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Trending in Kevin Gates’s World

4t$

Single2015

Life on the Line (feat. Anonymous That Dude)

Single2014

Story

Quick Facts

Born
1986

From
United States of America

Journey

Emerging from the grit of Baton Rouge, Kevin Gates, born Kevin Jerome Gilyard, built his rap career on authentic tales of street life, personal struggle, and family burden. Though born in New Orleans, Gates grew up in Baton Rouge, picking up a microphone in his teens. Through a steady stream of self-released mixtapes and local team-ups, he carved out a dedicated following and cemented his status as a formidable voice in Louisiana hip-hop. Gates' career took a decisive turn with "The Luca Brasi Story" in 2013. Released through his Bread Winners' Association imprint, the mixtape drew attention to his ability to combine hard-edged street narratives with unusually personal writing. Its reception helped him secure a recording partnership with Atlantic Records. He followed with "Stranger Than Fiction," "By Any Means" and "Luca Brasi 2," all of which reached the Billboard 200, giving him a national audience before he had released a formal studio album. That progression reached its commercial high point with "Islah" in 2016. His debut studio album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2 and produced major singles including "2 Phones" and "Really Really." The album established Gates as a commercially successful artist without stripping away the introspective writing that had defined his mixtape years. He continued that approach on "I'm Him" (2019), "Khaza" (2022) and "The Ceremony" (2024). "Khaza," named after his son, turned toward fatherhood and personal growth, while The Ceremony reflected a more mature perspective on his life and career. His subsequent releases have included "I'm Him 2" and "Luca Brasi 4," extending two of the recurring threads in his catalog. After nearly two decades of recording, Kevin Gates has built a catalog that traces his life as much as his career. From independent mixtapes in Baton Rouge to a No. 2 debut album and multiple Billboard-charting projects, his progression has been defined by persistence and an insistence on turning difficult experiences into material he can examine through music.