Life

by Jason BirchmeierThe Life Yo Gotti raps about on his 2003 album of the same name is one driven by money and everything that comes along with wealth, above all respectability in the hood. On all of his albums to date, Gotti has rapped about life in the Dirty South as a rapper, but he brings a more experienced viewpoint to Life. Gotti's seen a lot go down since he entered the game in the late '90s with his From da Dope Game 2 da Rap Game album, and he's not afraid to address what he's seen go down. In particular, the album-opening "All I Ever Wanted to Do" showcases his ethos well, as do tracks like "Entering the Game" and "On da Grind," while others like "Sell My Dope" and "After I F**k Ya *****" aim mainly for shock appeal. On the surface, Gotti is just another Dirty South rapper boasting about his past as a drug dealer and his present as a hustler. If such an ethos has disinterested you in the past, you're not going to find much to your liking here on Life. However, if you like the dirty side of the Dirty South, Gotti's Life may indeed appeal to you, as below the surface, it's typical of the genre yet very much an individual statement by someone who's been there and done that and lived to rap about it.