There were several moments of vulnerability for Kevin Gates during his Hotboxin with Mike Tyson appearance, but the rapper and the sports legend bonded over tragic circumstances. At the beginning of his interview, Gates promised to be open and authentic with everything he shared, and from the jump, he spoke about his introduction to music. While many rappers desire to be the next big star, Gates revealed that penning lyrics was "an escape" for him.
"I'mma say something, I never said this in no interview, no podcast or anything like that," said Gates. "I grew up real, real violent. Real aggressive. Not because I wanted to be, 'cause I was molested when I was a child."
"I had this fear of being vulnerable so I took every kind of martial art you can take and I even boxed, I did everything," he continued. "I wanted to be the toughest person on earth, but writing and making music was always an escape for me. Like, I never had the nuts to come out and say that. This my first time saying this today." Tyson chimed in and connected with the rapper, saying he identified with Gates's experiences.
"I know that route, too," said Tyson. "Why do you think I became the meanest motherf*cker on the planet? Somebody did something to me." Gates replied, "Yes, sir," before Tyson continued. "I didn't want it to happen again, so I became this guy."
"Take it to the furthest extent," answered Gates. "Yes, sir. That's my story. But it was really everything that I did, even when people say like, 'Kevin Gates, he's this killer,' I'm not. I'm not. But, at the end of the day, I started, we started killing and things of that nature because we had a fear of being vulnerable."
Back in 2014, Tyson revealed to Opie Radio that as a child, he was a victim of molestation by an older man who bullied him and "snatched him off the street." He added, "I was a little kid. Never seen him again." Check out Mike Tyson and Kevin Gates sharing their experiences below.
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