A History of Jeezy and Gucci Mane's Beef

From "Icy" to a 'Verzuz' matchup, here's everything that's gone down in Jeezy's beef with Gucci Mane over the years. We chronicle the highs and lows.

Jeezy and Gucci Mane
Getty

Images via Getty

Gucci Mane and Jeezy have a very long, complicated history with each other.After a years-long feud that included multiple diss tracks, the death of one of Jeezy’s associates, physical altercations, the beef had become one of rap’s long-standing cold wars, before they reunited for a Verzuz battle. To make some sense of what’s happened on the road from mortal enemies to battle contestants, we’ve put together an updated timeline that runs through the history of Jeezy and Gucci Mane's beef. Read on to see how the two rappers’ relationship has evolved over the years.

Jeezy and Gucci Mane feud over "Icy"

Date: May 2005

What Happened: When Jeezy and Gucci Mane recorded their first collaboration, Jeezy was under the impression that it'd land on his debut album, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101. Instead, Gucci used it for his first independent album, Trap House.

Later, a pissed off Jeezy would claim that he was never even paid for his appearance. "Icy" went on to peak at No. 46 on Billboard's R&B/hip-hop chart, while having a larger impact across the South.

Jeezy puts a bounty on Gucci's Mane's chain with "Stay Strapped"

Date: May 9, 2005

What Happened: Fueled by the bad taste that the "Icy" situation left in his mouth, Jeezy put aspiring gangbangers on alert with "Stay Strapped."

Key line: "I got a bounty on that shit, nigga. 10 stacks. So if he come to your town, and you just happen to snatch that motherfucker off his neck, I'm gonna shoot you the 10-stack, man. So I can cremate that motherfucker."

Gucci Mane responds with "Round 1"

Date: Mid-May 2005

What Happened: Gucci Mane made it very clear that he didn't take Jeezy's shots lightly. Even before the beat drops, Gucci says, "That nigga Young Jeezy, man. That nigga fake." Gucci prepared himself for a lengthy battle by declaring in the chorus, "This is round one of Gucci Mane vs. Jeezy."

Gucci Mane Charged with the murder of a Jeezy associate

Date: May 19, 2005

What Happened: Shortly after the "Stay Strapped" and "Round One" volleys, the war of words turned violent.

While Gucci was visiting a female friend on May 10, four men broke into the house and began assaulting him. When the men threatened to shoot him, Gucci grabbed his pistol and started shooting. After hitting one man, everyone fled the scene.

That man, Henry Lee Clark III, better known as Corporate Thugz Entertainment rapper Pookie Loc, was later found dead near a school in Decatur, GA.

Days later, Gucci turned himself in to police after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was charged with the murder of Pookie Loc.

Gucci Mane says 'I'm not a murderer,' Jeezy denies involvement

Date: May 27, 2005

What Happened: During a phone interview from jail, Gucci said, "I just want to let everyone know I'm not a murderer. I was upset. I was scared a little bit, but I had to do what I had to do. You gotta be a man about it. I'm not a bad person. I have remorse for everything that happened."

Meanwhile, Jeezy denied any connection to the shootings even though Pookie Loc was signed to his label. He claimed that Gucci was "trying to turn a bad situation into good publicity" and "sell his record."

Gucci Mane is acquitted of murder

Date: January 17, 2006

What Happened: Nine months after being charged with murder, Gucci Mane was acquitted. He admitted to shooting his attackers, but maintained that he acted in self-defense. An eye-witness backed up his claim, leaving prosecutors with no evidence for a murder case.

Gucci Mane lashes out at Jeezy again on "745"

Date: June 15, 2006

What Happened: After a year of silence between the two camps, Gucci Mane came out of nowhere with "745." In the third verse, Gucci defends his decision to fight back against his attackers in 2005, and also takes shots at Jeezy for (in his mind) putting the hit out and not dealing with it himself.

Key line: "Do I smell pussy? Nah, that's Jeezy. You ain't a snowman, you more like a snowflake, cupcake, corn flake. Nigga, you too fake."

Gucci Mane releases 'Gangsta Grillz' mixtape with DJ Drama

Date: September 16, 2008

What Happened: Despite being a longtime Young Jeezy collaborator, DJ Drama didn't feel the need to side with Jeezy exclusively, leading to Gucci's Gangster Grillz mixtape, The Movie.

Jeezy's posse gets into fight with DJ Drama

Date: January 12, 2009

What Happened: At a screening for the movie Notorious, members of Young Jeezy's CTE crew got into a fight with Drama and his entourage. Months later, Jeezy would call Drama a "bitch" and a "cornball" in an XXL interview.

Jeezy takes aim at Gucci again on "24, 23"

Date: June 15, 2009

What Happened: With tensions building again, Jeezy launched another verbal assault.

Key line: "I'm on some Louie shit, fuck Gucci Mane. These niggas still on my dick, they like some groupies mane. Can't keep they lips closed, they worse than coochies mane."

Jeezy calls a truce with Gucci and Drama

Date: December 4, 2009

What Happened: Shortly after Gucci Mane announced that a collaboration with Young Jeezy was in the works, Jeezy went on DJ Drama's radio show and squashed his beef with Drama and Gucci.

A spirited Gucci would call into the show from jail to give his blessing and love for the trio's hometown, Atlanta. “I'd just like to say, it's way bigger than all of us. I feel like the way the city's been supporting all three of us, they deserve this. It's about that time, man. We're getting older, growing, so let's do it for the city.”

Gucci Mane says he's collaborating with Jeezy again

Date: December 15, 2009

What Happened: In a radio interview with Big Boy, it appeared as if the truce would hold up. Gucci Mane said, "We already collaborated on two songs. One is already out and one is debuting in a few weeks."

Jeezy and Gucci Mane's entourages brawl

Date: March 4, 2010

What Happened: Waka Flocka Flame, along with other members of Gucci Mane's crew, got into a fight with Jeezy associates outside of an Atlanta clothing store. Neither Jeezy nor Jeezy were present, but one of Waka's security guards fired some shots, and Waka allegedly left the melee with a black eye, courtesy of CTE rapper Slick Pulla.

Gucci Mane says he 'can't see' himself ever rapping with Jeezy again

Date: August 11, 2011

What Happened: In an interview with Sway, when asked whether or not he could see himself working with Young Jeezy again, Gucci Mane said, "We started the conversation, but I can't see it happening."

Gucci remained respectful, however, and would go on to detail why they squashed their beef in 2009: "We just came to a sit-down of just respecting the fact that somebody can get hurt, and it ain't going to be us."

Jeezy claims the entire beef was a misunderstanding

Date: December 2, 2011

What Happened: Again, Sway got the scoop. In this interview, Young Jeezy took everyone back to 2005, when the beef first started.

Jeezy revealed that it all started because Gucci Mane was mad that he refused to perform "Icy" with him without reason. What Gucci didn't know, however, was that Jeezy needed throat surgery at the time—a secret of which Jeezy label wasn't even aware.

Gucci Mane says he has 'no respect' for Jeezy

Date: October 10, 2012

What Happened: While speaking with The Breakfast Club about the altercation between Rick Ross and Young Jeezy at the BET Hip-Hop Awards, Gucci said, "Ross is a friend of mine. Of course, Jeezy is not...I ain't got no respect for him."

Jeezy shades Gucci Mane in interview

Date: October 12, 2012

What Happened: The media war of words continued, with Jeezy firing back at Gucci on Power 106: "Man everybody knows that boy is retarded. Ain’t nobody taking him seriously. He has an ice cream cone on his face, let’s be for real. Given that said, I’m not going back, I’m going forward.”

In the same interview, Jeezy also revealed that it was Gucci Mane who had previously reached out for a collaboration, and that Jeezy declined.

Gucci Mane responds with diss track "Truth"

Date: October 13, 2012

What Happened: The diss tracks returned with "Truth," in which Gucci Mane talks about Young Jeezy getting robbed, not being a good father, and being in love with Keyshia Cole while she was sleeping with other men (a claim she'd deny).

Gucci Mane also referenced the 2005 shooting. Key line: "A ten thousand dollar bounty put on my neck. I hope you didn't pay them cause they didn't have no success."

Gucci Mane bets $100,000 that he can beat up Young Jeezy

Date: October 13, 2012

What Happened: Gucci Mane's anti-Jeezy attacks didn't stop at "Truth." For the rest of the day, he would use Twitter as his outlet for inflammatory remarks.

Gucci Mane goes to jail and returns more peaceful than ever

Date: May 13, 2014 - May 26, 2016

What Happened: Gucci Mane pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. It was the latest in a string of charges, leading to a two-year prison sentence. When he was finally released, he came home slimmer and more peaceful. He also surprisingly seemed to abandoned all of his old beefs (for the time being, anyway). The time away seemed to put him in a new state of mind.

Gucci Mane says he 'ain’t got nothing to speak about' with Jeezy

Date: December 16, 2016

What Happened: Speaking about his beef with Young Jeezy and T.I. on The Breakfast Club, Gucci Mane explained his perspective on not speaking to the two rappers if they’re in the same room. Gucci revealed that it’s not beef anymore, it’s just that he has nothing to say. “We ain’t got nothing to speak about,” he explained. “You do your thing, I do mine. We ain’t got to be at odds, but at the same time, I don’t want to slap your hand, I don’t want to speak.”

Gucci Mane laughs at meme about killing of Jeezy associate

Date: April 20, 2020

What Happened: After some time off from their cold relationship, Gucci Mane publicly laughed at a recreation of his confrontation with Pookie Loc that was remade for Instagram. The rapper shared the video with a “but fa real tho” caption that featured a few laughing emojis.

Jeezy says he wants a 'backroom conversation' with Gucci Mane

Date: July 28, 2020


What Happened: Jeezy discussed ending his feud with Gucci Mane during an episode of T.I.'s podcast, ExpediTIously. "I just feel like it has to be one of those Mafia backroom conversations, man," he said. "What I've learned over the years is that it's big business—people that went to Yale still do business with people that went to Harvard. It's going to have to be a real convo, it’s been decades."

Jeezy says Gucci Mane 'respectfully declined' to face him in a 'Verzuz' match

Date: November 9, 2020

What Happened: Thanks to the Verzuz battle series, artists have been able to come together and let fans relive their careers on Instagram Live. With its second season coming up, people were interested in seeing Young Jeezy face off against Gucci Mane after their feud seemingly dissipated over the years. But Jeezy revealed that Gucci Mane "respectfully declined" to engage in a Verzuz battle during his Nov. 2020 interview with The Breakfast Club.

Gucci Mane and Jeezy announce they are facing each other in 'Verzuz' battle

Gucci Mane taunts Jeezy before 'Verzuz' battle

Gucci Mane name-drops Pookie on "Rumors" f/ Lil Durk

Date: Jan. 25

What Happened: It was believed that Jeezy and Gucci Mane buried the hatchet following their Verzuz battle, but a new verse from Gucci off his track with Lil Durk, “Rumors,” suggests otherwise. In the verse, Gucci yet again references Jeezy’s deceased friend, Pookie Loc. “D.A. dropped my murder, didn’t have evidence to prove it/ I think my house is haunted, yeah, by who? The ghost of Pookie,” Gucci raps to close his verse on the song. The name-drop has yet to spur a response from Jeezy, but fellow rap veteran 50 Cent noticed the diss and took to social media to troll The Snowman even further.

“Yo this shit be crazy out here stay dangerous, that way you feel safe.🤨 Get the strap! 😆 Gucci say he smokin on pooky Loc,” 50 captioned the post.

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