It would have been impossible to predict what would come next when Gucci Mane released his debut album Trap House in 2005, leading this century’s most influential hip-hop subgenre and skyrocketing the East Atlanta rapper to stardom. But since his release from prison in 2016, the trap pioneer has been transparent about the mental health struggles that informed the ups and downs of his 20-year career. Released, as per tradition, on 10/17 (which Atlanta officially declared “Gucci Mane Day” in 2023), Gucci’s 17th solo album is accompanied by his second book, Episodes: The Diary of a Recovering Mad Man, in which he gets real about his long road to redemption. “I done did all types of stupid shit,” he admits frankly on “Episodes Intro,” summing up his early-career legal drama in a nutshell. Much has changed for the trap icon, but some things stay the same: on “Back Cooking,” he reunites with longtime collaborator OJ da Juiceman for that vintage Guwop feeling.