Listen To Kevin Gates' Defiant "GOMD" From "By Any Means 2"

Kevin Gates is serving 30-month prison sentence an outstanding weapons charge from 2013, but thankfully, his wife Dreka Gates, was able to put together By Any Means 2 in his absence. The project features music Gates recorded prior to entering his initial 180-day sentence for misdemeanor battery in 2016.

"BTW working on Kevin's new project right now and I'm not going to lie, I'm nervous as F b/c I'm not getting any input from him & he's  fully entrusted me w/everything so there's a lot of pressure!" Dreka wrote in July. "I respect real artists and their artistry and to be making ALL of the  decisions is scary but rest assured the music is always fire🔥 as F!" 

"GOMD" is one of the early highlights off the 14-track project, showcasing all of Gates' strengths in one place. A bellowed hook finds the rapper braggy, confident, and defiant. Early on, he's already throwing curveballs, slipping into a high register croon halfway through the chorus. Soon enough, he's delivering urgent, emotional verses, reflecting on past trauma and describing his perseverance through the struggles.

The project is available across all major streaming services, including SoundCloud. It features no guest appearances save for "Beautiful Scars," the collaboration with fellow melodically-inclined rapper PnB Rock. It's Gates' first album since 2016's Murder For Hire 2, which arrived shortly after the rapper's official debut album Islah. Though it's only been just over a year since Gates' previous release, this is actually a long stretch for the prolific rapper to go without releasing music.

Last we heard, Gates could be released as early as June 2018. Until then, we trust Dreka to make the tough decisions with his music.