Interview: Two Questions with Kevin Gates

Atwood Magazine enjoyed a quick chat with multi-platinum rapper Kevin Gates before his late-night performance at Hangout Music Festival 2023.

Stream: ‘The Luca Brasi Story’ – Kevin Gates

A storied career, starting back in 2007; Kevin Gates is one of the most veteran rappers in the game.

His first studio album, Islah, is 3x platinum certified and reached #1 on the rap charts when it first came out back in 2016. In total, Gates has released three studio albums, three extended plays, and seventeen mixtapes.

Most of Gates’ releases have been on his own label, Bread Winners’ Association.

His hit songs “2 Phones” and “Really Really” each have over 300 million streams on Spotify alone. It’s no question that Gates has been a staple in the rap world, working with some big-name artists like Ty Dolla $ign, Juicy J, Jamie Foxx, 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa, and more.

Before his set at Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama, we were given the opportunity to sit down with Gates for a few minutes. Surrounded by his entourage, Gates looked calm yet formidable.

The first question I asked was related to his Luca Brasi project.

Starting back in 2013, with the mixtape, The Luca Brasi Story, the saga has continued over the years with follow up projects: Luca Brasi 2, Luca Brasi 3, and The Luca Brasi Story (A Decade of Brasi).

The Luca Brasi Story (A Decade of Brasi) - Kevin Gates — The Luca Brasi Story (A Decade of Brasi) – Kevin Gates

“Can you tell me about the Luca Brasi Chronicles – did you always know it would be multiple albums?”

Gates replied, “It’s still a journey, I couldn’t even call it a chronicle… It depends on the frame models at work. It’s about being multi-faceted.”

Gates has claimed in past interviews that he appreciates the unwavering loyally of Corleone Family enforcer, Luca Brasi of the Godfather movies, for which he named these projects after.

I wanted to know more about Gates’ backstory, especially on what makes him so loyal to his friends and family. I decided to ask him about his home state of Louisiana, and of the people he grew up with.

Gates claimed, “Louisiana is its own country, as far as the culture and the way we do things. One would have to experience it to even understand it. Everything is based on perspective anyway.”

After our talk, Gates went on to play a late-night set for thousands of fans at the festival. He brings a lot of confidence and love for his fans on stage, while delivering a high-energy performance.

You can stream all 22 songs off his latest album, The Luca Brasi Story (A Decade of Brasi), now on streaming platforms.

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