Plies-assisted single, “Wasted”, was the anthem for every party animal in America, easy. He also killed his appearances on “Boom Boom Pow” with Black Eyed Peas, “Obsessed” with Mariah Carey, “Pretty Girls” with Wale “5-Star Chick” with Yo Gotti. He was to the second half of ’09 what Wayne was to ’08 – the go-to guest feature.
On November 12, he was thrown back in jail for violating probation again, yet his album drops tomorrow, DecemBURR December 8th, and he’ll likely outsell the rest of the artists releasing projects, including The Clipse. Like him or hate him, you have to respect him.
MTV ranked Drake as #3 on their Hottest MC list, while Gucci came in at #6. But in my eyes, these are the only two in conversation for incredible years. So my question to you is, who had a better year? I gave both arguments. You tell me who deserves it. If I left any important facts or points of view out, let me know. Also, for a great breakdown on Gucci’s appeal, check out my man Marcus Dowling’s article here.
yo. i’m starting it off.
gucci wins to me. he came from nothing. he’s a goon! he built all his buzz straight off some ignorant party music, but he’s proven himself and is still standing. he’s in JAIL and his project will still sell hella units! he’s crossed over and done things that nobody expected. he’s got 6 years on drake, but still. i just feel like going for gucci on this one is the move. let’s get it.
It’s true. We actually did borrow a car and bump it. That car has the ill sound package in it too. goodness, we lived well in college.
gucci isn’t nearly as talented, but def had the better yr even with drake doing so well in the beginning.
i never like drake… none of his songs are on my itunes so i will have to say gucci mane because of that and he is on a black eye peas track… what more can u say about that the drake hype has died after the summer gucci was hot all year with mixtapes… it not how u started its how u finished so give it to gucci to havin a diverse field of features and being consistent.
Drake..Easily. He’s Grammy nominated WITHOUT an album. He’s worked with damn near EVERYONES top 3 rappers in the game, and made the billboard charts with a RE-Release of a FREE mixtape; with a price tag. No one has a resume’ like such…
Drake, for the simple fact that he is not locked up. If you in prison, you not winning. imo.
Considering where Gucci Mane came from, definitely Gucci.
I have to go with Gucci. While Drake did make some serious strides, Gucci has been all over the game, reaching out and working with everyone and their mother. Drake’s mixtape was unbelievable but he kind of dwelled on it. If he dropped something else that absolutely blew us away, I think he would hands down get this.
First off great topic. In my opinion, Drake had a better year. From a mix tape to a grammy nomination!
in my opinion Drake is on top…i can def listen to anyone of his mixtapes and rock all the way thru, never once getting the urge to wanna rip my ears off, next the track or turn down my speakers bcuz i don’t want anyone to know that i’m actually listening to his work
…which is the total opposite of how i feel about Gucci, he’s catchy, and i can see how he can appeal to certain listeners but he’s def NOT for me…unless i’m drunk
BUT i feel like Gucci had a crazy come up this year, while Drake was HOT when he emerged and has maintained if not moved up in his position. So yea…I’ll vote Gucci, simply because he seems to be the most improved player in the game
I’m gonna go with Team Drake.
I can’t lie, I was so against Gucci. Now, not so sure. But Drake gets my vote because his come-up was so thorough and gimmick-less.
Drake. He was able to drop serious numbers selling a FREE album as well as work a single onto radio without the help of the industry machine (pre Young Money). Even though he fell off at the end of the year, the dude owned the first half of ’09.
i feel like drake wins. just because he’s the aspiring mc’s dream. You start out relatively unknown (I cant say that the degrassi factor wasn’t a little bit of help, but to be honest, it coulda went either way), you start releasing these mixtapes, and you slowly gain buzz. then arguably, the hottest rapper in the game taps you on the shoulder and puts you under his wing. Then you get on a couple tracks and shit on him. You release a mixtape, with you singing, and rapping, and it pushes 60k in a week. he gave away an album, frankly. A lot of rappers couldnt get their mixtapes out if they were paying people to listen. He’s like the prototypical rapper; his delivery for most is direct, with little punchlines, but a lot of quotables, and his hooks are infectious. he’s getting nominated for a grammy off of a mixtape. Gucci still can’t rap. Let’s be real here. His music is nice, I guess, but he can barely spit. Drake can do what Gucci does and more; he can make the “Best I Ever Had”s and then have a “Fear” or a “Say What’s Real”. I honestly don’t remember anyone having this much buzz since Ye – it’s gotta be Drake.
better year in terms of hype: Gucci. but he’s in jail, like Clif Soulo said. His album is gonna sell tho. Drake has won over a lot of fans, but he hasn’t dropped an album. he’s dropped a critically acclaimed mixtape…yeah it was critically acclaimed…but it was a mixtape….this is actually a better question than i thought haha.
Drake’s got a Grammy nod. Gucci don’t…but Gucci has an album out lol.
comes down to who had a better year in the rap game, i’d say Gucci. but i think he’s losing in life lmao
Gucci Mane,
He went from a nobody, a really southern artist, to a somebody, surburbian kids know who songs and mixtapes. Now Drake is nominated for two grammys but he’s been a force to be reckoned with since Heartbreak Drake. Gucci Mane is also still growing as an artist.
Hmmm…… State (2), Radric Davis (0). I’m gonna say Drake by default! lol. I do think this was an extremely great year for gucci, considering his mainstream acceptance, but because of many roadblocks (i.e. prison) his year didn’t reach full potential. Drake on the other hand has been on the come up since he first dropped. Looking at business moves, lyricism (which Gucci LACKS), and overall performance; Drake had the better year!
A.Free
http://www.808sandcupcakes.com
I gotta go wit Drake. Gucci def had a great year with all the features and gettin that big nationally but goin bac to jail was an epic fail plus Drake did too much to compete with. Two grammy nods, major collabs with JayZ and Mary J and he international already. Album is easily one of the most anticipated of next year, he winning
the thing about the argument is that aubrey has lyrics and flow that is appealing to everyone while a lot of ppl can hardly understand radric especially the ppl who buy most rap albums(whites)
Hard to say… Drake blew up this year & Gucci Mane put himself BACK on the map this year. Gonna say Drake tho… his fan base >>> Gucci Mane’s fan base as of right now
No question, Drake.
You can’t be a winner in jail.
Gucci!
’nuff said.
Haha. Dead people don’t directly reap the rewards though.
I’ll give Gucci credit for working harder but Drake gets it for working smarter. For that, this is his year.
I gotta root for Drake bc he’s a young kid like myself. He’s making moves and it’s inspirational. I also have to agree with Clif Soulo on the prison issue. Drake’s got the world ahead of him.
Well, Gucci is dope as fuck and Drake sucks,
but,
gucci’s going to jail and drake is getting rich and famous.
Drake wins.
shit. my comment got deleted. it said, “course you can.” and then i had a little more sass. it was all directed towards @sabsthegreat. then i said posthumous was the new move. like tupac and biggie, and how their legacies live on. but i quickly got roasted.
i think that gucci won this year strictly on the strength that he’s a supergoon. he’s got absolutely no sex appeal, he can’t open his mouth large enough to fit a grape in it, and he’s the only person i ever heard say the word “streets” but replace “t” with a “k” and used no effort in doing so.
drake’s a pretty boy. we expected him to click eventually. he also exploded fast, while gucci had a quiet storm brewing for like 2 years. it was well-deserved. and people keep shitting on him, but he’s definitely better than people expect. but it’s party music, while drake is versatile. and i’m not talking about versatile like “let’s put gucci on this mariah track to change paces a bit”. i mean he can do whatever the fuck he wants, from R&B to rap, from swag music with wayne to hip hop with elzhi, phonte and pooh.
i really only choose gucci to force people to give me a legit argument, but i think they both had solid years. drake has much more mainstream appeal because he’s household-friendly. plus, he was on degrassi. lordy.
drake…he’s not in jail and is grammy nominated
They both had amazing years, but at the end of the day I feel like Drake had more of an impact in music this year. From colabs with Wayne,Trey Songs,Kanye,Eminem,Jay-Z,Mary J… the list goes on. Not to say that Gucci didn’t have a good year, but the only song that I’ve heard from him is “Wasted” while Drake has “Best I Ever had”, “Forever”, “Fear” and a number of other songs.
Now I will deff be listening to Gucci new years of any other time ther’s any other type of alcohol involved! “Stupid Wild’ is a great song to party too!. I fell like I can listen to Drake any day, but to listen to Gucci I deff have to be drunk.
That being said I’m gonna have to say that with Drake’s Grammy nomination and the fact that he’s not going to jail shows that he’s having a better year.
Jail=Automatic Loss, plain & simple. If it wasn’t for that then we’d have a truly compelling argument, but I’d still probably lean toward Drake. I find it amazing that he was able to do such good numbers, considering his project was a mixtape that had already been out for months. I don’t really take the Grammy nomination too seriously anymore, seeing as people like Flo Rida get nods for Rap Album of the Year, but it still must be an incredible boost for Drake. Close call though, and I’m still more of Gucci fan.
@Modi
C’mon Modi, lesbbiiiannnnnhonest, Drake had a better year. Gucci is locked up again and can’t enjoy his success.
Drake made a faster rise, and they both had solid features list, but “Forever” puts him on the track with leaders like Eminem, Weezy, and Kanye. Signing with Young Money was certainly a weakness (he’s like the only normal looking cat out the crew – anyone else besides Minaj seeing a release date?) but besides that and the weak “Best I Ever Had” video (nothing with Rosa Acosta in it is a fail btw), very little mistakes.
Drake also has an exceptional deal that they only give stars, he’s treating Universal like a distributor just like Wayne/Cash Money does. They make a small cut (a lot smaller than usual) to distribute on a ginormous scale.
Gucci may have the streets right now, but Drake conquered the game. Not as strong a movement as 50, but the closest since Wayne.
oh and don’t forget. gucci brought us the likes of juiceman and waka flocka flame. “ay! ok!” and “oh leh dooooo ehhhhhhhhh”. two of the best ad-libs in ’09.
more fire to the flame that is gucci mane.
Before you say Gucci, you all should read this – http://www.ozonemag.com/2009/11/30/scam-afta-scam/
If that article is all true, Gucci is about to lose big time.
I gotta say though, all over the country, every party, club or place with a DJ worth a damn would always spin at least 5 Gucci joints and people ate it up. But to me, that’s just the party scene.
Drake though, by every benchmark of how we typically measure an artist’s success, won big this year: Hit record(s), multiple tours (one as headliner), big pay-day, and Grammy nods. That was in less than a year too.
GUCCI!…u said it best…he came from nothing to something…ashy to less ashy. Gucci creates more debates and discussion than Drizzy bc he’s the “hotter” Rapper!
Drake. Hands down. Dude is ridiculously versatile – remixing tracks by Santigold, Peter Bjorn & John, and Lykke Li – he pushed the envelope with respect what Hip Hop can go. Plus, who drops a mixtape, gets a ton of downloads, repackages it and puts a price on it – and then gets a grammy nod without releasing a full album.
Okay, Gucci Mane wins, but only for this year. Drake was able to maintain as good of a buzz as Gucci if not better with one mixtape and a few features. Gucci had to drop mixtapes out the a** to stay on top. This tells me that people are gonna get tired of Gucci quickly because he’s gonna be putting out a lot of lower quality music rather than a few well-put-together projects. Drake is gonna have staying power at the top of the game as long as he continues to drop things like So Far Gone and then be able to wait it out with some features. The product he puts out will tide fans over for that long. Gucci puts out so many things that he will get repetitive and boring.
Lemons on the chain with the V-cuts..GUCCI!!!
Drake is a performer at his best. I always appreciate a performer ACROSS the board. I love Gucci, but he keeps getting locked up, he isn’t committed to his fans.
no good
Both had a great year, but Gucci been on since Jeezy 1st came out in 05, so I gotta give it to Drake. this is really his first year out and he already Grammy nominated with no album. Whitney couldn’t even get a nomination. So what does that say about Drake? Drizzy!
Gucci doesnt freestyle off a blackberry…
Drake doesnt get locked up …
DAMN! hard choice lol
seriously, i dont know
their both trash
gucci wins drake had money in T. lyrically hes sick but no substance he did not live anything he says.
Gucci is the streets now.
And i dont know bout y’all but im bumpin Gucci in my whip
Whoever said Gucci Mane came from nowhere needs to shoot themselves right now.
Before he was put in jail for the first time last year he recorded up to 20 tracks a day. He did this so he could still have his name in the streets. And a rep from Gucci that was booking shows said like the first 3 months out of jail (before he was released) were completely booked at 25k per show.
Drake wtf Gucci sucks he sounds retarded when he raps and for those who said Gucci Came from nothing Gucci would be one wayne level with te mixtapes and they all sucked Lemonade gayest fucking track I ever heard. Drizzy
DRAKE HANDS DOWN,GUCCI??? LOL !WHAT THE #UCK,DRAKE WOULD RIP THIS BOY A NEW A$SHOLE WHEN IT COMES TO SPITTIN!!!!
How does a Grammy nod equal to not finishing the year strong? He hasn’t put anything new out because all of his old stuff is Still being played over and over again. Gucci is in jail. The End. And people aren’t usually too embarassed to admit that they like Drake. They are both EVERYWHERE. But Drake wins.
Gucci is bangin down where im from!!!
Gotta give it to the boy Gucci…. He came ALONG way
Gucci thats all we listen to in VA from the streets to the country side. most of you only listened to gucci’s radio hits and all of drakes hits listen to gucci’s mixtapes (especially the Guccimerica series 3 mixtapes he released in 1 day with 3 different dj’s hosting them) they’ll blow you away
Drake has had some hits Successful Best i ever had and Forever and but Gucci is just as popular with his songs and his collaborations id go with Gucci!!!
I didn’t have the patience to read 46 comments, so forgive me if I’m repeating somebody else’s sentiments.
Regardless of deals, impending record sales, or features, Drake wins hands down. The only reason Gucci caught a buzz anyways is a result of his production & guest appearances. He can’t stand on his own. He’s nothing but an amalgamation of gimmicks; grills, bling, a criminal record, & inaudible utterings about drugs, guns, and low-class women (sorry Gucci, what you call a 5star chick is known to the rest of the world as a welfare queen. Carrying your food stamps around in a Speedy means you have mastered the art of the hustle.) Think about quotable Gucci lines. Besides ad-libs, all the sh!t he says that’s worth repeating makes no sense whatsoever. Argue with me on that. (Honestly, I’ve only listened to like 2 Gucci mixtape tracks. But that’s because his hits & mainstream features have shown absolutely no evidence of lyricism worthy of my ears & extra time.) Drake on the other hand has catchy bars, the meaningful outnumbering the vapid, for days.
I’ll admit, I’ve never paid for a Drake track. I’ve even ripped some off youtube vids. (oops, I mean… I’ve seen it done…) But he’s giving all that heartfelt insight away for free! By the time he releases an album, I’ll have a job (God-willing) and I will gladly support him financially so he can continue popping rosé and shopping until he drops. I would NEVER give Gucci (or Lil’ Boosie, or any other trap rapper) a cent of my hard earned $.
You might be thinking “’Well damn!,’ why is this girl hating so hard?!” I understand that Gucci is out for $, I mean who isn’t? And I can’t knock the hustle, but I also most definitely can’t get with it when his success only promotes narrow-minded stereotypes about African-Americans. I will never support that. Why else would Warner Bros. (http://www.kreaser.co.uk/ekmps/shops/kreasercouk2007/images/warn_a_brother.jpg) cut a deal with him while he is INCARCERATED?! (yeah, go ahead & click that link) All it accomplishes is a furthering of the one-dimensional public perception of today’s hip-hop culture – that its leaders (artists) are ignorant and its followers are just as mindless and easily pacified.
I’ll give Gucci the benefit of the doubt and assume that he’s not a completely oblivious puppet in the white-run industry’s scheme to keep society’s perception of blacks at an all time disrespectful low. If so, shame on him for stepping on his people in pursuit of a fat check. If he doesn’t know what’s going on, he’s more of an idiot than I thought. Plain and simple. (He threw himself into that lose-lose situation.) So what if it’s what he came from, and all he knows. There’s a fine line between making the best of your situation and making a complete ass of yourself for a quick buck. And has he done anything worthwhile with all that label $? Is he giving back to the hood like Jeezy or T.I. (court-mandated or not)? Doubtful. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I will never respect Gucci, or expect anything more than the occasional club banger out of him. His continued success is nothing but a modern-day minstrel show.
As of 2009,Drake ahd came of the top his game in this industry.H e became number one within his first month.He is a talented singer,rapper And actor.He would stay on top of his game AND HE WILL DO IT TIL IT”OVER”!
Gucci is not even on the same level as drake,in 5 years you wont hear about gucci at all,Drake is here forever man!!!!