As always, this year's XXL Freshmen class was quite a talking point. While much was said about the cover, both positive and negative, one of the most blatant critiques of the class came from Comton rapper Game. On his recent song, "Bigger Than Me", the west coast emcee had quite a few complaints about the rappers featured, claiming that they weren't of the same caliber as his generation, as well as attacking them for being "soft". "Your Freshman cover a whole bunch of soft ass niggas," he rapped.
While Troy Ave, someone who definitely defines himself as the opposite of a "soft" rapper, already responded to Game's diss in an interview, Kevin Gates (another Freshman) was asked about the lines in a sit-down with VladTV.
“I heard that, but I ain’t never heard the song...I ain’t gon’ lie," he said of Game's attack. "At where I’m at in the game right now like I say penitentiary rules in effect. You know, when you getting off that bus, hitting that facility. They got people on their yards saying anything on their yard to you. But once you get on the yard that’s when it’s game time. So, I can’t entertain words. You can’t defeat me with words whoever you are. You know what I’m saying?"
Gates insisted that in order for him to succeed, it's important not to listen to what other people have to say. "That’s for anybody that say something about me. ‘Kevin Gates you a bitch ass, pussy ass nigga.’ I can’t entertain that. I got to stay focused. I can’t let nobody trick me off my position cause I know where I come from. I got my D.O.C. number tattooed on my hand…Department of corrections number. So, I’m already stamped. I’m official.”
Watch the full interview below.