The truthers needn’t look any further for proof of his realness than this album, which finds him refining longtime tendencies and dwelling on pre-prison life and its ramifications for his post-prison self. The unsavory implication was that a problematic rapper can’t change unless genetically modified. When Gucci was first released, there was a ridiculous (albeit hilarious) conspiracy theory that the newly healthy and fit Guwop was actually a clone. Buried somewhere in this overstuffed, 24-song, 80-minute crew compilation is his best album in years. He writes and raps like a veteran recounting war stories, reliving the glories of victory and the traumas imposed by violence. The music centering him here is the first to feel essential to his rap legacy since he came back from jail. It has been easy to ignore and easier still to forget, especially for a prolific rapper with a massive back catalog of impressive mixtapes. Most of the music Gucci Mane has released in his second act feels like a supplement to his narrative, and not the focus. But on the compilation, his charity comes at his own expense, as an otherwise-inspired Gucci album is bogged down by his attempts to uplift lesser rappers. That’s what you can be charitable with.” It’s an admirable cause, and one reflective of the new and improved Gucci, who has become a model of rehabilitation. “I’m in a better place than I ever been in my life, even though the world deteriorating around me,” he told XXL. The two projects seem to share a principle: providing insight to those who might benefit from it. The ventures that he prioritized this year are a new book called The Gucci Mane Guide to Greatness and the label compilation Gucci Mane Presents: So Icy Summer, featuring a brand-new roster of artists on his revamped imprint The New 1017.

Since his 2016 release from prison, Gucci Mane has been more of a self-help guru than a trap star.

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