Kevin Gates, whose real name is Kevin Jerome Gilyard, is an American rap musician and entrepreneur. Known for his blockbuster mixtapes like “By Any Means”, “Luca Brasi 2” and “Stranger than Fiction”, his rise to the big league happened with the release of “Islah”- his debut studio album released in the year 2016. “Islah” went on to hit the second position on the US Billboard 200 chart. His songs are noted for its authentic and honest lyrics. Most of his songs are inspired by his troubled childhood.
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Early Life
Born in Louisiana on the 5th of February 1986, Kevin was brought up in Baton Rouge. His mother hails from Puerto Rica while his late father was an African American. Kevin’s childhood had been tumultuous.
He got arrested at the age of 13 for being a passenger in a stolen car. Though he started treading down the wrong path, he could pull himself together only because of his passion for music. However, the tendency to careen off the right path has always been with him, which was evidenced through his various altercations during the later stages of his life.
Personal
Kevin is married to Dreka Haynes. They have two children- Islah and Kazha. Kevin and Dreka converted to Islam religion in the year 2016. His debut album was named after his child. During Kevin’s childhood, he had lost touch with his father but later reconciled with him when he was 14 only to lose him again forever. His father succumbed to AIDS in the same year.
Though Kevin got arrested when he was 13, he tried his best to get back to normal life by trying to attend college when he was in his teens. He also fervently pursued his musical aspirations and that made all the difference in his life.
Age, Height, and Weight
Kevin is 34 years old. His height is 1.9 meters and he weighs about 94 kgs.
Kevin Gates Career
He got his first contract signed when he was 19. The contract was with a local studio named Dead Game Records. As part of this contract, he worked in collaboration with fellow rappers Boosie Badazz and Webbie, who hail from his native place Baton Rouge. They worked together on his first mixed tape titled “Pick of Da Latter”, which was released in the year 2007. Their second collaboration titled “All or Nothing” was released in the following year.
But immediately after this, his career hit a major roadblock when he was arrested in the year 2008. He spent three years in jail. This was another phase in his life wherein he could have easily gone down the path of crime, but he didn’t. While being in jail, he completed a degree course in psychology. He has released before his term completion thanks to his good conduct. Immediately upon release, he started working on his music. His next mixed tape was released in the year 2012 and was titled “Make ‘Em Believe”.
The success of “Make ‘Em Believe” helped him to get signed as part of Young Money Entertainment’s management wing. This helped him to understand in detail how a professional record label is run. His learnings from this phase helped him immensely when he founded his record label named Breadwinners’ Association.
His 2013 mixed tape “The Luca Brasi Story” was a huge success. Through this, he was able to get associated with Atlantic Records. His mixed tape, released through Atlantic Records, was titled “Stranger Than Fiction”. This was his first mixed tape that burst into the Billboard charts.
“By Any Means”, Kevin’s next mixed tape, too made it to the Billboard charts just like its predecessor. This time it hit the number 17 position.
Quite unsurprisingly, “Luca Brasi 2”, his next mixed tape also made it to the charts. By then, he had made himself a pretty strong fan following.
Just as he was peaking as a musician, his career again took a downward spiral when there was a controversy involving him kicking a fan during one of his shows. The fan went on to press charges and Kevin was eventually convicted in the year 2016 getting a jail term of 180 days.
Just as he has been doing all through his life, he again came back with the success of his debut solo album “Islah”.
During the 2016-2019 period, mixed tapes like “By Any Means 2” and extended plays like “Chained to the City” and “Only the Generals Gon Understand” were released.
Kevin Gates Net Worth
Despite finding himself at the wrong side of the law many times, Kevin Gates has been able to get back on track only because of his passion for music. His career has had its share of ups and downs, but his talent remains as exceptional as ever. He is one musician who has found his struggles as his biggest inspiration.
In addition to his earnings through music, his entrepreneurial ventures- his record label and his energy drink business, are also paying off big time. His total net worth as of the year 2020 is estimated to be $2 million.
