Kevin Jerome Gilyard, better known by his stage name Kevin Gates, is an American rapper, musician, and businessman who was born on February 5, 1986.
Through a partnership with Atlantic Records, he has a deal with Bread Winners’ Association.
His debut studio album, Islah, arrived in January 2016 at position two on the US Billboard 200 list. Before the release of Islah, Gates released a number of mixtapes, including Stranger Than Fiction, By Any Means, and Luca Brasi 2, all of which peaked in the top 40 of the Billboard 200 chart.
Kevin Gates twin brother: Who is Brandon Gilyard?
Kevin Gates was raised alongside his twin brother Brandon Gilyard. They were only 17 years old when their father died. We do not have much information about his brother.
Gates launched his career in 2007 when he signed with the local label Dead Game Records. In the mid-2000s, his career grew alongside that of fellow Baton Rouge natives Boosie Badazz and Webbie. In 2007, the three worked together on Gates’ first mixtape, Pick of Da Litter. Another mixtape, All or Nuthin’, was published in 2008 and had “a lot of pain…a lot of actual stories,” according to Gates.
In 2008, Gates and Boosie were both incarcerated in separate instances, which halted Gates’ musical career. He spent 31 months in jail from 2008 to 2011. Gates said that he earned a master’s degree in psychology at this time while he was a prisoner. He was early freed from prison due to excellent behaviour.
