Earlier this year, Kevin Gates dropped his fourth studio album, "The Ceremony." During his tour stop in Boston, he sat down with us to share more insight on the inspirations behind his music and his evolution as an artist.
He also gave us a look at his very own coffee brand.
Read lightly edited excerpts from the interview below, and watch the full interview above.
NBC10 Boston: Thank you so much for being with us, giving us some time for the stop on your tour, The Ceremony here in Boston, right after the show. How do you feel?
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Kevin Gates: I feel pure. Pure. My stomach is empty but I'm full of love. So I'm not hungry. I'm full.
That perfectly ties into my next question: You are performing during the holy month of Ramadan. I can't imagine the physical and emotional stamina it takes to go on tour, travel, perform. How do you manage to do that?
It's not me, it's God. This strength that I have, I ask God, "Give me your holy divine strength, your holy divine focus, your holy divine stamina, your holy divine determination. Let it be you they see and not me."
U.S. & World
"My stomach is empty but I'm full of love"
Kevin Gates after performing in Boston for "The Ceremony" tour
"The Ceremony," the album — what inspired the name?
It was the re-uniting of myself. I learned to love again a stranger that was once myself. I had to really realize that the external things don't add value. It was the ceremony. it was beautiful. It was a celebration of me coming back in and starting to honor myself, loving myself the right way.
You mentioned being a stranger to yourself while you were while you were writing. What did you unpack about that stranger that you were reuniting with?
You have to go get "The Ceremony" album to see, but it was complete vulnerability for everybody to have never been through things in life. A lot of times, you know the artist is a superhero, it's a façade. I used to conduct myself in that manner. It's a façade. I was operating out of ego and fear. But the death of the ego allowed me to be vulnerable and transparent. And when I really became transparent, I started exhibiting vulnerability.
[During the performance in Boston] you brought a woman on stage...at the end, you gave the fan flowers, which I thought was really beautiful. What was behind that?
If nobody ever gave you your flowers I just want you to know, you're appreciated over here. These people came out in the rain to see me. That's a blessing.
