Khaza
Studio album by
Kevin Gates
ReleasedJune 17, 2022 (2022-06-17)
GenreHip hop
Length59:22
Label
Producer
  • 2Much
  • Al Geno
  • Arthur McArthur
  • Aye YB
  • Boobie
  • BricksDaMane
  • Chrishan
  • Cozy From Earth
  • DJ Chose
  • DzoBeats
  • Ghana 1k
  • Go Grizzly
  • HitmanAudio
  • Mattazik Muzik
  • Neil Muglurmath
  • Nick Mira
  • Nick Seeley
  • Patrick Carmelo
  • P-Crisco
  • RellyMade
  • SHEFF
  • Smash David
  • ThatBossEvan
  • T-Minus
  • Westen Weiss
Kevin Gates chronology
Only the Generals, Pt. II
(2021)		 Khaza
(2022)
Singles from Khaza
  1. "Thinking with My Dick"
    Released: March 18, 2022
  2. "Big Lyfe"
    Released: April 28, 2022
  3. "Bad For Me"
    Released: May 16, 2022
  4. "Intro"
    Released: June 10, 2022

Khaza is the third studio album by American rapper Kevin Gates. It was released on June 17, 2022, via Atlantic Records and Bread Winners' Alumni.[1] The album includes only one feature, Juicy J, however, it includes additional vocals from Gucci Mane. The album debuted and peaked at number eight on the US Billboard 200, moving 40,000 units in its first week.[2][3]

Background

On January 28, 2022, via Instagram, Gates reported the culmination of Khaza while also previewing and teasing an unreleased R&B album.[4] Weeks later, on February 23, 2022, Gates indicated that he'd tease the release date to the best comment on his Instagram post; nevertheless, it was never officially revealed.[5]

On May 16, 2022, Gates announced the Big Lyfe Tour, which will commence on August 18, 2022, in Dallas, Texas, and will conclude on October 14, 2022, in Pensacola, Florida.[6] On the same day, while promoting his single, "Bad for Me",[7] Gates announced the album, its release date, and its cover art while also setting it for pre-sale.[8]

On June 11, 2022, without previewing the tracklist on his social media, the tracklist was unveiled via Apple Music, and Tidal.[9]

Singles

The album's first single, "Thinking with My Dick" featuring Juicy J was released on July 16, 2013, however, the track had gone viral on the video-sharing platform TikTok, therefore, Gates decided to add it to the album's tracklist to increase sales as it had peaked at #37 on the Billboard Hot 100 after nine years.[10][11]

The lead single "Big Lyfe" was released on April 28, 2022.[12] The music video was released the same day.[13]

The third single, "Bad For Me", was released on May 16, 2022.[7]

A week prior to the release of the album, on June 9, 2022, Gates released a YouTube exclusive promotional single that remixed Kodak Black's "Super Gremlin", titled "Super General (Freestyle)",[14] the song reached #1 trending in just one day. In the song, Gates revealed facts about his seven-year-long relationship with his wife Dreka Gates, and described how they have split apart. Just a day later from the viral single, on June 10, 2022, Gates released the final single from the album, "Intro" [15] alongside its official music video.[16]

Just two days prior to the release of "Intro", and three days prior to the release of "Super General (Freestyle)", on June 12, 2022, Gates released another YouTube exclusive promotional single titled "Metro"[17] which is heavily reminiscent of his November 2009 track, "Grown Man Music".[18]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[19]
HipHopDX3.0/5[20]

Aron from HotNewHipHop was positive, writing, "The unflinching honesty, aggressive delivery, and bold melodies are a return to form for one of Louisiana's most consistent artists of the past decade."[21] HipHopDX was more mixed, however, writing, "Even though a lot of the choices he makes throughout Khaza don’t really work, there are moments when he lands an emotional gut punch. ... If [his latest freestyle] 'Super General' is any indication, Gates has figured out what he was trying to say, is processing his feelings and has proven he can come back more focused."[20] AllMusic stated that "Third studio album Khaza amplifies the emotional intensity that marks Gates' best work as he explores the complex feelings of his long-term relationship ending. Heartbreak, vulnerability, and a conflicted mix of anger and longing run through much of Khaza."[19]

Commercial performance

On July 2, 2022, Khaza debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200 with 40,000 album-equivalent units (including 3,000 pure album sales) in its first week, which became Kevin Gates' fifth US top-10 album debut.[2][3] The album also debuted at number four on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at number two on the US Top Rap Albums chart, which also became his twelfth and eleventh top-10 albums on both charts overall.[2][3] The album also accumulated a total of 47.05 million on-demand audio streams for its songs in its debut week.[2]

Track listing

Khaza track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"
  • Nick Seeley
  • 2Much
3:30
2."Big Lyfe"
T-Minus4:00
3."I'm in Love"
  • Gilyard
  • Gregory Sanders Jr.
  • Thomas Horton
  • HitmanAudio
  • TnTXD
2:49
4."PTOE"
  • Gilyard
  • Gerail Harvey
RellyMade3:25
5."Steppin'"
2:16
6."Bad for Me"
2:24
7."Body"
Nick Mira2:37
8."Scars"
  • Gilyard
  • Kevin Andre Price
  • Norman Payne
  • DJ Chose
  • Go Grizzly
3:18
9."Mine"
  • Gilyard
  • Payne
DJ Chose2:33
10."Shoot My Shot"
  • Gilyard
  • Djordje Stojanovic
Dzo Beatz2:54
11."One Day"
  • Gilyard
  • Neil Kiran Muglurmath
Neil Muglurmath3:21
12."Ups and Downs"
  • Gilyard
  • Denontae Xavier Wilson
Ghana 1k3:06
13."Truth Be Told"
  • Gilyard
  • Mira
Nick Mira3:38
14."Free at Last"
  • Gilyard
  • Gene Hixon
  • Matthew Edward Robinson
  • Cozy From Earth
  • Al Geno
  • Mattazik Muzik
  • Cozy From Earth
3:50
15."Hard to Sleep"
  • Gilyard
  • Malachi Haden
  • James Leonard Price
  • Aye YB
  • Sheffmade
2:24
16."You"
  • Gilyard
  • Evan Clauseille
ThatBossEvan2:43
17."Black Clouds"
  • Gilyard
  • Kevin Andre Price
  • Charles Eric Driggers
  • Michael Tyrone Johnson
  • Go Grizzly
  • BricksDaMane
4:16
18."Plug Cry"
  • Gilyard
  • Matthew Paisley-Mallia
Patrick Carmelo2:35
19."Thinking with My Dick" (featuring Juicy J)
Arthur McArthur2:45
Total length:59:22

Personnel

  • Colin Leonard – mastering (1–18)
  • John Will – mixing (1–10, 12–18)

Charts

References

  1. ↑ "Kevin Gates Announces 'Khaza' Album for June 17". The Sun. May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Caulfield, Keith (2022-06-26). "Drake Achieves 11th No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Honestly, Nevermind'". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  3. 1 2 3 "Kevin Gates Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  4. ↑ "Khaza album finished…. 50 thousand comments if I should finish this RnB album to drop next? 💪🦅#DaBiggestEagle".
  5. ↑ "Best Caption - I'm a DM my Album release date 💪#Khaza".
  6. ↑ "#BigLyfeTour this summer 💪🦅Presale and VIP tomorrow at 10am local. General on sale Friday at 10am. #Khaza". Retrieved May 16, 2022 – via Twitter.
  7. 1 2 "Kevin Gates drops off new single "Bad For Me"". Retrieved May 17, 2022 – via Revolt.
  8. ↑ "My new album #Khaza is finally droppin June 17th. Pre-order now and stream my new song #BadForMe". Retrieved May 16, 2022 – via Twitter.
  9. ↑ "Kevin Gates' "Khaza" Album Tracklist Unveiled". June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022 – via HotNewHipHop.
  10. ↑ "Kevin Gates - Thinkin' With My Dick Feat. Juicy J". Retrieved July 16, 2013 – via YouTube.
  11. ↑ "Kevin Gates Single From 9 Years Ago Hits Billboard Hot 100 For the First Time Thanks to TikTok". Retrieved March 24, 2013 – via The Source.
  12. ↑ "Kevin Gates shares "Big Lyfe" with video". Retrieved April 28, 2022 – via The Fader.
  13. ↑ "Kevin Gates - Big Lyfe (Official Music Video)". Retrieved April 28, 2022 – via YouTube.
  14. ↑ "Kevin Gates - Super General (Freestyle)". Retrieved June 9, 2022 – via YouTube.
  15. ↑ "Kevin Gates addresses a few things on "Intro"". Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via The Fader.
  16. ↑ "Kevin Gates - Intro (Official Music Video)". Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via YouTube.
  17. ↑ "Kevin Gates - Metro". Retrieved June 12, 2022 – via YouTube.
  18. ↑ "Grown Man Music". Retrieved November 28, 2009 – via Spotify.
  19. 1 2 "Khaza Review by TiVo Staff". allmusic.com. June 17, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  20. 1 2 Lewis, Dash (June 16, 2022). "Kevin Gates 'Khaza' Trades Intensity For Vulnerability With Mixed Results". HipHopDX. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Kevin Gates "Khaza" Review". HotNewHipHop. June 25, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Kevin Gates Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Kevin Gates Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
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