Gucci Mane might be one of the most respected rappers in hip-hop, but underneath the fame and wealth, the rapper has long struggled with his mental health. In light of the release of his memoir “Episodes,” Gucci revealed his shocking diagnosis and how his wife is helping him heal.
Suggested Reading
The rapper married Keyshia Ka’Oir in 2017, but they were together at least seven years before that. Ka’Oir has witnessed many of Gucci’s mental “episodes,” including in 2011 when he famously got a tattoo of an ice cream cone on his face.
At the time, many in the Black community didn’t take Gucci serious, but he said that moment was a clear “cry for help.” The rapper has now been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, which might explain why Gucci’s early career was plagued by erratic behavior, arrests and the ice cream tattoo. Now, he’s speaking out in order to help someone else.
“I was trying to do something to help people that was going through, to help challenges,” he told Forbes of his memoir’s release. “I was trying to use my story and my story with addiction and mental health, to help somebody else. That was really the concept, honestly.”
Gucci and his wife took to “The Breakfast Club” to talk about their marriage and Gucci’s health journey. Decades into their relationship, Gucci’s wife knows him like the back of her hand. So when he started showing signs of a mental episode, Ka’Oir told the show hosts she’s always prepared for the worst.
“I have a system,” Ka’oir said. “I take his apps off his phone. First thing I do is delete Instagram. I delete everything. Even if I gotta change his password, I’m changing it because I don’t need the public to know he’s having an episode.”
Even though Black men experience higher rates of mental health issues, they are still less likely to seek help compared to other racial groups, according to the American Psychological Association (APA). Experts point to systemic racism, a lack of access and even the cultural stigma as reasons for this. Gucci wouldn’t be the first rapper to speak about mental health, but unfortunately, he joins a very short list of rappers willing to be vulnerable.
In addition to his new book, the rapper also dropped an album. “There is a vulnerable side of me on this album, it showed the part of me that I don’t really always show to the public,” he continued to Forbes. “I think with age and maturity, I was able to show people things that used to embarrass me. It’s hard to be vulnerable.”
His wife reveals the last time Gucci had a public episode was in 2013. “You realize you haven’t known about any other episodes since September 13 [2013]. That’s because I control that,” she said. “It’s deleted. I control everything at home. And now, before the episodes come, I catch it. So, that’s why he hasn’t had another one.”
Charlamagne Tha God then compared the Atlanta rapper’s episodes with Kim Kardashian’s recent account of being married to Kanye West, who has also struggled with mental health issues. She told the “Call Her Daddy” podcast that West would give her cars away during a mental episode.
Gucci admitted to doing the same and giving away jewelry. After he came to his senses, however, he said he realized his “friends” were taking advantage of him.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.