Kevin Gates Takes Festival Plays

John Davisson – Kevin Gates
MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, Fla.

Kevin Gates is headlining a couple of hip-hop festivals in what are his first performances announced since he was released from prison in January.

Gates has been announced as a headliner for JMBLYA, which hits Dallas, Austin, then Houston May 4-6. Other acts on the docket for that festival include Migos, Cardi B, Playboi Carti, Trippie Redd, and special guests Bun B and Trae Tha Truth. Other artists are yet to be announced.

Gates is also hitting Common Ground Music Festival in Lansing, Mich., July 8, along with Gucci Mane, T-Pain, Supa Bwe, and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

The Southern rapper was sentenced to 30 months in April after pleading guilty to felony gun possession, but he was released after serving nine months in January. He previously served 180 days in jail for kicking a female fan at a 2016 concert.

Despite his legal problems he remains popular, as Gates was No. 85 on Pollstar’s Elite 100 chart for the week ending Feb. 1, thanks to his 17.8 million streams.