Hip-hop legend reveals bipolar and schizophrenia diagnosis

A rap icon and his wife recently revealed some details about his battle with chronic mental health conditions.

Gucci Mane and Keyshia Ka’oir appeared on “The Breakfast Club” Monday to discuss the rapper’s third book, “Episodes: The Diary of a Recovering Mad Man.”

The book, which released earlier in October, disclosed that Gucci, 45 (born Radric Davis), had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

During the joint interview, Gucci Mane and Ka’oir opened up about how they manage the rapper’s mental health struggles.

“I have a system,” Ka’oir, 40, said. “I take his apps off his phone. First thing I do, I 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.”

Ka’oir explained that she goes into “mother mode” to catch her husband’s schizophrenic episodes before they become public.

“How you catch it is he doesn’t speak to you, Ka’oir said. ”He wants to be left alone, he don’t eat, he does not sleep. Text messages, there’s a period after each word.”

The “Lemonade” rapper revealed that he is sometimes unaware he is experiencing a mental health bout, likening the episodes to being in a “psychosis” or a “warped world.”

Gucci Mane recounted an incident during the COVID pandemic in 2020 that led him to seeking help for his mental struggles.

“After that, I was like, man, I got to really just hold myself accountable and take care of my health. I don’t ever want to have an episode again. If I have to see a therapist, if I have to take medicine,” Gucci Mane said. “I kinda threw the towel in, like, do what I need to do to get better.”

The “Wasted” rapper said therapy and prescribed medication aided his condition after he pinpointed his triggers of drug and alcohol use and stress.

“You got to do the work yourself if you want to really get better,” Gucci Mane said. “People can want it for you, but you still got to want it more than they do.”