Kevin Gates remains a fan favorite these days. Whenever he does an interview, fans flock to whichever platform he's on. But in 2016, there is no denying that Gates was at the peak of his powers. ISLAH is an album with two of Gates' biggest hits. "Really Really" and "2 Phones" are hits that were everywhere at the time. Even today, fans still talk about ISLAH as one of those underappreciated albums of the 2010s. It's a modern masterpiece, and one that fans should revisit if they haven't. You have to hand it to Gates. He knows how to craft a pop rap hit, and we wish he would get back into this bag sometimes.
Release Date: January 29, 2016
Genre: Hip-Hop
Tracklist for ISLAH
- NOT THE ONLY ONE
- REALLY REALLY
- 2 PHONES
- PRIDE
- LA FAMILIA
- TIME FOR THAT
- THOUGHT I HEARD (BREAD WINNERS’ ANTHEM)
- HARD FOR
- ASK FOR MORE
- ONE THING
- THE TRUTH
- KNO ONE
- TOLD ME
- AIN’T TOO HARD
- I LOVE IT
Awards & Commercial Performance
ISLAH ended up debuting at number two on the Billboard album charts. It has gone three times platinum in the United States, and even sold 112K units in its first week. However, it was mostly snubbed from awards.
What Did HotNewHipHop Commenters Think?
At the time of HotNewHipHop's review of this album, the commenters were absolutely loving the project. "Kevin Gates did it again. he is one of the realist in the game and his rapstyle is rare," one fan wrote. "I loved the album first album bought in 2016. Plus I respect the fact he wanted no features on the album except for one song," said another. The comments were practically 100 percent positive, which is rare on HNHH. It just goes to show that Gates had something special here.
