Kevin Gates has been dealing with one court case after another, and a new song from him may give an idea of where his mind is at.
“What If” hit the Net late Tuesday night, and has the New Orleans lyricist making his own reflective, street version of Joan Osborne’s “What If God Was One Of Us.” He released his studio debut Islah in January 2016 and his mixtape Murder for Hire 2 in May, but “What If” is one of the only solo cuts that fans have gotten from him since then. It’s unclear when he recorded the song, but lyrics like “I done been to hell and back, ’cause I done been to jail and back” are apropos considering recent events.
His wife Dreka Gates announced the song on her Instagram page, since fans have largely been relying on her for updates during her husband’s legal troubles.
“We speak directly to you guys and prefer to let the music speak for itself. Although Kevin is not a free man yet, he will be soon!” she wrote. “In the meantime, I am SO excited to share this song from HIM to you all!”
Gates has had a trying time in recent weeks. He was on his way out of jail in Florida, where he served a 180-day sentence after he was convicted of kicking a female fan at one of his shows in 2015. But while he was being prepared to get released, courts found an out-of-state warrant in Illinois based on gun charges. So last week, Gates went from one jail to another: from Polk County, Fla. to Cook County, Ill., with less than 24 hours of freedom in between.
Listen to “What If” below.