Recording

During the interview with Atlanta's DJ Greg Street, Gucci Mane spoke about the album and said that it was a good representation upon where he is "musically and mentally". "I done grown a lot and I think I expressed it really good musically and I just want everybody to hear it and see what they think about it, because I put a lot of time in it and it's definitely my best foot forward right now.^[6] In addition to several of his longtime record producers such as Zaytoven, Shawty Redd, Drumma Boy and Fatboi, among others, Gucci Mane expanded his circle of producers for the album. The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted also includes his first-time that have collaborated with Swizz Beatz, former Haitian presidential candidate Wyclef Jean and Pharrell Williams. "The new people I did songs I actually made hit record with them. I made six records with Swizz, I made six records with Pharrell. And then I picked the best ones. I think this is a classic."^[6] With the completion of his follow-up album, Gucci Mane said that this is his best chance to capitalize on his underground allure. He told MTV that he considers this album to be a masterpiece. "The Appeal is officially finished. It's mixed and mastered, and the artwork is done. I'm just out here promoting it and letting everyone know it's coming. Just bring awareness to it 'cause I want everyone to know it's coming and to support it because it's a masterpiece."^[6]

Singles

On June 16, 2010, Gucci Mane and R&B singer Ciara went live on UStream to announce they would be featured on each other's new albums.^[12] Gucci Mane's "Too Hood" (featuring Ciara) was rumored to be the first single from The Appeal,^[13][14] but it did not appear on the album. The first single from the album, "Gucci Time",^[15] is produced by (and features) Swizz Beatz. The song premiered on Gucci Mane's MySpace page August 6, 2010,^[16] and was released as a single on August 30.^[17] It reached #23 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart^[18] and number 12 on Billboard's Rap Songs.^[18] A promotional single from the album was "Remember When", featuring R&B singer Ray J. A music video was released on October 10,^[19] and a music video for "What's It Gonna Be" was released 21 days later.^[20]

Other songs

In a partnership with iTunes, there were several tracks from the new album that were included in its pre-release program "Complete My Album", during the weeks leading up to the album's release.^[7][8] The first offering of the program was "Making Love to the Money", which could be obtained on September 7, 2010.^[21] The song peaked at number 36 on the US Billboard Hot R&B-Hip-Hop Songs and on the Top Rap Songs at number 21.^[22] "Trap Talk" was then made available on September 14, 2010;^[23] the final offering, "Weirdo", became available on September 21.^[24] The track, titled "Beat It Up" featuring Trey Songz (a deluxe-edition track which also appears on Gucci Mane's Burrrprint (2) HD mixtape), debuted on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at number 36 and number 22 on the Top Rap Songs charts.

Commercial performance

The album sold 61,500 copies in its first week (less than Gucci Mane's previous effort (which sold 90,000 copies in its first week of release). However, The Appeal had more chart success; it entered the US Billboard 200 at number 4^[25] (the previous album entered at number 10). The Appeal entered at number 4 on both on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums and Top Rap charts.^[25] The album has sold 150,000 copies.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	64/100[26]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[27]
Beat-Town	[28]
Eye Weekly	[29]
HipHopDX	[30]
iHipHop	[31]
RapReviews	(5/10)[32]
Rolling Stone	[33]

Upon its release, The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted received generally positive reviews from most music critics. Giving it three stars (out of five), Rolling Stone's Jonah Weiner commented "This Atlanta mush mouth serves up hip-hop comfort food: rich synth beats; laid-back cadences; songs that find a gloriously low concept and stick to it ('Making Love to the Money,' about all the different ways Gucci tries to impregnate his Benjamins, is a goofy standout here). But The Appeal, his third official album, suggests that Gucci's menu could use an update. Besides the distortion-laced 'Gucci Time,' the biggest change-ups here are drab gangsta ballads: 'Haterade' features Pharrell at his most insufferably croon-y, and 'O'Dog' makes you actually wish guest singer Wyclef would stick to politics."^[34]

AllMusic critic David Jeffries wrote that the album "is another worthy, aboveground effort, holding more highlights than your everyday release while broadening the man's horizons..."^[35]

Giving The Appeal three out of five stars, HipHopDX's William E. Ketchum III commented: "The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted is a big budget, guest-heavy release that distinguishes a Gucci Mane album from his endless supply of mixtapes. However, the Atlanta, Georgia mainstay still has yet to show the mainstream what the streets have been pointing out for the last five years." ^[36]

Eye Weekly writer Dave Morris gave the album a 4-out-of-5 rating, stating that Gucci Mane "is back doing hoodrat stuff in the same ludicrous way as before."^[37]