Kevin Gates
sets the tone for
The Ceremony
by referring to the album in the intro as "real medicine music." The intent is sensed throughout much of what follows in the rapper's fourth LP, easily his most inward-looking effort to date. During an early stretch containing "Yonce Freestyle" (featuring
B.G.
and
Sexyy Red
),
Gates
is as bluntly hedonistic as ever, but the album is largely a fascinating examination of healing, growth, empathy, and love of self. The rapper is at his most lyrical and puts himself out there like never before. ~ TiVo Staff