Kevin Fret
Puerto Rican Latin trap musician (1993–2019)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Born | June 11, 1993 Puerto Rico |
| Died | January 10, 2019 (aged 25) |
| Genres | Latin trap |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments | Vocals |
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]