Kevin Gates Drops "By Any Means 2" Album Art, Announces Release Date

BYAron A.9.8K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Rachel Murray/Getty Images
Rapper Kevin Gates performs onstage during the PANDORA Discovery Den SXSW on March 18, 2016 in Austin, Texas.

The rapper is set to drop "By Any Means" sequel while incarcerated.

Yesterday, Kevin Gates dropped his new video "What If" as well as a note to his fans while he's locked up, which was the first time we've really heard him comment about his current prison stint since being locked up last October. The video ended with his open letter which provided some motivational words from Gates himself reminding fans to stay patient during tested times. Today, his team took to his Instagram to unveil the album art and the release date for By Any Means 2 which will be officially released on September 21st.

By Any Mean 2 serves as the sequel to his 2014 mixtape that had received high praise. His wife revealed in a series of tweets in July that she would be the one to string together his latest project. She said "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!" she continued in the next tweet, "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!" It's a big job for someone who isn't necessarily a rapper themselves but she clearly has recognized that. However, if Kevin Gates has faith in his wifey for the job, we should too. 

Kevin Gates' incarceration stems from an incident where he kicked a female fan in the chest at a show. He served his six month sentence however, on the day he was released, a warrant was issued for his arrest for a weapons charge. After being convicted for that charge, he's currently serving a thirty-month sentence. Gates was having a great run prior to his arrest. His album Islah received universal critical acclaim and had also gone platinum. During the height of all this is when he had to deal with the legal troubles.

While we await his release, it's good to know that his wife is making sure that his fans are fed the content that they've been waiting for all along. 

Check the album art below:

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.