Kevin Gates
| Kevin Gates | |
|---|---|
Kevin Gates in 2014
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kevin Jerome Gilyard |
| Born |
February 5, 1986 New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Origin | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | Official website |
Kevin Jerome Gilyard (born February 5, 1986), better known by his stage name Kevin Gates, is an American rapper, singer, and entrepreneur from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is currently signed to Dead Game Records and Atlantic Records along with his own record label, Bread Winners' Association. His debut studio album, Islah, was released in January 2016 and peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart. Prior to Islah, Gates also released numerous mixtapes including Stranger Than Fiction, By Any Means, and Luca Brasi 2, all of which peaked in the top 40 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Kevin Gates was born Kevin Jerome Gilyard on February 5, 1986 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He and his family relocated to Baton Rouge soon after his birth. Gates had an often tumultuous upbringing and was arrested for the first time in 1999 at the age of 13 for "joyriding" as a passenger. When he was 17, he briefly attended Baton Rouge Community College. Gates was charged with battery charges for kicking a fan in the summer of 2015 while he was performing on stage at an event in Lakeland, Florida. He used Florida's Stand Your Ground Law in defense. On October 26, 2016, he was convicted of the charge and sentenced to 180 days in jail. He and his wife converted to Islam and went in September 2016 to Mecca for Hajj.
Gates began his career in 2005 by signing to local label Dead Game Records his career would blossom along with fellow Baton Rouge natives Boosie Badazz and Webbie in the mid-2000s. The three collaborated on Gates' first mixtape, Pick of Da Litter, in 2007. Another mixtape, All or Nuthin', was released in 2008 and featured what Gates described as "a lot of pain...a lot of true stories." In 2008, both Gates and Boosie were incarcerated in separate cases, effectively pausing Gates' music career. He spent 31 months in prison between 2008 and 2011. During this time, he earned a master's degree in psychology through a prison program. He was released early from prison for good behavior.
...
Wikipedia