Kevin Gates Biography

Kevin Jerome Gilyard, known by his stage name Kevin Gates, is an American rapper and entrepreneur. His first studio album Islah reached the second spot on the US Billboard 200. The third single, 2 Phones, became the most popular and best-selling, additionally peaking at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. Besides being inspired by episodes from his life, he listed Nas, Biggie Smalls, Jay-Z, Tupac Shakur, Eminem as his influences.

Early Career

Kevin had quite a difficult childhood and even had problems with the law, which persisted in his adulthood. He began rapping in 2005 and released a series of mixtapes until his 3-year conviction. His 2012 mixtape Make ‘Em Believe gained him some recognition and appreciation from Lil Wayne‘s record label, Young Money Entertainment. However, the rapper ulteriorly created his own record label, Bread Winners’ Association. In 2013, he received critical acclaim due to his The Luca Brasi Story mixtape. Most noteworthy, Rolling Stones and Pitchfork gave it very positive reviews.

Continuous Success

The next major success was his Stranger Than Fiction mixtape – which featured subject like depression and life in jail. It marked his first appearance on the Billboard 200. In 2014, the rapper released another mixtape By Any Means. Furthermore, he created an energy drink called “I Don’t Get Tired”, titled after his homonymous single, first to reach the US Billboard Hot 100. Soon after, he released his 13th mixtape, Luca Brasi 2, which continued his winning streak.

In 2015, he released Kno One, the first single from his debut album – named after his daughter. Later that year, he went through another scandal after being violent with a fan. Kevin finally released his first studio album in 2016. Two of the singles, Really Really and 2 Phones received massive commercial success. In conclusion, Gates established himself as a high profile rapper due to his “confessional anthems”.

Photo credit: XXL