New Iberia Woman Goes Viral on TikTok After Revealing That Kevin Gates Performed at Her 14th Birthday Party in 2012
Brittany Guzman turned 14 in 2012, but her birthday party is just now going viral on TikTok.
Even though an entire decade has passed, people are freaking out because the New Iberia woman recently posted a TikTok explaining how she celebrated her 14th birthday by having rapper Kevin Gates visit her small town and perform for a few hundred friends.
Her TikTok video has over one million views—and after speaking with Guzman, the back story is just as good as the viral clip.
In the summer of 2012, Guzman was preparing for her freshman year at New Iberia Senior High School; and she and her friends had the wild idea to throw an unforgettable party for Brittany's birthday.
At the time, Kevin Gates wasn’t nearly as big of a superstar rapper as he is now, but he was definitely enjoying regional fame as the buzz around his name and his music was quickly picking up steam—especially in his home state of Louisiana.
After Brittany and her friends literally googled his phone number, they dialed it up and his manager picked up the phone.
If that doesn't sound easy (and crazy) enough, she hit up her parents and they were on board. Soon, they would lock down the Clifton Chenier Center in Loreauville, line up the food, and begin to sell tickets at $25 apiece.
New Iberia native and recording artist Justin Champagne was just an up-and-coming artist at the time, and he agreed to provide sound and the equipment necessary for Kevin to perform. The only stipulation was that he would get to perform too.
All the way up to the day of the party people were skeptical. No one actually thought Brittany could actually pull this off.
By the time the date of her birthday party arrived, Brittany and her friends had managed to sell 350-400 tickets and they were ready to party. Guests begin to arrive, but as the night goes on Brittany began to get nervous. What if Kevin didn’t show?
What if she was being scammed?
Kevin and his team were under contract to be there and perform by 8:30 p.m. It was after 9 p.m. and guests were beginning to get antsy. She called Kevin's manager, Fee. He ensured them that they were "close by."
More time passes; and by now It’s after 9:30 p.m. and people were beginning to leave—some even asking for refunds.
Just when it felt like all hope for Brittany was lost, Kevin Gates emerged through a side door of the venue and the crowd erupted. Brittany says she remembers the exact moment he stepped foot into the building.
I remember he walked in through the side door and walked straight up to me and my dad and told me Happy Birthday! Everyone was freaking out and screaming! Then he got on stage and asked me to go up with him while he performs!
Brittany said Kevin performed for an hour and even threw in two extra songs. She told me he was even cool enough to sing clean versions of his songs because of how young they were at the time.
I asked her if there was ever a point in time where she thought that Kevin Gates wouldn’t show up to which she replied: “100%”
At around 9 people started questioning me and asking for their money back and leaving all pissed off because he was late. But I was praying so hard that he would and he did.
Fast forward 10 years and Kevin Gates is now a superstar rapper with global fame. He just released a new album and is constantly trending on social media.
Brittany told me that he is exactly the same today as he was back then and the only thing that has changed is his level of fame.
I’m humbled to say that I was considered one of his day ones!
As far as New Iberia goes, Brittany says that people are still talking about the night Kevin Gates came to town. Her dad is a teacher at NISH, and he has students that still talk about it.
Speaking of people talking, Brittany's TikTok fame is on the rise after she casually mentioned her epic 14th birthday with Kevin Gates as a guest performer.
People think it’s surreal and crazy that it actually happened, but at the same time there’s people who doubt it and make accusations that its photoshopped or what not
Her latest video looking back on the memory has gotten over 1.4 million views and counting. She credits a trending sound that she used on the clip, but people who are discovering her story have been sharing it on social media due to how crazy it is to see a rapper as big as Kevin Gates during his humble beginnings.
Not to mention, it's amazing to see that he actually took the time out to travel to a small town in Louisiana for a girl who literally googled how to get in touch with one of her favorite rappers—and it actually worked!
She admits that Kevin probably wouldn't recognize her if she saw him on the street today. Since her 14th birthday soiree, Brittany is all grown up as a 24-year-old mother who is recently engaged and works in education.
While she hasn’t seen him since 2012, she knows if she brought up the party and told him her name he would instantly remember the night he rocked New Iberia for her birthday.
By the way, one of the biggest questions that Britany has gotten on TikTok is how much did she pay to have Gates drive out and perform. When I asked her she told me that to this day she still has no clue what her dad paid to have gates at the party.
he says he doesn’t remember how much it was total because on top of kevin gates, we paid Justin, the venue, the food, drinks, etc!
Somehow, the story will always be even better if that part remains a mystery.