Viewers of the 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards were caught off guard when immediately following Gucci Mane and Plies’ performance of their hit single “Wasted,” a short public service announcement from Gucci Mane himself was played over the TV screen.

Yo, it’s your boy Gucci. I want y’all to know that I do make party records and it’s all fun, but on a serious note, I’m taking my own sobriety very seriously. And it’s for real, it’s coming from your boy Gucci. Be safe. ©Gucci Mane (See video below)

Gucci Mane nearly landed back in prison this past summer. While details are hard to come by, word on the street is that Gucci Mane failed a court ordered drug test. Luckily, Gucci Mane was able to avoid more hard time by agreeing to enter into a drug rehabilitation program. As evident by the Gucci Mane PSA played during the 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards, the 12-steps are playing an important role in Gucci’s life as a bubbling rap superstar.

However, Gucci’s time in rehab was not his only punishment for failing a drug test this past summer. An industry insider revealed to Hiptics that Gucci Mane is currently unable to perform anywhere outside the Georgia border, and cannot legally partake in any kind of interview, despite the fact that Gucci’s upcoming album (“The State Vs Radric Davis”) is due December 8th.

How will this affect his mainstream debut? For one, the lack of touring outside of Georgia will stop Gucci Mane from connecting with his growing fan-base. A captivating live show can turn a casual fan into a one-man/woman promotional machine. Not only that, but in today’s music industry, connecting with fans is more important than ever. With the inability to perform outside of Georgia, let alone grant interviews, Gucci Mane does not have many opportunities to connect with his fans before the December 8th release of The State Vs Radric Davis. Is Gucci allowed to use social media? We’re guessing no.

On the bright side of things, the criminal theme to this story only increases the buzz about Gucci Mane among rap fans in mainstream America. After all, this proof of his ’street cred’ (investigate why Gucci Mane was on probation in the first place) indicates that Gucci Mane is the realest ’street’ rapper to hit it big on the Billboard Charts since 50 Cent.

Side Note: Not long ago, specifically in September of 2008, Gucci was sentenced to one year in prison, in part because a required drug test revealed that Gucci Mane had been using alcohol, marijuana, and ecstasy.