Kevin Gates – By Any Means


What is it that makes Kevin Gates stand out? The same thing that makes him the only rapper aside from Chance and Isaiah Rashad who deserves his place as soon to break XXL Freshman: Not his wording or high and mighty message. Rather his style of rapping paired with his voice. 

One can´t really say that his content is unheard of. There are those introspective songs as "Can´t Make This Up" or "Movie", which are great, but mostly don´t elevate anything. Even more this can be said about his hustle and grind songs, all playing with the same ideas a rap fan knows. But here it is were Gates voice and to some extent his choice for beats come in. He has a kind of sing songy style of delivery that makes even the dumbest songs like "Amnesia" highly enjoyable. And when he really tries singing in "Movie" every high class musician might have a heart attack but the slur remains congenial and just sticks to your ear. All this paired with key driven trap beats makes for a perfect mixture of banging rap and unique display of personality. While for many songs I can´t say that I´m really listening to what Gates has to say, I can´t stop listening to the color of his voice and way he uses his word. By Any Means might be a little weaker than last year’s Luca Brasi Story, but promises good things from his first album to come. 

Best Tracks: Wish I Had It, Can´t Make This Up, Movie



Download for free here.

7/10

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