After publicly sharing about his five-year semen retention journey, rapper Kevin Gates asserted that he continues to stay committed, with only occasional lapses. Is his sacrifice really helping him? He believes so.
Semen retention is also known as sexual continence or celibacy. This approach involves men consciously abstaining from ejaculation during sexual activity.
The chart-topping artist from Louisiana, known for being candid about his intimate behaviors, made his second appearance on the “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast with co-hosts Gillie da King and Wallo267. During the episode, the controversial guest was asked if he was sticking to his resolution or if he was “finally letting it go.”
According to Gates, he’s done both.
“See what most people don’t know, you gonna release every now and then. It’s like you gonna have a wet dream here and there. You gonna release but you don’t beat yourself up about it because anything that’s in your body that need to come out, gone naturally come out,” the rapper said.
What is helpful to the “I Don’t Get Tired” artist to stick to this journey is that he doesn’t watch explicit content or adult entertainment. He said he also does not masturbate or talk intimately with the women he deals with.
Gillie and Wallo sat in amazement, particularly as he shared the benefits of practicing sexual continence.
Back in 2022, Gates, who is a practicing Muslim and father of two, revealed he does not release unless he is preparing to conceive a child. He told Yung Miami on “Caresha Please,” that it “heals the central nervous system … and heals your brain.”
According to some experts, the practice helps reduce erectile dysfunction, decrease anxiety, increase self-esteem, concentration and mental clarity, improve fertility and sperm count, and more.
Gates said when he first spoke about his decision to withhold in 2021, though he began in 2019, people thought he was crazy. Now, years later, he sees others talking about all of the benefits that come along with saving your release.
“It makes a man more cognitive in his life. Your life force is sacred I tell men,” he explained, noting, “Everybody laughed at me when I first talked about it on y’all podcast. Now everybody talking about they do it.”
Both Gillie and Wallo said that they have also noticed a lot of people talking about the practice.
The conversation then shifted to the obvious benefits of semen retention, including enhancing one’s complexion.
“If you look at men that release a lot, they skin don’t glow. They don’t have no glow,” Gates said. “They skinned… it almost looks gray. It’s your life force.”
Always the comedian, Gillie laughed, “[My skin] look dark gray,” insinuating he releases a lot.
Sex therapist Isiah McKimmie said in an interview with HealthyMale.org that semen retention has roots in ancient beliefs about power.
“A reduction in energy levels is a concept that has been present in Eastern teachings, but again, this concept is part of a much broader understanding of energy that we have in the West,” McKimmie said.
He did, however, add, “Modern science has found no evidence that supports this claim.”
Likewise, psychosexual therapist Christopher Brett-Renes expressed his belief that it adds to one’s life force.
“The feelings of relaxation are normal, and no data has demonstrated that the average male person’s ejaculation damages their long-term health or affects their life expectancy,” he continues.
Dr. David Shin, the Chief of the Center for Sexual Health & Fertility in the Department of Urology at Hackensack University Medical Center, says while many focus on the possible benefits, that there are actually reasons why people should not practice holding it in.
“Not ejaculating can lead to feelings of pain, discomfort, heaviness, or aching in the testicles. This is known as ‘blue balls’ or ‘epididymal hypertension,'” Dr. Shin said to the Business Insider. Outside of the discomfort and the possibility of compromising semen quality, his studies show no dangers or real risks, and no true benefits.
Gates first announced his plans in 2021. Despite his vow, the artist consistently makes headlines flexing his sexuality.
Despite his vow, the artist consistently makes headlines flexing his sexuality.
In October 2023, during his “Only Generals Tour,” the rapper pulled a woman on the stage and asked her “I can do whatever I wanna do?” When she agreed, he moved around her seductively, stood over her and told her to open her mouth before spitting in it. While many found the act disgusting, others saw it as erotic.
However, some believe Gates may be putting his prostate at risk by not flushing out harmful chemicals that build up in semen, although there has been no proof to this logic.
Release or not, many think that Gates is one of the most desirable rappers on the scene. But he is not the only rapper to hold back from releasing. “Raising Kanan” actor Joey Bada$$ explained that he avoids releasing his semen to “preserve my life force.”
He told the hosts on a 2022 episode of Angela Yee’s “Lip Service” podcast, “When a man ejaculates, there’s a lot of things that leave your body. There’s blood cells, there’s testosterone, energy, you get depleted. They say it’s like an equivalent to running 20 miles when you [ejaculate].”
Memphis rapper NLE Choppa said he did try semen retention for a month but he prefers to simply practice celibacy. “It can make a whole life, so you know how powerful it is, so you can’t just keep giving it to everybody,” he said on an episode of “The Breakfast Club.”
