In this week’s Rap Column, trillmoregirls explores how the charismatic Baton Rouge rapper iamkevingates paved his own lane over the last decade.⁠ ⁠ Gates is not “weird” in the way that a Lil Uzi Vert or a Young Thug is weird: his beats skew a little more traditional, and you’ll probably never see him with a gender-bending outfit. But on almost every song and in almost every interview, Kevin Gates is guaranteed to say something completely out of left field that you could never predict — few mainstream rappers have ever been so resolutely committed to being themselves, even when that self is at odds with the dominant trends. ⁠ ⁠ His sing-song flow might have earned early comparisons to Drake and Future, but he’s never played the pop game like them. He’s a devout Muslim who regularly voices his spirituality, but his songs can often border on pornographic. His favorite novel is The Notebook.⁠ ⁠ Read our latest Rap Column at the link in bio.⁠ ⁠ 📸 Atlantic Records⁠ ⁠ #KevinGates #RapColumn