- The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.
The result was: promoted by Cwmhiraeth (talk) 06:35, 29 November 2019 (UTC)
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Trap Back
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Gucci Mane
... that after spending half of the preceding year in jail, American rapper Gucci Mane (pictured) recorded Trap Back as a "comeback mixtape"?Sources: XXL; "comeback mixtape" quote comes from The Autobiography of Gucci Mane (at p. 206, via Google Books).
- Reviewed: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder (film)
Improved to Good Article status by Brandt Luke Zorn (talk). Self-nominated at 19:52, 15 October 2019 (UTC).
While the jail time is easily verifiable on a factual level, I want to unpack the sources a little more to show that the hook does not present Gucci Mane (legal name Radric Davis) in a false or disparaging light, nor does it give undue weight to his criminal record. His jail time was the subject of general public commentary—i.e., the facts in the hook have notability and critical contextual significance in the overall story of Davis's career in music. I think this is an important consideration; Davis is a living person, and it can still be wrong to broadcast a person's non-notable criminal record out of context, even if it is verifiable.
- This feature in XXL is a handy online source confirming that Davis had spent just over six months of 2011 behind bars. Although the feature measures his days free rather than his days incarcerated, you can still glean that he was in jail April 8–July 8 (exactly three months) and Sept. 11–Dec. 11 (exactly three months)—plus, incidentally, the first 11 days of January 2011.
- The "comeback mixtape" quote comes from his memoirs at p. 206. This segment of the book also conveys the broader personal and career significance of the recording at a time when Gucci Mane was trying to stay out of trouble and focus on music. The timing of his 2011 jail terms is also described at p. 197 and p. 201.
- See Davis, Radric; Martinez-Belkin, Neil (2017). The Autobiography of Gucci Mane. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks. ISBN 978-1-5011-6534-4.
- Numerous critical sources also commented on the significance of Trap Back as his first major recording project after spending most of 2011 in jail, especially in the context of how the jail terms had disrupted his career. E.g., the review in AllHipHop:
"After a tumultuous 2011, in which he saw more time inside of a psychiatric hospital and jail cell than a studio, the controversial Atlanta rapper attempts to reach out to his core audience with a project that features Jadakiss, 2Chainz, and Future, as well as constant collaborators Waka Flocka Flame, Yo Gotti, and Rocko."
Most other reviews at least allude to his troubles with the law, even if they don't get into specifics. —BLZ · talk 19:52, 15 October 2019 (UTC)
- @Yoninah: I've come up with a potential ALT that I believe conveys substantially the same fact/message with improved wording:
- ALT1
... that American rapper Gucci Mane (pictured) recorded Trap Back as his "comeback mixtape," signaling his return to music after a period of incarceration?Sources: See above.
- ALT1
- Here's what I changed and why:
- I've taken out "half of the preceding year". Although true and easily verifiable, it's not a necessary detail.
- I've removed the word "jail" and replaced it with the more general "incarceration". Although I believe "jail" would be strictly accurate, "incarceration" is simpler and avoids potential misunderstanding or confusion. Usage of the words "jail" and "prison" is a little complicated in the United States. They are often used interchangeably in informal speech, but in more formal contexts they have distinct and different meanings—the Wikipedia article on "prison" gives a good summary (see the paragraph in the lead that begins
"In American English..."
). Technically, Gucci Mane did spend some time during the relevant period at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison, although he had been transferred there from a jail and had been sent there for "jail" reasons (i.e. pre-trial detention). That said, to some American readers the phrase "in jail" in the hook could seem like a discrepancy or may sound unduly casual. Not to mention that international readers may bring different understandings of what "jail" means, further confusing the issue. The word "incarceration" is more general and universal, so it gets at the important info ("he was locked up") in formal diction and avoids getting into the weeds of what "jail" means exactly. - I moved "comeback" earlier in the sentence and the explanation of imprisonment later. I also explain what was meant by "comeback" ("signaling his return to music..."). I think these changes help highlight the positive, redemptive aspect of the recording project.
- One point of clarification: neither the secondary sources nor Mr. Davis himself view
"his jail time as a non-negative thing"
. By all accounts, his incarceration was considered negative on a personal and professional level. However, I'm glad you said that because it's worth clearing up my reasoning with regard to BLP. I'm not saying his jail time should be understood as positive instead of negative. Rather, I believe the hook conforms to BLP because (1) it's a rigorously accurate, verifiable fact; (2) it's highly relevant, arguably the central fact about this mixtape, and as such is not brought up lightly or without cause; and (3) it uncontroversially reflects both the consensus view of critics as well as Gucci Mane's own statements. To quote more fully from his Autobiography, the direct source of the phrase "comeback mixtape":
"The week I came home Mike Will and I locked in at Patchwerk [Studio] for the making of Trap Back. The Return of Mr. Zone 6 and Free Bricks had been steps in the right direction, but I had hiccups having to go back to jail. This one was going to be my comeback mixtape."
- The positive aspect of the hook is not the jail time itself, but rather his successful return with a new recording project.
- Let me know what you think. —BLZ · talk 23:32, 25 November 2019 (UTC)
- @Brandt Luke Zorn: Thank you, but any mention of jail or incarceration is simply not going to fly on the main page. Could we just write:
- ALT1a: ... that American rapper Gucci Mane (pictured) recorded Trap Back as his "comeback mixtape", signaling his return to music? Yoninah (talk) 22:25, 27 November 2019 (UTC)
- @Brandt Luke Zorn: Thank you, but any mention of jail or incarceration is simply not going to fly on the main page. Could we just write: