Sentenced to a year in Riker’s Island prison for gun possession, Lil Wayne is not letting the confines of cell walls get him down. So, what does the Grammy-winning, multiplatinum-selling rap artist do to pass the time? It’s simple: He blogs. “During my prison stint, I want my fans to know I love you. I want all of you to know that I appreciate all the mail I get, and this is my way of saying thank you,” he writes. The rapper, who started serving his sentence early March, has recently begun a blog called WeezyThanxYou.com for answering fan questions.

While the blog was primarily created for the purpose of answering fan letters, it also features jail updates as well as a countdown until his release and is designed to help sell “Free Weezy” t-shirts. Lil Wayne handwrites all of his blog posts before submitting them to his team who then edit and publish them to the site. To distract fans from his hiatus, Lil Wayne’s management has already released several new tracks and videos.

With the rapper being warranted protective custody from other prisoners at Riker’s Island, Lil Wayne has spent his time working out and reading the Bible every day, reiterating the fact that he is, indeed, in good spirits: “Jail didn’t make me find God; He’s always been there. They can lock me up, but my spirit and my love can never be confined to prison walls.”

Though the countdown reveals more than 200 days until his freedom, Lil Wayne may be released after 8 months if his conduct is good. Right now, Lil Wayne turns to his blog to reflect his plans to move forward: “Life happens quick. The more time you spend contemplating what you should have done…you lose valuable time planning what you can and will do.”