Kevin Jerome Gilyard, aka Kevin Gates, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is signed to Bread Winners’ Association by partnering with Atlantic Records.
His grandparents primarily raised him with Lucille Gilyard, who is doing her best as a mom.
Gates’ career is a story of hustle, heartbreak, and redemption. Emerging from Baton Rouge in the late 2000s alongside Boosie Badazz and Webbie, he built a cult following with raw mixtapes like Pick of Da Litter and All or Nuthin.
However, legal troubles stalled his rise, leading to a 31-month prison stint between 2008 and 2011.
After his release, he rebounded with The Luca Brasi Story, earning critical acclaim and a deal with Atlantic Records. His 2016 debut album, Islah, became a breakout success, hitting No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with hits like “2 Phones” and “Really Really.”
Despite more legal setbacks, Gates stayed prolific, dropping projects like By Any Means 2 and I’m Him. His 2021 mixtape “Only the Generals, Pt. II” paid homage to his Puerto Rican roots, proving his enduring relevance.
Moreover, Gates remains one of hip-hop’s most authentic voices, a testament to resilience and raw talent.
Kevin Gates’ Parents: The Story of Resilience, Loss, and the Family That Made Him
Kevin Jerome Gilyard, the son of a Puerto Rican mother and an African American father, was born on February 5, 1986, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Later, his family moved to Baton Rouge, where much of his childhood unfolded.
His mother, Lucille Gilyard, instilled in him a strong sense of resilience, raising him alongside his brother, Brandon, and a sister whose name remains private.
Though Lucille worked as an English teacher, providing stability wasn’t easy.
Kevin has acknowledged her efforts, saying “she did the best she could,” a testament to his understanding of her struggles despite their complicated circumstances.
Before settling in Baton Rouge, the family lived in low-income housing in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, a hardship-marked neighborhood.
Kevin grew up with an absent biological father, a stepfather who stepped in as a father figure, and the enduring influence of his grandparents.
After Lucille’s separation from Kevin’s birth father, she remarried, and her second husband played a crucial role in the rapper’s early years.
Kevin viewed him as his real father for long, reflecting, “If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be a man of great character.“
Yet, his grandparents, particularly his grandmother, became his primary caregivers as he got older. “She really raised me the majority of my life,” he once shared.
Kevin had lost contact with his father at a young age but reconnected with him as a teenager. Sadly, his father passed away due to complications from AIDS when Gates was 14 years old.
This loss, along with the passing of his grandfather (a lawyer and another key father figure), left deep scars that Kevin has often explored in his music.
Despite Lucille’s efforts to keep the family stable, Kevin’s youth was turbulent. At 13, he was arrested for joyriding in a stolen car, an early sign of a troubled path.
Yet through it all, his family’s nurturing and fractured influence shaped the man and artist he would become.
