In a recent interview with The Morning Hustle, Gucci Mane expressed mixed feelings about his famous ice cream cone face tattoo. While he’s not proud of the circumstances in which he got the tattoo, he admits that he popularized the trend of rappers getting face tattoos.
“I wouldn’t take credit for starting the trend, but I think I definitely made people think it was something cool to do,” he said. “I was going through something when I did it. If I could do it over again, I probably wouldn’t have did it.”
Gucci got the tattoo in 2011, during a time when he was struggling with addiction and paranoia. He entered rehab in 2013 and was incarcerated in 2014. He was released in 2016 and has been working hard to stay on the straight path ever since.
In a 2017 interview with ESPN, Gucci said that he couldn’t enjoy his rise to fame because it was “always tense” and “filled with violence, paranoia, and drugs.” He also admitted to struggling with an addiction to lean, which he has since kicked.
“Drying out from drinking lean is probably the worst feeling in the world,” he said. “It tear your body down, it tear your mind down. You’ve been doing something for so long, it’s kind of like food. It’s like starving. It’s indescribable. It’s terrible, terrible pain.”
Gucci credits his focus on his job, his freedom, his family, and the memory of his time in prison for helping him stay sober and on the right track.
“I don’t want to go back,” he said.
Gucci’s story is a reminder that even the most successful people can struggle with addiction and mental health issues. It’s also a testament to the power of redemption and the importance of never giving up on yourself.
