Gucci Mane's Sophomore Album 'Hard To Kill' Reveals Rapper's Ordeals

Atlanta-based label Big Cat Records has teamed with Tommy Boy Entertainment to release Hard To Kill, the sophomore album by Gucci Mane. The album is the follow up to the rapper's debut Trap House, which hit stores while the rapper was incarcerated for a shooting/murder stemming from a feud with Young Jeezy. "With all that Gucci Mane has seen and been through in this past year, this album s hows how much he has grown lyrically," Big Cat Records' President, Mel Breeden, said. Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy were involved in a dispute over the song "So Icy," which was a hit for Gucci Mane and included on his album, Trap House, which moved over 125,000 units independently. The two issued a series of mixtapes disses over the summer of 2005, threatening one another stemming from the dispute over the song. The tensions culminated when Gucci Mane, born Radric David, was accused of shooting Henry "Pookie Loc" Clark III, after Clark and four other men burst into a house and threatened to attack him in May of 2005. Clark's body was found in a wooded area near a Decatur, GA middle school days after the shooting. Clark was later confirmed to be an associate of Young Jeezy and his label, Corporate Thugs Entertainment. Gucci Mane was charged with Clark's murder in May 2005, while promoting Trap House. Gucci Mane claimed he acted out of self-defense and in Jan. 2006, prosecutors agreed and dropped the murder charge against him. "We named the project, Hard To Kill because of all of the drama that has surrounded Gucci's career and he pulled through it all," Breeden said. "Now he's back. [He's] hard to kill! Although we had big success with 'Icy,' there is a lot more to the story now." Gucci Mane's latest effort discusses his experiences while incarcerated, how he managed to get through the ordeal and the challenges that he still faces. The first single from the album is another ode to Gucci Mane's jewelry titled "My Chain." Hard To Kill is slated to hit stores in 2007.