Kevin Fret Rodríguez (June 11, 1993 – January 10, 2019)[1] was a Puerto Rican rapper, singer and the first openly gay male Latin trap artist.[2] He was known for his gender-variant looks.
Kevin Fret | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | June 11, 1993 Puerto Rico |
| Died | January 10, 2019 (aged 25) Santurce, Puerto Rico |
| Genres | Latin trap |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments | Vocals |
Career
editBetween 2016 and 2018, Fret participated in singing competitions including La Banda and Solo Tu Voz. He used social media to advocate against bullying and used his voice as a member of the LGBT community to encourage other new artists beginning their careers.[3] Fret released his breakthrough single, "Soy Asi" ("I'm Like This") on April 7, 2018, and was featured on Mike Duran's song "Diferente" ("Different"), released on July 18, 2018.[4] Kevin Fret was managed by Alfonso J. Alvarez around the stretch of "Soy Asi".[5]
Artistry
editWriter Samy Nemir Olivares described Fret as being known for "breaking gender norms [...] and stigma about being gay, gender nonconforming, and expressing gender identity freely – in a country where gay people still get mocked, bullied and killed".[6]
Personal life
editFret came out as gay at the age of 18. He was a graduate of the Roger L Putnam Vocational-Technical High School in Springfield, MA and had grown up in the city and in nearby Chicopee.[3] Paper magazine described a "strict religious upbringing" as the reason he courted controversy in the LGBT community by saying that homosexuality was "a choice" for him.[7] His parents were not supportive at first but were later accepting. He has a younger sister. Fret was public about undergoing liposuction surgery and buttock augmentation.[3] While living in Miami in 2018, Fret was charged with aggravated battery after an alleged fight with another man, who Fret said had verbally attacked him because of his sexuality.[8][9] He allegedly extorted another trap singer, Ozuna, for $50,000 over an edited sex tape made when Ozuna was a minor. Fret apologized to his family and friends over the extortion.[10][11][12][13][14]
Death
editOn January 10, 2019, Fret was riding his motorcycle in Santurce, San Juan at about 5:30 am when an unidentified gunman shot at him eight times, hitting him in the head and hip.[15][4] The incident was initially regarded by authorities as an automobile accident due to the darkness of the hour.[16] Fret was taken to the Río Piedras Medical Center,[17] where he was pronounced dead.[18] According to police, Fret's murder was the 22nd homicide of 2019 in Puerto Rico. His murder remains unsolved.[15]
In 2022, Betzaida Quiñones Rodríguez, a prosecutor working on the case alleged she had been "instructed to stop" the investigation into Fret's murder.[19]
Discography
edit- Singles [20]
- Soy Asi (2018)
- Me Compre Un Full Kevin Fret Remix (2018)
- As Featured Artist [21]
- Mike Duran featuring Kevin Fret: Diferente (2018)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Home, La Rosa Funeral. "KEVIN FRET Obituary - La Rosa Funeral Home". www.larosafuneralhome.com.
- ^ Fitzgerald, Trent (11 January 2019). "Latin Trap Artist Kevin Fret Shot and Killed in Puerto Rico". XXL. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ^ a b c "5 Things to Know About Kevin Fret, the Gay Latin Trap Artist Killed in Puerto Rico". Billboard. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ a b Zraick, Karen (10 January 2019). "Kevin Fret, Openly Gay Latin Trap Artist, Is Shot and Killed in Puerto Rico". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "'I'm Here to Change People's Minds': Remembering Kevin Fret, Gay Trapero". Rolling Stone. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- ^ Dashenas, Sam (11 January 2019). "24-year-old gay rapper Kevin Fret shot to death in Puerto Rico". Gay Times. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ^ "Kevin Fret Is Latin Trap's First Openly Gay Pioneer". Paper. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Hispanic Rapper Arrested for Battery in Miami". NBC 6 South Florida. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ "Gay rapper Kevin Fret shot dead aged 24". BBC News. 11 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ "Ozuna Claims He Was Extorted by Slain Singer Kevin Fret". E! Online. 24 January 2019.
- ^ "Ozuna Suspect In Trap Star Murder Over Alleged Sextape Extortion". Hollywood Unlocked. 24 January 2019.
- ^ EDT, Hannah Preston On 4/16/19 at 8:07 PM (16 April 2019). "Kevin Fret's mother continues to accuse Ozuna and his manager, Vicente Saavedra, of the trap artist's death". Newsweek.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Ozuna's Lawyer Alleges Late Rapper Kevin Fret Blackmailed Singer Over Underage Sex Tape". 23 January 2019.
- ^ "Sagardía: "Ozuna no tiene que ver nada con esa muerte"". Primera Hora. 22 January 2019.
- ^ a b Moore, Sam (11 January 2019). "Openly gay trap artist Kevin Fret shot dead aged 24". NME. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ "La Policía tiene una persona de interés en asesinato de Kevin Fret". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). 11 January 2019.
- ^ Montoya-Galvez, Camilo (10 January 2019). "Openly gay rapper murdered in Puerto Rico amid wave of violence". CBS News. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ^ Roiz, Jessica (10 January 2019). "Openly Gay Latin Trap Artist Kevin Fret Dies at 24". Billboard. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Prosecutor: Probe into slaying of gay Puerto Rican rapper Kevin Fret stopped". NBC News. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ "Joel Fret". YouTube.
- ^ "MalongoMiusiTv". YouTube.
External links
edit- Kevin Fret on IMDb
- Kevin Fret on YouTube