As one of the forefathers of Atlanta trap rap, Gucci Mane’s impact on the city’s sound can never be overstated and his legacy is cemented as an ATL icon. But rather than rest on his laurels, Gucci has dedicated the last few years of his career to blessing the city’s future, not reminiscing about his past. He’s given out features to nearly all of Atlanta’s new wave of trap rappers, leaving his fingerprints on multiple generations of Atlanta’s music scene. The latest rapper to receive the Gucci Mane co-sign is Lil Baby, a rapper who arguably doesn’t even need it.
Perhaps that’s what makes their collaboration, the unrelenting “All Dz Chainz,” so special; Lil Baby is his generation’s closest analog to Gucci Mane, a near-universally beloved figure whose status as the unofficial people’s champ is more or less undisputed thanks to a solid run of both personal projects like My Turn, collaborations like Drip Harder and The Voice Of The Heroes, and features with Vince Staples, Future, Polo G, and even Ed Sheeran (just his most recent ones anyway). Gucci and Baby’s powers combine on the track, with both icons feeding on each other’s energy, making for a powerful statement of solidarity for multiple generations of Atlanta hip-hop.
Watch Gucci Mane’s “All Dz Chainz” video featuring Lil Baby above.