Jeezy has revealed he almost committed suicide due to the ongoing pressures he faced in his neighborhood but didn't see it through after realizing he couldn't give up.
In an interview with People magazine about his newly released book titled Adversity for Sale, the 45-year-old spoke about his time at the National Guard's Youth Challenge program in Fort Stewart, Georgia, that helped him get his act together. The rapper decided to go there instead of Arrendale State Prison for getting caught with drug possession in 1994, and the experience was nothing he's ever had.
"You're basically in the Marines or the Army, and people are telling you what to do. You gotta shine your boots," Jeezy told People. "I don't know about anybody else [but] I'm just not good at being told what to do. And I'm coming from a place where I'm basically a boss."
He continued, "It taught me structure. And it took me out of the environment that I was in for me to become even more focused than I was because I thought I was focused, but I really wasn't."
During a field trip to a naval base, Jeezy had a moment of reflection on the side of the ship where he knew he had to go back home and figure his life out. However, he knew friends back home that became junkies and getting killed. He didn't want that for himself and thought taking his own life would keep him away from what he needed to do.
"So it was all this stuff in my head. I just remember standing there and it was for a brief moment, I would say at least about 10 minutes, I actually contemplated jumping in the water," Jeezy said. "I had never had suicidal thoughts, but I [thought], 'Well, shit, if I just jump in the water, I ain't gotta deal with this. I ain't gotta go back home. I gotta do none of these things.'"
Jeezy said an inner voice told him, "'No, bro. You gonna have to man up. You gonna have to go back home. You got to figure this out.'" He decided not to jump, and when he got back home, he claimed he was "ready for anything."
The Atlanta native decided to become a rapper and locked in on that career, making his debut in 2001 with the release of Thuggin' Under the Influence. Jeezy has released 10 studio albums since then, with his last one coming in 2020, titled The Recession 2.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
