If you’re like me and you dislike generic beats, you’ve probably thought that Kevin Gates was just another rapper who got famous off of several mixtapes and a hit single or two. True, the beats aren’t anything out-of-the-ordinary, but that’s not where the strengths lie. What’s interesting here is how unique a rapper Kevin Gates really is. For starters, he does his own hooks, which is still pretty rare in the age of Drake. Not only that, they’re exceptional hooks. Catchy, of course, but they stay in your ear. “I got two… phones… one for the plug, one for the load,” or, “Thought I heard somebody say they was a bread winner.” Hooks are usually saved for the features, but here, you’ll notice that features are minimal, which is a good move. Gates doesn’t have the warmth or voice to do typical hooks, but these aren’t typical hooks. He can sing well enough to do them himself, though if he does go for tenderness in the future, I suggest he call on somebody less-rugged for those features. But for now, Gates does pretty well at holding down these 15 tracks on his own, none of them demanding any extra help.

A rapper’s voice is important. Just about anyone can spit, but they aren’t memorable like say the most charismatic of rappers. Speed and performance are important, but that voice needs to be one you recognize in a song you don’t know. Young Thug isn’t any of these things, but props to him for being distinct. Kevin Gates passes that criteria. Now is he charismatic? Not really, which is also kind of a plus. His idea of romance is, “You’re the only one that my **** could get hard for,” or, “One thing I really love is making love to the *****.” If he’s sincere about those professions, then he’s definitely one of the funniest rappers I’ve heard in a while. As for the rest of the lyricism, you can already guess that he’s the braggadocio kinda guy based off of “Really Really.” But besides that, he actually is considerate towards the girls he’s involved with. He’s also a family man, and you get the idea that he’ll die for his children any day. He may have trouble expressing that elegantly, but he seems genuine enough. Just know that it can be very entertaining hearing this stream of emotions underneath that hood-hard shell when he isn’t boasting.

A character as interesting as him should be good for a while. But if he really wants to distinguish himself from the rest, I suggest better producers. Like I said, Gates is entertaining enough lyrically to hold down one album, but lyrics can’t hold all the weight. Maybe the producers themselves aren’t bad, but there’s little variation between the beats. If there’s one thing that holds this album back, it’s the repetitiveness. It can happen to the best of rappers, but for a musical guy like me, I like my beats unorthodox, bumpin’, and/or weird. His beats bump, but that’s all they do. Look to the best, and rarely are the beats so monochromatic. But if all you’re looking for is hype, then disregard what I said. Many rappers have made a career based off of hype and little other substance; I just don’t see Gates as that type of rapper. I just hope he can rise above the stratosphere, then I’ll really be listening for his next material. But for now, this is a good album, and you can’t really ask for more when he could’ve just as easily made a filler-loaded album with his two-hit singles. That’s when you know that he’s in it for the music. And the money, no doubt, but hey, music first and foremost.

B+

(Key Tracks: 2 Phones, Really Really, Time for That)