KEVIN Gates is an American rapper, entrepreneur and a celebrity not afraid to get into hot water.
The Really Really singer has been hitting headlines as fans continue to speculate whether he and his wife, Dreka Haynes, are still together after a series of confusing and cryptic clues.
Who is Kevin Gates?
Kevin Gates was born on February5, 1986.
He is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he started playing music out of his grandmother's basement.
He revealed in an interview on Mike Tyson's Hot Boxin' podcast in January 2021 that he started rapping at an early age as an escape from his life.
He said: "I'm a say something; I never said this in no interview, no podcast or anything like that.
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"I grew up real, real violent, and real aggressive.
"Not because I wanted to be, but because I was molested when I was a child."
Gates added: "I took every kind of martial art you can take. I even boxed; I did everything.
"I wanted to be the toughest person on earth, but writing and making music was always an escape for me."
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Gates started rapping with two other local artists - Webbie and Lil Boosie - in 2007 and was recognized a year later for his single, Get In The Way.
He released his mixtape, The Luca Brasi Story, in 2013, prompting a record deal with Atlantic Records.
The Louisiana-bred rapper's first major album, Islah, was released in 2016 and became an immediate success.
The album reached the number two spot on billboard's Top 200, selling over 110,000 units in the first week.
On May 7, 2023, the brazen rapper shocked fans by posting a graphic video of a woman giving birth on his Instagram story.
The hitmaker shared the video of a stranger's natural home birth with his 10.9million Instagram followers.
It's not clear what prompted Gates, a father-of-two, to share the graphic video which has since left his stories after the 24-hour mark.
He captioned the video: "The Most Beautiful thing on Earth is the gift of Life."
And judging by the reaction, it's clear that many of his fans were not prepared for what they saw.
One person exclaimed on Twitter: "Do not look at Kevin Gates Instagram Story. Trust me."
Another said: "Why the f**k did Kevin Gates post that on his Instagram story?"
A third exclaimed: "I just watched Kevin Gates Instagram story. My eyes."
How did he break into the music industry?
Gates performed his music with other local artists for years, but in 2007, he decided to take his music to the next level.
He approached his then-girlfriend, Dreka, and the two devised a plan to advance his musical career.
Dreka told The Source in 2016: "I basically went out and read every book I could find. I went and talked to any and everyone that I could.
"Then again, people in the industry shut you out. So you really end up making your own path which is what we did."
The pair co-founded the Bread Winners Association in 2010, a record label created to give Gates an edge that other companies wouldn't give him at the time.
The Bread Winners Association still promotes Gates' music and has gone on to support other artists, including Jay Lewis, Percy Keith, and BWA Kane.
Is Kevin Gates married?
Gates started dating Dreka in 2003, and the two eventually got married in 2015.
They celebrated 18 years together in October 2021.
However, in March 2022, rumors started circulating that they were no longer together.
The speculation increased on June 7, 2022, after Gates was seen at a New York restaurant with Love and Hip Hop Miami star Jojo Zarur.
Fans started asking if Dreka and Gates were still together, and on June 4, Kevin posted a video responding to one such request.
"Man, fall this peace and all that BS, where's Dreka? Stop playing with us. Your real fans are inspired by you and her as a unit and example of Black Love," a fan wrote.
Gate's responded and said, "Guess I lost a fan for making myself happy."
Fans gained more clarity about the couple's relationship when Gates released his single, Super General, in June 2022.
It contained accusations of infidelity between the pair.
The music video shows photos of Zarur as Kevin raps: "Took the blame in interviews and made it look like I was trippin' / Made the 'Dreka' song, lied to the world while trying to protect her image."
To the surprise of fans, Dreka did not respond to the dig and not long it seemed the couple had rekindled their love as they were seen holding hands at airport with their children.
From there, things went on quietly until they welcomed in 2023 and were spotted being intimate and celebrating together at a New Years party.
Her Instagram still remains as Dreka Gates suggesting her marital status has not yet changed and the couple have said little about their relationship since.
How many children does Kevin Gates have?
Kevin and Dreka have two children together; a daughter, Islah Koren, born on November 30, 2012, and a son, Khaza Kamil, born on May 10, 2014.
The couple had both children before they were married and since then, they have kept their children's lives out of the spotlight.
Dreka had a home birth for both her children which they associate with their decision to not vaccinate their children.
Kevin told Rolling Stone: "I don't believe in conspiracy theories."
Speaking out on his beliefs, Kevin said: "A lot of children that were born in a hospital experienced a lot of difficulty that they didn’t have to experience."
Dreka said her decision not to vaccinate their children was in line with Kevin's, but having a waterbirth for their children is something that she said stemmed from a near-death experience she once had in the hospital.
Dreka told The Source: "I had an incident in the hospital a few years ago where I almost died being under the care of hospital doctors.
"That was my main motivation."
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She added: "Plus, I'm really big on all-natural things. Both of my kids were born in the water.
"It's the greatest experience in life, love. It was like euphoric."
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