Fresh off the release of Luca Brasi 3, Kevin Gates sat down with Sway Calloway for a four-part interview. The first video, which arrived Monday (Oct. 1), touched on his incarceration, reconnecting with his family, and more.
Gates was held first in Florida’s Polk County Jail and transferred to East Moline Correctional Center in Illinois for his felony gun charge. He served nine months of a slated 30-month sentence before he was officially released in January.
In the interview, Gates talked about why he didn't believe in rehabilitation, his mentality when he was younger versus now, and spirituality. Later, when asked about his prison bid, Gates said he was innocent, but pleaded guilty to avoid the possibility of serving more time.
“I was innocent, but I plead guilty to that charge because you know, a lot of times you can beat the charge, but you can’t beat the ride,” he said around the 11-minute mark in the video above. “I probably would have sit another three-four years just fighting the charge.”
He gave further details on why he had a reduced sentence. “When they came with the 30 months, they sentenced me below the guideline. The guideline should have been 36 months. So the judge showed leniency because I had been detained in Florida in another jurisdiction... I ended up doing nine months on the 30 months. I earned good time, supplemental sentence cred."
Gates called his time at East Moline Correctional Center “beautiful."
“The different thing about Gangland—and when I say that Illinois—it was so beautiful because it was structured different. I never been around that type of structure. And it was beautiful,” he said.
The conversation shifted to the first thing he thought about when he was released. Gates confessed that he was still aggressive and militant in his behavior, which came off a little strong when he was in open settings. He spoke about being a leader to a group of individuals and how he needed to readjust to society and leave that prison conduct behind.
“I’ma be honest with you. I was crying for help. I was,” he said. “It was a cry for help because I had to build myself so strong and I was governing a large body of men, a large body of monsters was under my leadership, under my guidance… those who were [incarcerated] and those who weren’t. I still govern a lot of people.”
Near the end, after getting a phone call from his daughter (who always checks up on him), he shared the meaning behind Bread Winners' Association, which is his record label with his wife Dreka Gates.
“You are a Bread Winner. Everyone is,” he told Sway. “It don’t matter who you are affiliated with or what title you give yourself, if you do anything to earn an income for the school. If you go to work, whatever you do, you are winning bread. The Bread Winner is the one who put the bread on the table.”
You can watch part one of the interview up top.
