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the question of why gucci gucci didn't hit radio is fascinating. both in terms of what *was* getting spins at that point (takedowns of hip-hop culture like "royals" and "thrift shop" that have aged like milk) and in terms of how much money the majors put into brooke candy
while i'm eating breakfast i might as well just sketch out some context about the question of why some things hit radio and why other things don't, especially during this period of time
point 1: this is pretty basic stuff but generally in order to get radio spins in america you need to be on a major label. i was told in 2013 or so that a proper radio promo campaign costs a million at minimum, that the label puts it up, and that only majors have that kind of $$$
labels have to be "convinced" to throw down that much cash (when artists complain about albums being held hostage by the label it often just means the label doesn't hear a single and won't pay for promo)
even when that threshold is breached, radio has to be "convinced" too. they want to see that real money is being spent to promote a record that's going to drive excitement elsewhere in culture. i.e. radio started playing gaga's "million reasons" as the super bowl approached
point 2: in 2008, bain capital took control of iheartmedia (fka clear channel) which owns most radio stations in america. radio playlists, in my opinion, became much, much whiter after this takeover. rock radio also became 90% christian but that's a conversation for another time
this status quo continued until 4-5 years ago, when the streaming audience got big enough to launch real hit songs without radio's cooperation. this led to the commercial resurgence of rap music we're still in the midst of today
that means "gucci gucci" happened during the dead zone that stretched from wale's "chillin" to rae sremmurd's "black beatles" where iheart had total control over radio playlists without a corrective force like the pure listener enthusiasm that streaming measures to break the hold
why didn't it hit? it's true that it was a viral phenomenon like countless other rap songs during the "bain period" that radio refused to play. but why did macklemore and iggy azealia get through the bottleneck and not kreay? the answer is probaby fascinating. i don't know it
jk the answer is sexism! the record industry is one of the most toxic possible workplaces for women! scores of industry players don't even know how to talk to women, let alone work with them, and they don't want to learn! freedom to treat women badly is why they work in music!
