Building on a lengthy back catalog of powerful mixtapes, Louisiana rapper Kevin Gates' 2016 debut studio album Islah was a stellar breakthrough.
Gates' blunt lyrical style grew into a more personal account of his trials and successes, and his no-nonsense bars were often described as confessional.
Second album I'm Him is an even more direct reading of Gates' sound, finding the rapper ferociously attacking each of the album's 17 tracks with tireless energy.
His multi-faceted approach finds different voicings on different tracks.
The scattershot flows and multi-syllabic rhymes of "Push It" showcase his more technical side, while tracks like "By My Lonely" and "Bags" see him leaning into passionately sung hooks and verses.
Somewhere in between the singing-heavy tracks and those where Gates flexes his rap skills are the portrayals of struggle like "Have You Ever," where he again draws on personal moments for vulnerable, somber reflections.
As with many of his releases, I'm Him finds Gates the sole talent on display, with no featured guests or cameos.
The excellent and inexhaustible array of tools in his skill set demands a lot of space, and I'm Him nears the same high level of expression, introspection, and catharsis as his best work.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RBS (Intro) | Kevin Gates | Play | 02:18 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Icebox | Kevin Gates | Play | 02:39 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | By My Lonely | Kevin Gates | Play | 02:10 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | Bags | Kevin Gates | Play | 02:30 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Facts | Kevin Gates | Play | 03:02 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Fatal Attraction | Kevin Gates | Play | 02:49 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | Say It Twice | Kevin Gates | Play | 02:41 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Walls Talking | Kevin Gates | Play | 02:53 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | Let It Go | Kevin Gates | Play | 03:26 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | Face Down | Kevin Gates | Play | 02:38 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | Push ItMike Arrow, Kevin Gates, Santeri Kauppinen, Derrick Milano, John Murphy, Franklin Shadrack | Kevin Gates | Play | 03:00 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | Have You Ever | Kevin Gates | Play | 03:02 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | Pretend | Kevin Gates | Play | 03:16 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 14 | What I Like | Kevin Gates | Play | 02:45 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 15 | Funny How | Kevin Gates | Play | 02:57 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 16 | Betta for You | Kevin Gates | Play | 02:57 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 17 | Fly Again | Kevin Gates | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 49 mins | 112 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Arrow | Composer, Producer |
| 2 | Fractious Frank | Producer |
| 3 | Kevin Gates | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 4 | Santeri Kauppinen | Composer |
| 5 | Md$ | Producer |
| 6 | Derrick Milano | Composer |
| 7 | John Murphy | Composer |
| 8 | Franklin Shadrack | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |