Jeezy Talks About Reconciling His More Than Decade-Long Beef With Gucci Mane: ‘We Not Kids’

Jeezy opens up about his intense Verzuz battle against his longtime rival Gucci Mane. 

Let’s just say all of our anxiety was at its highest level Thursday night as the two Atlanta legends sparred record for record in the latest Verzuz event. While there were a few shots that were fired from both ends, the night ended with the two men settling their more than decade-long beef. 

“I looked at it like we ain’t sixth graders. We not kids,” Jeezy said in his interview with The Breakfast Club. “You can’t antagonize me with something that we both understand ‘cause I’m not in the same mental space as I was 20 years ago, and I know I can’t let you take me there. That would have been the biggest upset in my life because I have self-control, and I’m very self-aware. It’s just like, ‘Hold up man, if that was the case, we might [not have even] came here.’”

He continued, “In my mind, I didn’t feel no way about it because I’ve already heard the song. I already know what people may think of the situation, and you know that as well, so you can’t antagonize me with that live and think that you’re gonna get a response because I’m not that same person I was 20 years ago when that’s how things spiraled out of control anyway. … I took the last 10 years to better myself because of a lot of things that happened in my life. I just promise myself I would never put myself in those positions again because when you react and somebody gets you off your square and you acting out of anger or you acting out of anxiety, it’s normally not the right decision.”

Jeezy went on to explain if he feels the two have really called a truce beyond the Verzuz stage. “It’s been going on almost two decades. It was a point when we were cool. … The real shit that went on, that’s just something me and him gonna have to figure out later on, but for y’all, it’s just like I understand it. The more it goes on, the worse it’s gonna be, so we at least the forefront of it so anybody who’s behind us, that’s the way to go… time heals all. But that was effort—it was in front of the world. It wasn’t even for show. It’s real-life; we both gotta come to grips with that. We both gotta really be men.” 

Jeezy said when Gucci initially declined his request for the battle, he understood his decision. “To be honest with you, from what I hear, he did respectfully decline, which I respect,” Jeezy said. “I guess he looked at in a way I looked at it—just like, ‘Yo bro, there ain’t nobody else they want to see us with,’ and if for once at least mentally it can be about the music instead of it just being me and him and our personal feelings like now you got the world watching. So I feel like as a man, I wasn’t going to not do it ‘cause of what happened because that’s what the platform’s for.”