Over the years, people have come up with countless creative ways to express sex. If you’re cocky, hit ugly things or do nasty things. Shakespeare calls it “making a beast with two backs” in his tragedy “Othello,” and Kevin his Gates has an equally poetic name. upon. “I call it spiritual integration,” Gates says. “This is a very spiritual act, and people use ‘sex’ objectively, but it is the union of his two souls. I see it as sacred. My masculinity is sacred.”
Gates’ atypical approach to sex goes beyond just renaming the act. He, as a whole, has a very unconventional approach to sex, and frankly, I’m not quite sure how he does it. says Gates. “I have been on this journey for probably three and a half years. When you release the semen, you release the bone marrow, the hair follicles, the blood, you release all the life force and the source of life. You let it go for no reason.” I’m just there.
“When you really want to have sex, you sexually transmute that energy into something else,” he continues. “It’s all about energy and where you focus it. It’s a special act. If a woman cannot feed me intellectually and give me intangible wealth other than sex, you can have your cat. Yes, I could have a girl I liked if I wanted.
Gates’ attitude towards sex sets him apart from other artists in the hip-hop genre, and it’s reflected in his music. Although he has not deviated from talking about his love and desire in his own work, these songs take on a noticeably different tone than his fellow bedroom songs. “Even in the songs I make about sex, my message is always the same,” Gates says. “I put sexual desire into my music, so they are very detailed. I want women to come and experience pure ecstasy in my songs. I take it in, so you can feel it when you listen to it.”
This attention to detail is reflected in Gates’ latest release, his third full-length studio album, Khaza. “Khaza” comes three years after Gates’ last project, his 2019 “I’m Him,” and includes a ton of new material. But he also dates back almost a decade to his 2013 with his first released single, “Thinking With My Dick.” Gates first dropped the song on his tenth mixtape, Stranger than Fiction. But after becoming popular on TikTok, he decided to re-release it for a whole new generation of listeners: “It took him from 2013 to 2022 for the world to catch up,” he said. says Gates. “I am ahead of my time, I am moving forward. .
Photo by Chad Griffiths
Gates made “Thinking With My Dick” one of the album’s promotional singles, along with new songs “Bad For Me” and “Big Lyfe.” Two of his songs couldn’t have been better to showcase his versatility in both style and subject matter. On “Bad For Me,” Gates touches on his personal struggles and difficulties coping with toxic relationships. He’s become synonymous with confession-style rap that touches on some of his darkest moments, so he’s no stranger to spilling his soul over hard-hitting beats. This has proven to be a source of healing for Gates, and in return, a source of healing for his fans.
“Five or six people a day come to me and cry,” Gates says. “They tell me, ‘Your music saved me from suicide. I was grateful for something. They looked at me like a ray of hope. It’s like there’s light at the end of the tunnel. I was born with a negative personality, but I was able to turn pain into passion and positivity. ”
From the jump, Gates wanted “Kaza” to have peaks and valleys. “Bad for Me” explores the negativity and tragedy he’s experienced, while the triumphant “Big Life” basks in the glory he’s earned for himself. From everything he’s made so far, he believes “Big Lyfe” will be ahead of its time, just like “Thinking With My Dick” was. “It’s not being properly received right now because it’s so big,” Gates said. “It’s timeless, it’s out of here.”
Photo by Chad Griffiths
Like his music, Gates’ tattoos summarize the ups and downs of his life. Gates is he one of hip-hop’s most tattooed artists, and that’s a feat. He highlights the pain and suffering he experienced through tattoos, including his two teardrops under his left eye and a portrait of his murdered brother Joseph. On the other hand, it is also his pride and joy, the portraits of his two children, Isla and Kaza, which he named after him on his first and third albums. Every tattoo on his body has an important meaning, and over time the process of getting a tattoo has become as important as the part itself.
“It’s a mental thing,” Gates says. “I sit with the shaman, do the sage, burn the palo santo, pray. That’s why all my tattoos are beautiful in their own way.I live with them for a while, but when the inspiration strikes again, I get a new tattoo.It’s a journey and I do the rest. I’m going to live my life with what I wear.So I’m going to do my best.”
Photo by Chad Griffiths
Gates may be running out of space on his body, but his fans certainly haven’t reached that point. Gates has reached a potential canvas of millions through his three full albums, 17 mixtapes and a handful of his EPs. And he is truly humbled by his fans who have chosen to honor his legacy with tattoos. There are more people than Tupac,” says Gates. “He’s such a great artist that considering people have more tattoos of me than him, I have to say, ‘Wow, I must be doing something right. I didn’t get the
Kevin Gates is really alone. In the studio, in his tattoo shop, and in his bedroom, he lives by his own rules. His unwavering personality cements his legacy and will undoubtedly make ‘Khaza’ a work to be reckoned with. just wait.
Photo by Chad Griffiths