by Gucci Mane
First published 2025
Gucci Mane was riding high in 2016. Fresh out of prison with a platinum album and a luxury brand campaign, the Atlanta rap icon appeared to have it all. But behind the success, he battled severe mental health issues and drug addiction that nearly destroyed him. In Episodes, Gucci breaks his silence about the darkest periods of his life. He takes readers inside specific moments from his career, explaining the mental anguish behind headlines and lyrics that fans thought they understood. He reveals how his obsession with money led to criminal behavior, shares the story behind his ice cream cone tattoo, and describes his wife watching him overdose. Each chapter connects a public episode to his private psychological state. Gucci interviews medical professionals and mental health experts throughout, building a framework for understanding addiction and mental illness. This memoir challenges hip hop culture to move beyond whispered conversations about mental health and embrace open dialogue about psychological struggles.
Genres: mental-health, addiction, african-american, crime, autobiography, biography-memoir, 21st-century, hip-hop
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: redemption, self-discovery
Setting: Atlanta
Period: 2016
256 pages · Kindle Edition · Simon & Schuster
Content warnings: addiction, depression, mental-illness, substance-abuse