Gucci Mane Claims He ‘Was Going Through Something’ When He Got His Iconic Ice Cream Face Tattoo
During a candid conversation with The Morning Hustle, Gucci Mane opened up about the complex feelings he harbors towards his iconic ice cream cone face tattoo.
Around the 9:35 mark of the interview, Gucci Mane was probed about whether he believed he could be credited with igniting the trend of rappers adorning their faces with tattoos. He responded thoughtfully, stating, "I wouldn’t take credit for starting the trend, but I think I definitely made people think it was something cool to do.” He went on to reflect, “I was going through something when I did it. If I could do it over again, I probably wouldn’t have did it.”
While he clarified that he doesn't "regret" the tattoo per se, he did acknowledge that he might not have been in the right headspace when he got it. "People don't know the back story to that," he added. "I wasn't in a healthy place at the time, like, that was just a sporadic thing I did."
In 2011, Gucci Mane famously acquired his distinctive ice cream cone face tattoo. By 2013, he took the courageous step of admitting himself into rehab for his struggles with drugs. Subsequently, he faced incarceration in 2014, emerging transformed in 2016. Gucci has been forthright about his past battles with addiction and anxiety.
In an interview with ESPN's Highly Questionable in 2017, as reported by Billboard, he recounted that the ascent to fame was a journey fraught with tension, violence, and substance abuse. Gucci openly discussed his bout with lean addiction, a habit he has since conquered. "Drying out from drinking lean is probably the worst feeling in the world,” he disclosed. "You know, it tears your body down, it tears 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.”
In his conversation with The Morning Hustle, Gucci shared the strategies that have anchored him on a positive trajectory since his release from prison. "Just focusing on... the job, my freedom, my family, and knowing it could be taken away from me," he emphasized. "It ain't too far removed from my mind sitting in the cell, and how nasty it was. You know I don't want to go back."