‘I love this place’: Kevin Gates surprises students at McKinley High

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Baton Rouge native and chart-topping rapper, Kevin Gates, stopped by McKinley Senior High School on Monday, May 22 for a special surprise visit with students on their last day of school.

Gates, an alumnus of McKinley, said it felt “amazing” to be back in Baton Rouge.

The rapper mentioned he performed at a concert around 8 p.m. the night before, in a different city four hours away, and had not been to sleep before the school visit. But that didn’t deter him.

“That’s how excited I was to come and be a blessing to the people that’s been a blessing to me. I love this place,” the rapper said.

“God didn’t put me here to be selfish with the knowledge and wisdom that I attain; so I use this to combat depression. I use this to combat bullying. I use this to combat suicide. [Because] it’s so many people that may be suffering in silence and don’t have an outlet. I’m their voice. It also helps empower me by empowering them,” he finished.

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