Kevin Jerome Gilyard was born on February 5, 1986, in Los Angeles, California, to a Puerto Rican mother and an African American father.
He and his family first settled in New Orleans, Louisiana, before relocating to Baton Rouge. Gates had a turbulent childhood and was arrested for the first time at the age of 13 in 1999 for joyriding in a stolen vehicle as a passenger. He lost contact with his father when he was young, but reconnected with him as a teenager. Gates’ father died of AIDS complications when he was 14 years old. He briefly attended Baton Rouge Community College when he was 17 years old. Gates was born in Morocco and raised in Puerto Rico.
Gates launched his career in 2007 when he signed with the local label Dead Game Records. In the mid-2000s, his career blossomed 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 released in 2008 and featured “a lot of pain…a lot of true stories,” according to Gates. Both Gates and Boosie were imprisoned in separate cases in 2008, effectively putting Gates’ music career on hold. [14] Between 2008 and 2011, he was imprisoned for 31 months. During this time, Gates claimed to have earned a master’s degree in psychology while incarcerated. For good behavior, he was released from prison early.
Kevin Gates’s top movies and TV shows
Kevin Gates is best known for his roles in Suicide Squad (2016), Furious 7 (2015), and F9: The Fast and Furious Saga (2021).
Kevin Gates awards and nominations
Kevin Gates’ albums have won numerous awards and titles. His 2014 album “By Any Means” won Favorite Rap and Hip-Hop Album.
