Atlanta-based rapper and trap pioneer Gucci Mane made his mainstream debut in 2005 with his first national hit, " Icy." However, he became involved in a quarrel with that song ' s collaborator, Young Jeezy, and found himself facing murder charges in the Georgia courts. The skirmish would kick off a storied narrative that defined his career. Before the dramatic arc, Gucci Mane( born Radric Davis) loved to compose rhymes, writing poetry as a child in elementary school in his native Birmingham, Alabama. During the fourth grade, he moved to Atlanta with his single mother. By the time high school started, Gucci Mane had already spent time in a recording studio. The glamour and fashion sense of rappers like Big Daddy Kane motivated him to put words to music. His debut single, " Black Tee," was a hit on the local scene and earned him a contract with Big Cat Records. In May 2005, the label released his debut album, Trap House, which peaked at the number one spot on Billboard ' s Heatseekers chart. The beef with Young Jeezy originated from a fight over the rights to the album ' s " Icy " hit single, which spawned a number of diss tracks traded between the two. Within the same month of the LP ' s release, Gucci Mane was arrested for murder following an altercation in which he shot at a group of five men who burst into his friend ' s house, threatening to kill the rapper. As it turned out, the murdered attacker was an associate of Young Jeezy, who denied any involvement with the incident. Gucci Mane declared in court that it was selfdefense, and by January 2006, Georgia prosecutors dropped all charges, citing lack of evidence. However, the legal issues would only continue for the next decade. After