Before Gucci Mane began his latest prison stint last year, he posted a series of messages to his Twitter account that many took as troubling signs about his mental health and stability. But as the revered Atlanta rapper has inched closer and closer to his release (some associates say early next year, while other reports peg it as late as 2017), he has become more resolute in his message to the outside. On top of a never-ending stream of music curated by his hard-working team of engineers, Gucci has now sent an open letter to his devoted fans. It reads:

If someone asked me to describe who I am? I would say simply I am a MAN. I am a man that makes mistakes, I am a man that takes pride in getting back up anytime I fall. I am not the typical entertainer. I have made a profession out of writing and recording music but I'm more than a rapper. The difference between me and the average entertainer is they dream of signing to a major label so they can have this giant machine push them and propel them to stardom, but I don't have that dream. My reality is I am all I got. I am the machine behind me. The streets signed me and the trap named me God. 

I am a machine. They call me Gucci, some call me Guwop but they should call me The Machine. 

Gucci's feature film, The Spot, has been pushed back to a November release.

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