The economy is recovering slowly, but let's be honest: Times remain tough both on Wall Street and Main Street. But there are some people who clearly aren't feeling the pinch as much as the rest of us. Rapper Gucci Mane is one of those characters. It's not particularly shocking, as the Atlanta native has got plenty of caché behind him: He scored himself a high-profile guest spot on the remix of Mariah Carey's "Obsessed," landed on the list of the 10 Hottest MCs in the Game, has been killing it in the mixtape game and is looking forward to the release of his second full-length album The State vs. Radric Davis. So it's no surprise that in this wintry economic climate, Gucci is one of the few who can still sport (and afford) a solid piece of bling. It's not new (he's been sporting it for a few years), but 50 Cent just unveiled his new song "Crime Wave" (which features Gucci) and he included this photo of Mr. Mane.

Gucci told HHN that he "wanted to have a chain that was gonna shock the world and was gonna draw a lot of attention to me. So I thought about it while I was in jail. I was thinking about the colors and I wanted to have something crazy like the Big Cat chain, so I just went with Bart Simpson. I got a new one now though with a heart and an arrow going through it." Lately, Gucci has expanded his bling repetoire (including an Atlanta Falcons helmet and a ridiculous watch), but it's the Bart Simpson bling that gets us every time.

Meanwhile, "Crime Wave" is a crazy-good hardcore song that sounds grimy and cinematic at the same time. Between this and "Baby By Me," Before I Self Destruct is looking more and more like one of the top albums of the year.

By Elliott Wilson, Founder and CEO of RapRadar.com

You could almost guarantee Gucci Mane was gonna crack the Hottest MCs list this year, but you just weren't sure where he would place.

Truth be told, ATL's brightest new star is in plenty of folks' top fives. Yes, La Flare isn't your traditional master of ceremonies, but no artist this year has more effectively merged the underground with the mainstream. He's broken through in '09 and shined through the clouds of controversy that have continued to dampen his career.

A longtime presence in the mixtape playground, the People's Champ (sorry, Mr. Wall) continues to assault the streets ("Awesome" with Snoop Dogg, "Wasted" with Plies and it's remix with OJ da Juiceman) while loudly becoming the go-to guy for aiding R&B heavyweights back to the top of the charts. He brought punch to Mariah Carey's stalker tale ("Obsessed") and gave Mario his biggest hit since Ne-Yo shared his pen game ("Break Up"). At press time, he was even trying to save Omarion's career. Good luck with that one, Gucc!

By Steven Roberts

Jermaine Dupri got a head start on the party here at 
Lollapalooza last night when the Atlanta impresario DJed a set last night at Underground 
here in Chicago.

Last year Katy Perry took the stage at Underground for own Pre-Lolla celebration at 
Underground. The pop pin-up unexpectedly performed "Ur So Gay," "Hot n Cold" and - what would a Katy Perry show be without - "I Kissed a Girl" to packed house. While the crowd certainly wasn't expecting the JD to hit the stage, they were hyped to hear how good of a DJ the So So Def head honcho was.
I actually was enjoying the previous DJ. I don't know the guys name, but he spun some tracks I hadn't heard in years. When is the last time you heard Hi-Five's "I Like The Way (Kissing Game)?" But as the clock struck midnight, and the crowd began to fill in, it was evident that they hadn't come to hear sped up early 90's R&B jams - their loss.

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According to Fox News in Atlanta, flashy MC Gucci Mane was ordered to serve a year in prison for probation violation.

In 2005, he was sentenced to serve more than 600 hours of community service, stemming from an assault conviction. Gucc, however — according to officials — has only logged 25 hours to date. The rapper, who was born Radric Davis, did ask the judge for "one more chance," but had no luck. He was taken into custody.

Professionally, Gucci was prepping a new solo LP, and there was talk of him and Shawty Lo working on a joint album. On Monday, Gucci and DJ Drama drop a new Gangsta Grillz mixtape.