Jeezy's new album Church In These Streets -- which dropped today -- was, at least in part, inspired by events that took place last year, including a high-profile shooting and a life-altering arrest.

The shooting incident took place in Aug. 2014 when Suge Knight was shot at a pre-VMA party hosted by Chris Brown in L.A. Jeezy was apparently there and he says he was almost in the line of fire.

"My man said, ‘Yo, Young, watch out. They about to pop this [expletive],’" Jeezy told The Breakfast Club. "He pushed me. I fell on Chris. All I hear is [gun shots].

"It was crazy because my man got hit in his hand," he added. "He got hit in his arm two times trying to push me out the way. Had he not pushed me, I would’ve gotten hit."

The following day, Jeezy was arrested for an unrelated issue. An assault rifle was found on his tour bus and police were investigating a shooting. A judge eventually dismissed those charges, but it was still a trying time for the Snowman.

"That was the first time I was ever incarcerated for that amount of time since I've been on," he said. "So, it was just a lot of time to sit there and think."

That resulted in some more rhymes and maturity. "If you see me in a different light," he explained. "It just instantly made me grow up that fast...I'm evolving."

Learn more about his arrest and listen to the Jeezy album inspired by these tough times and growth here.