Kevin Gates has opened up about a harrowing experience from his childhood that has deeply influenced his approach to parenting.

In a heartfelt conversation with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay, the Grammy-nominated artist revealed that he was sexually abused as a child in his mother’s home. Gates recounted the painful reality of not being believed when he initially spoke about the abuse.

This traumatic ordeal has driven Gates to foster an environment of trust and openness with his own children. He is committed to ensuring they feel safe and heard at all times.

“I’ve intentionally created a space where my children know that no one is allowed to touch them—not even me,” Gates explained, emphasizing the importance of having candid dialogues with his kids. “They are equipped to talk to me about anything.”

Gates’s dedication to his children’s well-being underscores his resolve to break the cycle of silence and disbelief, ensuring his kids grow up in a supportive and protective environment.

He added, “I created a space for them to be able to tell their dad anything.”

Gates also explained that his song “Protect Children” helped him revisit that experience through music, bringing unresolved emotions to the surface.

“After I made that song, I ain’t know how much trauma that I was holding. I cried for two weeks uncontrollably. My manager sitting back there, he the one recorded that song. I was in Puerto Rico.”

The musician said he is now in a better place mentally and is at his happiest.

He attributed that happiness to maintaining open communication with those around him, including his children.

“Like I never baby talk with my children. We talk regular. Like my 13-year-old daughter sometimes she be my therapist. I be I just talk to her about anything.”

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Gates recalled a conversation in which his teenage daughter explained that seeing how some of her peers navigate boundaries and seek validation made her appreciate the role of an involved father.

Hearing that, he said, made him reflect on how much children absorb, even when parents may not realize it.

“You don’t think that they be listening and you don’t think that you mean that much. You don’t think you that significant as a father cuz that’s just dad being dad, right?”

Looking back, Gates said fatherhood has been the most transformative force in his life.

“The best thing that ever happened to me. Yeah. My children, my children. They changed me. They made me want to change to be a better father for them.”