Scenes from Gucci Mane’s trap house
Cam Kirk put on a photo exhibit for the God
- Rodney Carmichael
- IN LOVE WITH THE COCO: Baking soda contributes to sense of place at photographer Cam Kirk’s experiential ‘Trap God’ exhibit.
There was a line to get in. And once inside no one wanted to leave. That’s usually a sign that the product is dope. The pun was definitely intended last Saturday at a random Eastside bando, which served as the gallery for Atlanta music photographer Cam Kirk’s exhibit Trap God. And who might that be? Why Gucci, of course. Though currently serving time for multiple parole violations, the Mane has hardly let another jail stint hamper productivity. (Or promotions.)
“There may be no more prolific artist alive today than Gucci,” a review of his latest mixtape King Gucci boasts. Hard to argue. While the line outside snaked along the sidewalk in blazing heat, Gucci Mane blared from speakers on the inside. Despite the sketchy environs, the scene was enough to draw the attention of curious neighbors. I spotted a woman across the street spying around the corner of her house to take it all in.
But this was not your ordinary trap house. On the inside, rows of church pews faced what could only be described as an altar to the Trap God. In photos posted to his Tumblr, I believe Cam Kirk sits on the right side of a mirrored image of Gucci. Framed photos of the exhibit decorated the walls as half-naked women and a robed priest — all toting big black guns — patrolled the premises. Floors were barren. Ceilings exposed. Converting the space into an authentic trap house probably took very little effort. Turning it into a gallery, however, was a stroke of low-brow marketing genius.
I took of few iPhone photos. Of course, my battery powered down before I made it to the kitchen where more women in underwear stood bagging up the product, New Jack City-style. A game of craps was popping in the corner. All sponsored by a vodka brand, which also provided mixed drinks to gallery visitors.
Most had come across the invite by way of Instagram. And none fit the stereotypical image of a Gucci fan — whatever you might imagine that stereotype to look like.
The wait outside was almost an hour in sun that felt unbearable with no breeze and little shade. When I asked three young women — two of whom rocked big beautiful natural hair — if they considered themselves Gucci Mane fans, one of them answered the question with a question. “A fan? What does it mean to be a fan nowadays? Does it mean you know his date of birth? Or just the last song he put out?”
If the staged drama seemed a little over the top, there were dashes of all-too-realism — like organizers shooing people out the door to start shutting things down just in case police arrived to complain.
Another woman joked about how she would explain getting arrested at a faux trap house. “We were just trying to get some culture,” she said. We laughed at that.
See more photos from the event at Cam Kirk’s Tumblr, where video recaps will soon be posted.