Gucci Mane is changing his name to Guwop. The rapper announced his decision on popular micro-blogging platform Twitter. The name change will become official on July 2. The 33-year-old Warner Bros. Records rapper has tried some lame publicity stunts in the past, but this one might take the cake.
Kim LaCapria reported for The Inquistr in late 2011 that Guwop had gotten a huge tattoo of an ice cream cone placed in an unfortunate place — his right cheek. Not that one. On his face. At that time, Gucci Mane had just been released from a psychiatric hospital, where he had to be evaluated as part of a court hearing.
Gucci Mane’s representative Kali Bowyer told Matthew Perpetua for Rolling Stone at the time that the much laughed-at facial tat was “a reminder to fans of how he chooses to live his life. Cool as ice.”
Some people thought it was more of a reminder that he’d been let out of the psychiatric facility a little too soon. According to his Wikipedia biography, the troubled rapper and future Guwop has served a six month sentence in 2005 for assult and another six months in 2009 for violating probation. He was also charged with murder, then freed because of insufficient evidence.
In fall of 2012, James Johnson reported that he was ordered to pay almost $60,000 to a woman that he pushed out of a moving car. Hmm. Doesn’t sound particularly chill to me.
Perez Hilton floated a rumor that Selena Gomez cheated on then-boyfriend Justin Bieber by entertaining Gucci Mane for an “inappropriate amount of time” in her trailer on the set of Spring Breakers . However, Gossip Cop asked an alleged “Gomez insider” about the rumors and was told that the two had never even met.
If the rumor was indeed bogus, a suspicious mind might wonder if publicity-hungry Gucci Mane himself had offered the story to Hilton.
Here’s this morning’s announcement:
July 2nd I’m officially changing my rap name to Guwop and retiring the great GucciMane Thanks Fans, for 8 years as Gucci now it’s Wop turn
— Gucci Mane (@gucci1017) March 4, 2013
And here’s what the fans are saying about Guwop:
Guwop is the weirdest racial epithet I’ve come across in some time.
— I’m Gary (@noyokono) March 4, 2013
GWOP maybe? RT @ denkely : I envy the 1 year old that comes up with Gucci Mane’s names. WTF is Guwop?
— Papichulo (@dennoranks) March 4, 2013
Do you really think Gucci Mane will go through with the plan to change his name to Guwop, or is it another stunt gone wrong?
