Kevin Gates opens up about father's AIDS battle

Kevin Gates opened up about one of the most painful chapters of his life and how the experience shaped his lifelong commitment to health and holistic medicine.

During a candid conversation on Club Shay Shay with Shannon Sharpe, the Louisiana rapper recalled his father’s battle with the disease and the lessons he carried forward.

Sharpe asked Gates if he ever learned how his father contracted AIDS.

The 39-year-old explained that it came from sharing needles during drug use, but emphasized that his father was always honest with him.

“He never lied to me about nothing,” Gates said. “That’s what made me get into holistic medicine, and he was so beautiful. If you could’ve seen my daddy, he was beautiful. I was with him for a long time up until he passed.”

The Baton Rouge rapper, who lost his father as a teenager, revealed that the tragedy ignited his interest in holistic healing.

He credited his father with teaching him “a lot of beautiful lessons”.

He suggested that with the knowledge he has now he might have been able to save him.

“If I could go back in time—it’s sad what I’m about to say—but I could’ve cured him,” Gates admitted.

“I ain’t [late Honduran herbalist] Dr. Sebi or no sh– like that. I ain’t trying to act like that, but I could have cured him. He’s the one who made me take health so serious.”

Though his father’s life was cut short, Gates said the impact remains profound.

The rapper continues to prioritize wellness crediting his father’s struggle as the reason he takes health so seriously today.

“He taught me a lot of beautiful lessons,” Gates reflected. “He’s the one who made me value health the way I do now.”