ATLANTA — Editor's note: This story has been updated to more accurately reflect where Scales was shot during the incident.
Scales, the Nappy Roots rapper who was robbed and kidnapped outside the brewery he co-owns in Atlanta, said Thursday he was "doing good" and stressed his commitment to the neighborhood in some of his first public comments since the incident last month.
The iconic Atlanta musician, whose legal name is Melvin Adams Jr., was approached by two men with guns outside Atlantucky Brewing in Castleberry Hill on the night of Aug. 17, then shot over the course of a robbery.
He has since been recovering after being shot in the leg.
RELATED: Skinny DeVille gives an update on Nappy Roots bandmate's condition after robbery at Atlanta brewery
Thursday, Scales said he was "doing great" and receiving "so much support, so much love - it's really helped me get through it."
He said he had even gone on a road trip with the band for a show this past weekend and performed on crutches. Scales called that "very spiritual for me" and "medicine for my soul."
"It was good to be around my guys and my team," he said.
The musician reiterated his belief that the shooting was not reflective of the overall safety of the neighborhood.
"I truly believe it was a random event - some bad guys, some bad characters in the neighborhood," he said. "We love Castleberry Hill. That's one reason I'm stressing to get back here so quick, because my team, my people in the neighborhood have been so supportive, and we want to let that be known - that this is as great neighborhood and we are a part of what's becoming here."
"That's the main thing," he added. "We want to get this behind us so we can get back to working on all of the good stuff we were doing here in Castleberry."
Scales also described the circumstances of the shooting in more detail. He said he had gotten into his car and was beginning to drive in the parking deck when he was stopped by the gunmen.
He said he "made the decision that I've got to get out of this car" and that he jumped out, a tussle ensued and that's when he was shot.
Scales added that the thought going through his head was that he couldn't let the gunmen kidnap him and force him to bring him back to his home where his family was.
"I couldn't take these guys back to where I live, I have to make sure my family is safe," he said.
"I surprised myself, for real. I was calmer than I thought I would be in that type of situation," he added. "I just know what we're doing here, I know what we have as Atlantucky, and that's my main goal - to get this place up and running like we should. I won't let two guys stop that, I won't let anybody interfere with what we're doing at Atlantucky."
The rapper added that he and Skinny DeVille, his bandmate who co-owns the brewery with him, are "totally committed to improving the neighborhood... and we're hoping that we're making a difference."
"We want people to know this is a safe place, this is a great experience. We're the second Black-owned brewery in the state of Georgia, and that is something people need to experience," Scales said. "We want people to enjoy this whole experience. We have art, beer, entertainment and we feel like this is something valuable for the neighborhood."