Kevin Gates is quite the enigma, but he is talking so we understand.

The rapper shares insights into his latest album, The Ceremony, and also how he has transformed as a man. Backstage as a show in New York City, Gates shares his journey of self-accountability, discipline, and even addiction. He narrates his journey to Brandi Williams, which a fresh face, look and vibration.

Embracing the transformative power of ego-death, Gates expounds on lessons learned about sacred masculinity and the divine feminine, but also his committment to being supremely authentic.

He’s still a people’s champion, but he’s rapidly becoming beacon of hope, a proverbial catalyst for personal growth.

AllHipHop: So, word is this is your most vulnerable album yet, so I wanted to know what did that bring up for you? What new emotions have you experienced or what’s coming up new that you haven’t seen in your last previous albums? 

Kevin Gates: It was always me, but I used to vent back then. Now I was just being super transparent, showing people my insecurities and the things that just as a man, you always taught to be tough. And like I said earlier, it takes more courage to show vulnerability than it does to be a tough guy. We all know you faking. 

Also, I talking to myself though, when I say that I talk to myself a lot, that’s how I process things. Yeah…

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AllHipHop: For sure. I mean, that’s a good way of processing things as well. Talking to yourself and being really… 

Kevin Gates: Holding yourself accountable. I had to look at myself in the mirror and say, “Hey, you know, you a b#tch right now. You a b#tch. You not honoring the commitments that you made to yourself.” So how are you going to honor the commitments that you’re supposed to make to the universe and everybody else? You have to honor the commitments you make to yourself so you can respect yourself. Right. Discipline equals self-restraint, self-restraint equals self-respect.

AllHipHop: Exactly. Okay. So how would you advise anyone who’s going through any addiction or avoiding self-accountability? Do you have any advice for anyone going through that? 

Kevin Gates: Which question? 

AllHipHop: Self-accountability. How did you hold yourself accountable in the beginning?

Kevin Gates: Well, I had a way of, my ego was in a way, I had a way of making anything that I was doing seemed like the right thing and I had a way of flipping it and even lying to myself. It was kind of narcissistic in nature until you really realize that everything that goes on in your life is your fault. I’m held responsible for the places that I place myself, and that’s self-accountability. When you don’t lie to yourself and you be honest with yourself and you do the necessary things to remove the distractions, it’s going to be difficult. We love to just procrastinate and distract ourselves with nothingness. And then the other one was addiction. 

Anything that you do, they say be conscious of your thoughts because your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions and your actions become your habits. I wouldn’t say go cold turkey from something that you love. If you say, if you’re drinking alcohol, you love it. It makes you feel good. It is social, it’s cool. I just say, every time that you get the craving or the urge to do that, you replace it with another habit. Don’t just go cold turkey. Replace those habits with healthy habits. It’s your choice in what you want to do. But I got a little trick. I do, like if I’m about to get on Instagram, I drop down and do 25 pushups, 30 pushups. And I do pushups, and then it became a habit. Now when I go places, people look at me like, you’re weird. You’re doing pushups, but look at my body and look at yours. 

AllHipHop: So I wanted to know also about your ego-death, because I know that’s a big thing. Honestly, to experience ego death is a very hard…

Kevin Gates: I had my ass really kicked. That’s when I learned about sacred masculinity and the holy divine feminine. And it is a long story, but I’m going to just say I was humbled and I pray that God keeps me humble. So I never had to be humbled like that again. It was very humbling. 

AllHipHop: That’s a real experience right there. Okay, and I have one more question for you. So I heard that you’ve never gotten a tattoo covered up. Is that true? 

Kevin Gates: No, I never got a tattoo covered up. If I did it, I meant it. 

AllHipHop: Right. So I want to know, so I know you’re going on this journey right now with yourself, where it’s like you have all of these new emotions coming up. You’re being more vulnerable and becoming divine masculine, like you mentioned before, sacred masculine. So I wanted to know, how do you deal with going through the process of life and avoiding that feeling of regret? 

Kevin Gates: How do I go through the process of life and avoid the feeling of regret? Right? If you do have something that you regret, you go back and you add a positive feeling toward it, you think about it and process it, and honestly look at yourself like a baby. You’re nurturing yourself like, “It’s okay, you made a mistake. Just don’t do it again. It is okay.” I talk to myself like that almost like a baby, and then I go back and place a positive feeling toward it because if it didn’t happen, I wouldn’t be here.

Had this not have happened, this wouldn’t have happened. So look at all the positive and beautiful things that’s going on in my life right now. Those really not even negative things, they was just adversity. Adversity builds character. If it ain’t rough, it ain’t us. If you ain’t tested, it ain’t been through a test, you’re not going to have a testimony. So these was really beautiful things. Now that I look back, I just didn’t understand it when I was going through it. Now I welcome challenges and that’s where fitness come in because when you challenging yourself, you welcome challenges.