L. Gates (Lamont Gates) was born in Paterson New Jersey. April 17, 1979. As a young child Gates got in to music. No matter what the style, if it was good to his ear he listened. It was this open mind to music that would later give Gates his versitlity. Out of all the music he loved to listen to, Hip Hop caught his ear at an early age. Inspired by the rhythm and rhyme, Gates began at age 12 what is called freestyling. Lyrics off the top of the head live on stage at grade school talent shows was his favorite thing to do. Later on in high school, Gates became more serious and wrote more. This time around with more of a planned out stage show, it earned him first place at the high school talent show. While in high school Gates teamed up with his now co partner and producer Jesus Velazquez. They recorded demos week after week until Gates had enough experience both on the mic and to produce his own material.

In college, Gates became more facinated with music theory and began studying it. Pretty soon, he was able to play keyboard and piano parts of his own instead of sampling them as his previous recordings showed. Learning music was a huge step for him because it seperated him from many different artist espeacially the hip hop ones. With musical knowledge and a tight flow, Gates was ready to persue the business.

Gates has developed a style that not many can follow. With his fast to mid tempo flow, he has caught the attention of many around the US. Gates has often been compared to artists such as Rakim, LL Cool J, and The Large Professor. Gates is a rapper who just dosen't want to rap, but wants to say something in his songs. "The music always has a message and a meaning." Gates is also the co founder of L&J Records along with his partner Jesus Velazquez. The ride may be long but L. Gates is here to stay for the whole one.