Kevin Fret

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.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Fret and the second or maternal family name is Rodríguez.
Kevin Fret
Background information
Born(1993-06-11)June 11, 1993
Puerto Rico
DiedJanuary 10, 2019(2019-01-10) (aged 25)
Santurce, Puerto Rico
GenresLatin trap
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • singer
InstrumentsVocals

Career

Between 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

Writer 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

Fret 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

On 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
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

References
  1. Home, La Rosa Funeral. "KEVIN FRET Obituary - La Rosa Funeral Home". www.larosafuneralhome.com.
  2. Fitzgerald, Trent (11 January 2019). "Latin Trap Artist Kevin Fret Shot and Killed in Puerto Rico". XXL. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  3. "5 Things to Know About Kevin Fret, the Gay Latin Trap Artist Killed in Puerto Rico". Billboard. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  4. 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.
  5. "'I'm Here to Change People's Minds': Remembering Kevin Fret, Gay Trapero". Rolling Stone. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  6. Dashenas, Sam (11 January 2019). "24-year-old gay rapper Kevin Fret shot to death in Puerto Rico". Gay Times. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  7. "Kevin Fret Is Latin Trap's First Openly Gay Pioneer". Paper. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  8. "Hispanic Rapper Arrested for Battery in Miami". NBC 6 South Florida. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  9. "Gay rapper Kevin Fret shot dead aged 24". BBC News. 11 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  10. "Ozuna Claims He Was Extorted by Slain Singer Kevin Fret". E! Online. 24 January 2019.
  11. "Ozuna Suspect In Trap Star Murder Over Alleged Sextape Extortion". Hollywood Unlocked. 24 January 2019.
  12. 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.
  13. "Ozuna's Lawyer Alleges Late Rapper Kevin Fret Blackmailed Singer Over Underage Sex Tape". 23 January 2019.
  14. "Sagardía: "Ozuna no tiene que ver nada con esa muerte"". Primera Hora. 22 January 2019.
  15. Moore, Sam (11 January 2019). "Openly gay trap artist Kevin Fret shot dead aged 24". NME. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  16. "La Policía tiene una persona de interés en asesinato de Kevin Fret". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). 11 January 2019.
  17. Montoya-Galvez, Camilo (10 January 2019). "Openly gay rapper murdered in Puerto Rico amid wave of violence". CBS News. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  18. Roiz, Jessica (10 January 2019). "Openly Gay Latin Trap Artist Kevin Fret Dies at 24". Billboard. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  19. "Prosecutor: Probe into slaying of gay Puerto Rican rapper Kevin Fret stopped". NBC News. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  20. "Joel Fret". YouTube.
  21. "MalongoMiusiTv". YouTube.
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