Zaytoven feels like there’s always a “dark cloud” over his life’s successes.
One of hip-hop history’s most dramatic and intense beefs was in the mid-2000s between Jeezy and Gucci Mane. The two were destined to share the throne as trap icons and pioneers, and a massive case of pettiness and death threw a wrench in it.
Now, around 15 years later, those involved still feel the lasting effects of squabble. Zaytoven, who, as an up-and-comer, produced Jeezy and Gucci Mane’s first collaboration in 2005 “So Icy,” joined Vlad TV to discuss this strained relationship. He explained that as the song sparked disagreements and eventual high stakes drama, it set a negative precedent for his career: “All my life, even in music, I feel like I could be doing something good, and something comes to just dim the light on whatever it is I’m doing. So here it is, we got the biggest song of the year, “So Icy.” Gucci Mane is now blowing up, but this comes along… If you look at any of my songs in my whole career, I always felt like there’s been a dim light on it, no matter what it is. Whether it’s for Usher, or Migos, whoever it is, the big song I got with these guys, there’s something over it. There’s an issue somewhere.”
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What Zaytoven is specifically referring to in regards to “So Icy” is Jeezy‘s reluctance to perform the song with Gucci Mane, which led to a beef. During this beef, Gucci Mane’s home was raided and, in defense, he shot and killed one of the offenders, which happened to be Jeezy-affiliate Pookie Loc.
Last year, the beef may have been tamed after Gucci Mane and Jeezy put on a legendary, record-shattering Verzuz battle where they finally performed “So Icy” together, but several figurative shots were still fired at the event.
Even if the dispute has finally been put to an end, Zaytoven still feels that his rising star at the time felt the impact of Gucci Mane and Jeezy’s fallout for years to come.
Watch what Zaytoven had to say below.
[Via]