Somewhere, on an alternate plane of existence, Kevin Gates is the universe’s greatest late-night host. There he is, trading witticisms with his guests, seamlessly dropping into outrageous and uproarious non-sequiturs, and waxing philosophically about the merits of Blink-182, Miley Cyrus and the health benefits of a bootylicious diet. In this timeline, however, the Louisiana rapper is simply one of the best emcees in the game. He has followed up his critically acclaimed 2016 LP, Islah, with his second full-length, I’m Him, which dropped in late September. Gates comes to Santa Cruz behind his latest effort. Really really.
Kevin Gates
Sun, 9pm, $40+
The Catalyst, Santa Cruz