Atlanta residents, at the urging of Jeezy, donated such necessities as water, canned goods, clothes, baby formula and diapers to be distributed to the survivors of Hurricane Katrina in Alabama, New Orleans and Mississippi.

“These were things that people could actually go out and buy and feel like they are a part of the movement too instead of dropping a check,” Jeezy explained. “At the end of the day, it’s our people in need of help. This is the same place I did a gang of shows, the same people who supported me over the years. You’re talking about a place we used to go to support the Super Bowl, and it’s like a Third World country now.

“There’s a bond,” he continued. “It’s the dirty South and a big part of the dirty South. I’m an Atlanta dude; I look at it like it could’ve been us. It could have been my people living in the Georgia Dome trying to survive.”

Jeezy says he was depressed after watching the coverage of the disaster on the news and was especially moved after a conversation with New Orleans native Lil’ Wayne.

“I had talked to Lil’ Wayne and I told him I had a crib in the ATL with damn near 12 rooms,” Jeezy described. ” ‘If you need anywhere to stay, I can get somebody to let you in.’ The man told me he hadn’t talked to his mother or daughter, and that sh– almost hurt me. I couldn’t believe it. That’s your mother and child. I got a son. I can only imagine what that feels like. He called me back the next day and said, ‘Yeah I got in touch with them. They’re OK.’ We’ve definitely been praying for them.”

Although Wayne did not take the Snowman up on his offer, Jeezy has since opened his home for several strangers, offering shelter to people who have lost everything.

“I can only imagine what it was like to be there,” he said. “Nobody expected that. You don’t expect to wake up under 20 feet of water. At the end of the day, that’s life. How we handle this is going to set the tone for the future. This is one of the times we’ve got to come together. There’s like 14 people in my crib I never seen a day before in my life, but I ain’t tripping. They can stay as long as they need. That’s real, homie; this could be the end of some people’s roads. We’ve got to help people start to rebuild their lives.”

On Saturday, Jeezy returned to Atlanta to further his relief efforts. He was part of an all-star concert lineup that David Banner’s Heal the Hood Foundation helped bring together . T.I., 8Ball and MJG, Lyfe Jennings, Chopper (a.k.a. Young City), 112, Ali from the St. Lunatics and Big Gipp of Goodie Mob also performed while Lil Jon hosted.