"He calls out "It's Gucci!" in the negative space between acoustic strums and keyboard effects, with his signature ad-lib fading into the ether like a distant recollection. It leads into a verse that lands like a confessional, as Gucci recounts how he did stupid shit like "kick hoes out of cars" and racked up federal charge after federal charge, his voice weary with the weight of introspection."
"Since his 2016 release from federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., emerging clean and sober, his creative output has largely served to maintain the momentum of his Obama-era explosion in profile. His pen and personality have remained staunchly intact-abundantly clear with his 2024 Gangsta Grillz tape that landed like an iced out, diamond-encrusted time capsule from 2011-but too often, large swaths of his post-COVID projects feel like vestigial organs."
Episodes opens on a tempered, restrained note, juxtaposing acoustic strums with Gucci's distant ad-lib and a confessional verse recalling past legal troubles and reckless behavior. The album frequently oscillates between introspection and braggadocio, shifting from weary self-reflection to boasts about wealth and women. Post-2016 output has maintained Gucci's pen and persona, with a standout 2024 Gangsta Grillz tape evoking earlier peaks. Large stretches of Episodes suffer from indistinct writing, sanded-down production, and an overlong runtime that renders many trap motifs anonymous. The album's themes align with Gucci's memoir about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, addiction, and ongoing recovery.
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