Kevin Gates On Toxic Masculinity: 'My Grandfather Was Nurturing & He Was A Monster'

EXCLUSIVE – Kevin Gates had a lot to say about the importance of an in-check ego when HipHopDX asked him to share his thoughts on toxic masculinity.

“You’re overcompensating for a lack of something, that’s when masculinity becomes toxic,” Gates said. “My grandfather was very nurturing and he was a monster. He was a real monster, but he was very nurturing.”

Gates continued, “He taught me how to cook, he taught me how to fish, he taught me how to make my bed. He was nurturing. He didn’t fuss at me, ‘Get up you’re a man!’ Nah man you’re alright, shit just do it again. That was his approach. ‘You’re alright, do it again.’ He was gentle with us, but when he was teaching us how to fight he taught us, you know, aggression. Controlled aggression. So, a lot of times I just be seeing this alpha male movement and this feminist movement. No, that’s not God.”

“The holy divine feminine energy and the sacred masculinity together is balanced. That’s God.” he said. “Mother Earth, Father Sky, it has to be balanced.”

Gates was all smiles as he spoke about this with DX, and was all smiles when he reflected on his relationship with the late Nipsey Hussle.

“Every time we was supposed to work or make music, we never recorded we would just sit there and talk all night,” Gates said. “About like interesting shit, dude was very intelligent. He was tapped in. He was tapped in. He was tapped in.”

Gates just dropped off his new album Khaza on Friday (June 17), which DX praised for being “intense and unflinching.”

Watch the sit-down with Kevin Gates below.