Our two throwbacks today are from the hip-hop genre, as we revisit two standout tracks from ATL’s Young Jeezy, T.I. and Gucci Mane. The first is “F.A.M.E.” from Young Jeezy’s Thug Motivation 103: Hustlaz’s Ambition, the sequel to TM 101 and 102. Comprised of some very unique, even calming beats, the track samples major trance artist, Above & Beyond’s “Air For Life,” a collaboration with fellow trance artist Andy Moor. This results in quite a moving track with none other than The Rubberband Man himself, T.I. delivering some great verses as well.
The next track is an old-favorite off of Gucci’s mixtape Lean, which he released in 2013 alongside two other mixtape projects, Gas and Molly. The three mixtapes are praised as being some of Gucci’s better works and his workmanship and resolve to putting out constant quality music as all three mixtapes were released at the same time. This business model is nothing new, artists the likes of Soulja Boy, Lil’ Wayne, Lil’ B “The Based God” and many more also rode the hype of releasing constant streams of music and mixtapes, helping to keep them in the media spotlight and of relevance to hip-hop as a whole.