The Return of Mr. Zone 6

Album Review

An artist-certified street album — a release somewhere between a mixtape and an official album, The Return of Mr. Zone 6 is slapped together and doesn’t care much for crossing over. Those are both reasons your everyday fan should be cautious, but they’re also the reasons fans of Gucci’s gutter music will be pleased and downright thrilled in parts. With Birdman on the cut, “Mouth Full of Golds” is the thug anthem of choice, and with no less than three Waka Flocka guest shots included, party people get to “go dumb” with a vengeance, which is a good thing. “I Don’t Love Her” (but “I love things about her”) keeps the golden-age idea of thug romance in check, but when the slow creeper “Pancakes” rolls around, offering a breakfast food as a victory metaphor, it’s something new, wacky, and entirely Gucci. This shouldn’t be a surprise as the man did get a facial tattoo of an ice cream cone, and if you haven’t acquired the taste for his lazy and crazy style after listening to his official releases, this hard set of lowbrow ballin’ won’t help. Anyone who arrived here because of underground mixtapes will be happy to hear the radio-friendly numbers and polish removed, and even happier when they notice Southern street producer Drumma Boy is responsible for all the beats.