(Photo: Prince Williams/ATLPics.net)

By Dan Reagans

Do you recognize the rapper in the above photo? Yeah, it’s hard to believe that Gucci Mane was once the hottest most sought after rapper in the game. These days he’s looking worse for wear as he tries to recapture that buzz that once was. Gooch has experienced a rapid decline since 2010 when his persistent legal issues obstructed his rapid rise to super stardom. In all honesty the “Wasted” rapper only has himself to blame for his fall from the limelight. Now he’s on the treacherous comeback trail in the midst of an uphill battle that few have conquered.

It would seem as if controversy and success go hand and hand in the career of the Brick Squad leader ever since his Young Jeezy assisted 2005 breakout hit “So Icey” transformed him from underground star to “it” rapper in the South. However, in the midst of the success of the club banger quickly turned the one-time allies into rivals. The conflict reached def con levels in 2006 when Gucci caught a murder case following a fatal shooting involving members of Jeezy’s camp. As fate with have it Gooch beat the case (a jury ruled the murder was committed in self-defense) and his lure only grew in the ensuing months. By 2008 was a bona fide star with the release of his popular mixtape, Writing on the Wall, which led to a major label deal with Warner Bros. Sought after for his charismatic appeal Gooch had the golden touch as he contributed to tracks with everyone from Mariah Carey to Lil Wayne. The mainstream appeal helped pave the way for his 2009 Warner debut The State vs. Radric Davis. Spawning hits like the inescapable “Wasted” and “Lemonade” helped solidify his potential as a hitmaker, but as if on cue La Flare was jailed for nearly a year following a probation violation from a 2008 case.

From there it’s been a real struggle for Gucci. From strange face tattoos in January 2011 to reportedly booting a Georgia woman from his moving car three months later its been a rough climb back to the top for the rapper. While his protégé Waka Flocka Flame has beat the odds and become a household name, things just can’t seem to fall back in place for Gucci. The magic is clearly gone. Collaborative albums; Ferrari Boyz with Waka, and BAYTL with V-Nasty, have come up short for Mr. Davis. It would appear that he might have pissed off the rap gods, who’ve now decided to bestow their blessings upon fellow ATL spitter 2 Chainz.

Similarly charismatic and off-kilter 2 Chainz has become one of the red hot MCs in Atlanta, effortlessly serving up hits like “Spend It,” “Riot,” and the Drake-assisted “No Lie,” in a way Gucci once did. Although its way too early to pull the plug on Gucci’s comeback attempt, one has to wonder what it will take for him to make the right move to get back on the winning side of things. We all want to see La Flare come in from the cold. Burr!

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