Kevin Jerome Gilyard is an American rapper, singer, and entrepreneur. He is currently signed to Bread Winners' Association with a partnership with Atlantic Records. His debut studio album, Islah, 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.

Gates began his career in 2007 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.

After his stint in prison, Gates began working on music again almost immediately. In 2012, he earned some buzz with the mixtape, Make 'Em Believe. He also caught the attention of Lil Wayne's record label, Young Money Entertainment. Gates was signed to the management wing of the label later that year. Although he was signed to the management wing, Gates never signed a record deal with Young Money. He noted, however, that it was Birdman who gave him the idea to start his own record label later on.

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