Kevin Gates, born Kevin Jerome Gilyard on February 5, 1986, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
He built a career around emotionally raw, confessional lyrics, breaking through with mixtapes before his 2016 debut album Islah reached number two on the Billboard 200.
Who Is Kevin Gates?
Kevin Gates is one of the most recognizable voices to come out of Louisiana’s rap scene, known for blending street storytelling with melodic, confessional songwriting. He is signed to his own label, Bread Winners’ Association, in partnership with Atlantic Records.
His career has been shaped as much by legal troubles and personal struggles as by his music. Gates has spoken openly in interviews about depression, his difficult childhood, and time spent in prison, themes that run through much of his catalog.
Early Life
Kevin Gates was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, before his family relocated to Baton Rouge, where he grew up. His mother is of Puerto Rican descent, while sources differ on his father’s background, describing him alternately as Moroccan or African American.
His childhood was difficult. Gates lost contact with his father for years, and the two reconnected only when Gates was a teenager, shortly before his father died of complications from AIDS when Gates was 14.
Gates was first arrested at age 13 for joyriding as a passenger in a stolen vehicle, an early brush with the legal system that foreshadowed later run-ins with the law. He briefly attended Baton Rouge Community College at 17 before turning his focus toward music.
Kevin Gates Age
Kevin Gates is 40 years old as of 2026, born on February 5, 1986. His zodiac sign is Aquarius.
He turned 40 earlier this year, more than a decade after his first mixtape success. His birthday has become something of a recurring moment on his social media, where fans mark it alongside his music milestones.
Kevin Gates Ethnicity and Nationality
Kevin Gates is American by nationality. His mother is Puerto Rican, giving him Latino heritage alongside a Black American or North African paternal background, depending on the source.
That mixed background shows up frequently in his music, including projects recorded partly in Puerto Rico to highlight his family’s heritage. Gates converted to Islam as an adult, a change that has also shaped his public identity in recent years.
Career
Early Career
Kevin Gates signed with the local label Dead Game Records in 2007, releasing his first mixtape, Pick of Da Litter, alongside fellow Baton Rouge artists Boosie Badazz and Webbie. A second mixtape, All or Nuthin’, followed in 2008.
That same year, Gates was incarcerated on felony charges, a setback that paused his career for several years. During that time, he says he earned a master’s degree in psychology through a prison education program, later crediting the experience with shaping the introspective tone of his lyrics.
After his release in 2011, Gates returned to music quickly. His 2012 mixtape Make ‘Em Believe caught the attention of Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment, though he never released music under that label.
Breakthrough with Luca Brasi and Islah
In 2013, Gates released The Luca Brasi Story through his own label, Bread Winners’ Association. The mixtape’s single “Wylin'” was named one of the best songs of the year by Rolling Stone, and the project’s success led to a deal with Atlantic Records.
His first major-label mixtape, Stranger Than Fiction, followed in July 2013 and reached number 37 on the Billboard 200. Gates then faced another brief prison stint for a parole violation before returning again to release Luca Brasi 2 in 2014, which peaked at number 38 on the same chart.
His debut studio album, Islah, arrived in January 2016, named after his daughter. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and included the singles “2 Phones” and “Really Really,” cementing Gates as a mainstream name in Southern rap.
Recent Work
Gates continued releasing music through the 2010s and 2020s, including the album I’m Him in 2019 and multiple entries in his long-running Only the Generals and Luca Brasi mixtape series. In August 2025, he released Luca Brasi 4, continuing the franchise that first built his reputation over a decade earlier.
He has also faced repeated legal issues over the years, including a 2016 battery conviction stemming from an incident at a Florida concert. Despite the setbacks, Gates has remained a steady presence in hip-hop, continuing to tour and release new material.
Kevin Gates Discography
Gates has released numerous mixtapes and studio albums, including:
- Islah (2016)
- I’m Him (2019)
- Stranger Than Fiction (2013)
- By Any Means (2014)
- Luca Brasi 2 (2014)
- Luca Brasi 4 (2025)
- The Luca Brasi Story (2013)
- Only the Generals, Pt. II (2021)
Kevin Gates Relationship History
Kevin Gates married his longtime partner, Dreka Haynes, in October 2015. Dreka went on to co-run Bread Winners’ Association and managed several aspects of his career alongside her own entrepreneurial projects.
In July 2025, Dreka filed for divorce, and court filings that followed included disputes over finances, a Mississippi farm facing foreclosure, and allegations tied to unpaid taxes.
Gates has contested the divorce, arguing in court papers that the couple’s 2015 ceremony did not amount to a legal civil marriage.
Following the filing, Gates briefly married Basketball Wives star Brittany Renner. The two wed on April 6, 2025, and divorced on May 28, 2025, a union Renner later described publicly as brief but something she did not regret.
Kevin Gates Children
Kevin Gates has two children with Dreka Haynes, a daughter named Islah Koren Gates, born in 2012, and a son named Khaza Kamil Gates. Gates has said in interviews that he has other children as well, without publicly naming all of them.
Reports have named two additional sons, Tyler and Kayson, though Gates has generally kept details about his children beyond Islah and Khaza out of the public eye.
Kevin Gates Net Worth
Kevin Gates’s estimated net worth is $4 million as of 2026.
That figure includes income from his music catalog, touring, and his Bread Winners’ Association label, though a 2025 IRS tax lien of roughly $7 million and divorce-related financial disputes have complicated his overall financial picture.
Kevin Gates Social Media
Kevin Gates is active on Instagram under the handle @iamkevingates, where he shares music updates and glimpses of his personal life.
The Bottom Line
Kevin Gates built his career on raw, confessional lyrics, breaking through commercially with Islah in 2016 after years of mixtapes and two separate prison stints. He turned his time in custody into part of his story, earning a psychology degree behind bars before returning to music.
Gates has never shied away from discussing his hardest moments, from his father’s death to his own struggles with depression, in both interviews and lyrics. His Baton Rouge roots and Puerto Rican heritage remain constant threads throughout his catalog.
He released Luca Brasi 4 in 2025, continuing a mixtape series that dates back over a decade, while also navigating a high-profile divorce and financial disputes. Gates continues to record and tour as of 2026.
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