Gucci Mane’s upcoming album, Breath of Fresh Air, has the makings of being one of his most relatable projects to date. The lyricist who gave fans “Freaky Girl,” “I Get the Bag,” and “Serial Killers” announced the forthcoming LP on Friday (June 16).
That same day, his new interview with Apple’s “Zane Lowe” premiered. In it, Gucci revealed that his approach to the record was unlike his previous projects. This time around, he was more intentional about his lyrical content. He noted that the tragic killings of Young Dolph and Takeoff and the arrests of his friends Pooh Shiesty and Foogiano led him to take a rap detour.
“I’m just not in the mood to hear a whole bunch of drilling and killing and this and that,” explained Gucci on “New Music Daily Radio,” before adding, “not saying that I haven’t did that before, but just right now, just let me just kind of lead by example and show people that it is more to rap about than my opps and all that.”
He continued, “You can rap about going out to eat with your girl or your wife.” The East Atlanta artist and his wife, Keyshia Ka’oir, have been married since 2017. They have two children: a son welcomed in 2020 and a daughter born in February. “And that’s what all the songs are about. I’m not saying all about the same thing, but that’s what I’m kind of trying to get off. And a lot of artists I see rap about the pain in they life, but me through my career, a lot of times, I do a lot of rapping about cars and jewelry and just extravagance,” he added.
In the end, Gucci said the new music is about showing a more vulnerable side of him. He explained, “I kind of wanted to let people know that I go through pain. Like I said, I didn’t want to have so much just superficial topics. I hit people and let them know, ‘Hey, this was going on,’ but it ain’t a bad thing. It’s okay to be happy. You know what I’m saying?” The new album is available for preorder now and is slated for an Oct. 13 release.