YoungBoy Never Broke Again

Not to be confused with Never Broke Again, the record label imprint founded by YoungBoy Never Broke Again.

YoungBoy Never Broke Again
YoungBoy Never Broke Again in 2023
Background information
Birth name	Kentrell DeSean Gaulden
Also known as	NBA YoungBoy Top Lil Top YoungBoy YB AI YoungBoy AI
Born	(1999-10-20) October 20, 1999 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop Southern hip hop gangsta rap trap
Occupations	Rapper singer songwriter
Discography	YoungBoy Never Broke Again discography
Years active	2015–present
Labels	Never Broke Again Motown (current) Atlantic APG (former)
Spouse	Jazlyn Mychelle Hayes ​ ​ (m. 2023)​
Children	12
Website	youngboynba.com

Kentrell DeSean Gaulden (born October 20, 1999), known professionally as YoungBoy Never Broke Again or NBA YoungBoy, is an American rapper. From 2015 to 2017, he released eight independent mixtapes and garnered a regional following for his work. He signed with Atlantic Records and Artist Partner Group in the latter year to release the singles "Untouchable" and "No Smoke", both of which marked his first entries on the Billboard Hot 100. Released in January of the following year, his single "Outside Today" became his first to reach the top 40 of the chart, and received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It served as both his mainstream breakthrough and the lead single for his debut studio album, Until Death Call My Name (2018), which peaked at number seven on the US Billboard 200 despite mixed critical reception.

His 2019 single, "Bandit" (with Juice Wrld) became his first song to reach the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. In the following week, he released the commercial mixtape AI YoungBoy 2 (2019), which debuted atop the Billboard 200 and received 18 gold certifications by the RIAA for each of its songs. The release of its follow-up, 38 Baby 2 (2020) and his second studio album, Top (2020) made Gaulden the second hip hop act to peak the chart thrice within a single year. Released during an incarceration, his third album, Sincerely, Kentrell (2021) likewise peaked the chart and became the third project—behind Tupac Shakur's Me Against the World (1995) and Lil Wayne's I Am Not a Human Being (2010)—by an imprisoned artist to do so. His fourth album, The Last Slimeto (2022) peaked at number two on the chart and served as his final release with Atlantic. Gaulden then signed with Motown to release his fifth and sixth albums, I Rest My Case (2023) and Don't Try This at Home (2023), both of which were met with trailing critical and commercial reception.

Gaulden has sold over 80 million digital copies in the United States, ranking him among the highest certified artists in the United States. He has garnered 15 billion views on his YouTube channel, also ranking him among the highest-viewed rappers on the site. Gaulden is also the youngest artist in Billboard history to chart 100 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Gaulden has also been nominated for three BET Hip Hop Awards and a Grammy Award while being the recipient of one ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards and one BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards. Gaulden founded the record label Never Broke Again in 2015, which has signed artists including NoCap and Quando Rondo.

Despite his success, Gaulden's career has been marked by a long history of legal issues that began in 2016. He has maintained a largely prolific output notwithstanding his incarcerations.

Early life

Kentrell DeSean Gaulden was born on October 20, 1999, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He broke his neck while wrestling as a toddler, the injury requiring a head brace until the spine healed. The brace left permanent scars on his forehead. Gaulden was raised mainly by his maternal grandmother, Alice Gaulden, due to his father being sentenced to 55 years in prison. He dropped out of high school in ninth grade. While in juvenile detention for a robbery charge, he began writing lyrics for his debut project.

After he was released, Gaulden's grandmother died of heart failure in 2010 and he was sent to a group home in which he noted that he would get beat up:

I used to get beat up inside the group home for no reason, the other boys would put their hands on me, and I would look up like, 'Why are you hitting me, bro? What'd I do?' It made me discover another side of me that I never glorified or liked. I found out how to be the person that you don't want to do that with. [Before then], I never understood all the evilness or wrong because I was showered by so much love from this one person.

He later moved in with his friend and fellow Baton Rouge rapper, OG3Three Never Broke Again. The two then used acts of criminality to begin to pay for studio time.

Career

2015–2017: Career beginnings and AI YoungBoy

Main article: AI YoungBoy

Gaulden performing in 2017

Gaulden first began producing music with a microphone he bought from Walmart when he was fourteen years old. He released his first mixtape, Life Before Fame in 2015. A string of other mixtapes followed including Mind of a Menace, Mind of a Menace 2, and Before I Go. Gaulden attracted attention with his October 2016 mixtape, 38 Baby which featured fellow Baton Rouge natives, Boosie Badazz, Kevin Gates, and fellow rappers Stroke Tha Don and NBA 3Three. A week later, Gaulden released another mixtape titled Mind of a Menace 3 on November 4, 2016. Gaulden's quick rise to popularity could also be attributed to his "song-for-song rap beef" with fellow Baton Rouge rapper Scotty Cain in December 2015, in which songs from both rappers included death threats. Although no real violence ever occurred between the two Baton Rouge rappers, their feuding attracted a lot of attention.

In November 2016, Gaulden was arrested in Austin, Texas on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder in connection with an alleged drive-by shooting. While in jail in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, Gaulden re-released his two mixtapes, Before I Go and Mind of a Menace 3. Gaulden was released from prison in May 2017 after taking a plea deal and posting bail. A week after leaving prison, Gaulden released the single, "Untouchable".

In July 2017, Gaulden released a video for his song, "41", that included cameos from notable artists including, Meek Mill, Young Thug, 21 Savage, Boosie Badazz, and Yo Gotti. In August 2017, it was reported that after being scouted by Mike Caren, YoungBoy signed a five-album record deal worth $2 million with Caren's Artist Partner Group and Atlantic Records while the music had been published under YoungBoy's own Never Broke Again. On August 3, 2017, he released his seventh mixtape, AI YoungBoy which charted at 24 on the Billboard 200, marking YoungBoy's first appearance on the chart. The single, "Untouchable", peaked at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The second single from the project, "No Smoke", peaked at number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100.

YoungBoy's eighth mixtape, Ain't Too Long was released on October 7, 2017. The mixtape peaked at #173 on the Billboard 200 chart, marking YoungBoy's second appearance on the chart. Just a month later, in November 2017, YoungBoy appeared as a guest on 21 Savage's Numb The Pain Tour.

2018–2019: Until Death Call My Name and AI YoungBoy 2

Main articles: Until Death Call My Name, AI YoungBoy 2, and Realer (mixtape)

Gaulden released the single "Outside Today" on January 6, 2018. The song became Gaulden's highest-charting song, peaking at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100. He announced his debut studio album, Until Death Call My Name on January 11, 2018. The album's second single "Diamond Teeth Samurai", an interpolation of Lil Wayne's October 1999, "Tha Block Is Hot" was released on April 2, 2018, just three weeks prior to the release of the album. The song peaked at #59 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was released on April 27, 2018. Following the release of "Villain" on June 21, 2018, YoungBoy released a reloaded version of Until Death Call My Name which featured guest appearances from Offset and Lil Uzi Vert on June 28, 2018.

Despite being arrested in February 2018, Gaulden promised a new mixtape. Gaulden was released from jail on March 15, and his next mixtape Master The Day Of Judgement was released on May 19, 2018. Throughout the summer of 2018, Gaulden released a series of four EPs, each containing four tracks. The first of which, 4Respect, was released on August 24, followed by 4Freedom, 4Loyalty, and 4WhatImportant on August 30, September 6, and 14, respectively. In conjunction with the final part being released, all four EPs were combined into a 16-track compilation titled 4Respect 4Freedom 4Loyalty 4WhatImportant/ On September 7, Gaulden released his mixtape Decided, featuring a sole guest appearance from Trippie Redd. On December 20, Gaulden released another mixtape, Realer, featuring guest appearances from Lil Baby and Plies.

Gaulden in 2018 shopping for jewelry in Atlanta, Georgia at Icebox

By January 2019, Gaulden was on YouTube's Top Music Artists list in the United States for the previous 101 weeks, which made him the most-watched musician across all genres. This was mainly due in part to his consistency of releasing music regularly and exclusively on YouTube. He was also the ninth best-selling artist on the 2019 Billboard Mid-Year Charts and was seventh in the top ten artists ranked by on-demand audio streams without releasing a project in the first six months of 2019. Gaulden was sentenced to 14 months on house arrest following a probation violation earlier in 2019. Due to the house arrest, he was unable to record music from anywhere besides his house. On September 25, 2019, Gaulden released the "aptly titled" single "House Arrest Tingz". On October 4, 2019, Gaulden released the song "Bandit", with rapper Juice WRLD, released as the final new song by Juice WRLD as a lead artist before his death. The song reached number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming NBA Youngboy's highest-charting single.

On October 10, 2019, Gaulden released his mixtape AI YoungBoy 2, and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. The mixtape is a sequel to his 2017 breakout AI Youngboy and features 18 songs, including the previously released song "Slime Mentality". The album earned 110,000 album-equivalent units (including 3,000 pure sales), accumulating a total of 144.7 million on-demand audio streams in its first week, becoming one of the top ten biggest streaming debuts of 2019.

2020–2021: 38 Baby 2, Top, and Sincerely, Kentrell

Main articles: 38 Baby 2; Top (album); and Sincerely, Kentrell

In February 2020, Gaulden released his mixtape, Still Flexin, Still Steppin. It debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, becoming his second-highest-charting album after his 2019 number-one album AI YoungBoy 2.

On April 24, 2020, Gaulden released his mixtape 38 Baby 2, a sequel to his October 2016 38 Baby. The mixtape debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 marking YoungBoy's second number-one album on the chart. The mixtape peak was a result of the 67,000 album-equivalent units (including 4,000 pure album sales) in its first week, subsequent of the 96.9 million on-demand streams in its first week.

On August 20, 2020, Gaulden announced the release of his second studio album titled Top. The album was preceded by the Hot 100-carting singles, "All In", "Kacey Talk", and "Callin" featuring Snoop Dogg. The album released as plan on September 11, 2020, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming Gaulden's third number-one album in under one year. Top sold 126,000 album-equivalent units (including 19,000 pure album sales) in its first week, accumulating 156.32 million on-demand US streams from all its tracks. The album marked YoungBoy's highest-selling album, until the timely release of his third studio album. However, with AI YoungBoy 2, 38 Baby 2 and Top, he became the first rapper in the history of the Billboard 200 to accumulate three number-one albums in ten months, with the latter two peaking atop the chart within six months, one month behind the previous record held by DMX between 1998 and 1999, and the fastest for a rapper.

On November 11, 2020, Gaulden released his fourth solo project of 2020, the mixtape Until I Return, a sequel to his June 2016 Before I Go. It was released exclusively on YouTube and was made available three days later to streaming services with four additional songs. The mixtape has no guest features and peaked at number eleven on the Billboard' 200. On November 20, 2020, Gaulden released a collaborative project with Rich the Kid, titled Nobody Safe.

Gearing up for the release of his third studio album Sincerely, Kentrell while incarcerated, YoungBoy released the singles "Toxic Punk", "White Teeth", "Nevada", "Life Support", and "On My Side", all of which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. On September 24, 2021, Gaulden released his third studio album, Sincerely, Kentrell from prison. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 making him the third artist besides 2Pac and Lil Wayne to have a number-one album while incarcerated. The album marked YoungBoy's highest-selling album, overtaking Top as it sold 137,000 album-equivalent units (including 10,000 in pure sales) in its first week, acquiring 186.29 million on-demand streams across all of its tracks. The debut marked YoungBoy's fourth number-one album on the charts. During the release of the album, the term "YB Better" had gone viral in social media as fans heavily commented the term on social media, subsequently, just four days following the album's release, a deluxe edition, Sincerely, Kentrell > (pronounced "better") was released which featured an additional two songs.

Following Gaulden's release from jail in late October 2021, he released a number of unofficial singles beginning in November, including "Safe then Sorry", "Heart and Soul" and "Alligator Walk", and "Black Ball". The singles led up to his collaborative mixtape with Birdman, From the Bayou, which was released on December 10, 2021, after initially being announced in March 2018. The mixtape peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200.

2022: Colors, The Last Slimeto, and numerous other projects

Main articles: Colors (mixtape), Better than You (mixtape), The Last Slimeto, Realer 2, 3800 Degrees, Ma' I Got a Family, 3860, and Lost Files (YoungBoy Never Broke Again album)

Gaulden released another mixtape, titled Colors, on January 21, 2022. This mixtape garnered attention due to the singles released previously, in which he dissed rappers King Von and NLE Choppa on the tracks "Bring the Hook" and "Know Like I Know", respectively. On March 4, 2022, Gaulden released Better than You, a collaborative mixtape with DaBaby.

On April 1, 2022, Gaulden released the Last Slimeto Sampler. In May, it was reported that Gaulden rejected CEO Craig Kallman's $25 million offer to renew his Atlantic deal, calling the label out on its artist integrity. The Last Slimeto was released as planned on August 5 as Gaulden's last release under Atlantic. The album was preceded by four singles, "Mr. Grim Reaper", "I Hate YoungBoy", "Don't Rate Me" featuring Quavo, and "Vette Motors". The album featured guest appearances from Kehlani, Quavo, and Rod Wave. The album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, moving 108,400 album-equivalent units in its first week, 400 margins less than the week's number one album, Bad Bunny's Un Verano Sin Ti. Through Never Broke Again's Instagram page, it was announced that Gaulden had finally completed his contract with Atlantic Records.

Gaulden was featured on The Game's album Drillmatic – Heart vs. Mind, on the track, "O.P.P", but was later removed, a week after the album's released on August 12, 2022, over a clearance fee of $150,000 ordered by YoungBoy, causing the track to be remastered without his contributions and thus, the album to be re-released.

On September 4, 2022, Gaulden released the YouTube exclusive single "Purge Me". On September 5, 2022, through DJ Akademiks it was announced that he would release a surprise mixtape titled Realer 2, presented as a sequel to his December 2018 Realer. However, the mixtape was not released according to plan. On September 6, 2022, at around 4 PM EST, the mixtape was released primarily to Gaulden's YouTube channel. Just a day later on September 7, the mixtape was added to all digital streaming platforms; despite Gaulden's departure from Atlantic Records, the mixtape was distributed through the label. On October 7, 2022, Gaulden released his twentieth mixtape, 3800 Degrees through Never Broke Again and Atlantic Records. The project pays homage to Juvenile's 1998 400 Degreez and Lil Wayne's 2002 500 Degreez. The mixtape features guest appearances from E-40, Mouse on tha Track, and Shy Glizzy. The project marks YoungBoy Never Broke Again's fifth release of 2022 (fourth solo). On October 16, he announced another project, Ma' I Got a Family, to be released the same week as his twenty-first project, and his sixth release of the year (fifth solo). Just days later, the tracklist was released, announcing Nicki Minaj and Yeat as the mixtape's only features. On October 21, 2022, the mixtape was released and was presented as a DJ Drama Gangsta Grillz exclusive.

Through Billboard, on October 24, 2022, it was announced that following the completion of Gaulden's contract with Atlantic Records, he would sign a joint venture contract between Motown Records and his own label Never Broke Again. The joint venture deal was signed just over a year prior in September 2021, prior to the announcement of YoungBoy's addition to the label.

On November 25, 2022, Gaulden teamed up with Never Broke Again signee, Quando Rondo for their collaborative mixtape, 3860. The mixtape was preceded by four singles, "Give Me a Sign", Cream Soda" (performed by Quando Rondo), "Keep Me Dry", and "It's On". Despite the project being uploaded to Gaulden's YouTube channel, on the day of the mixtape's release, he revealed that he did not want the mixtape to be released due to his past disputes with Atlantic Records, the label under which the mixtape was released under, subsequently leading to the removal of the mixtape from Gaulden's YouTube channel. Gaulden further noted that Quando respected his wishes for the mixtape to not be released, however, Atlantic Records proceeded to release the project. On December 23, 2022, Gaulden released the compilation album Lost Files which purely consisted of leaked songs from 2018 onwards. The project marked his final release of the year. The project peaked at number 45 on the Billboard 200 selling over 18,000 copies in its first tracking week.

2023–present: I Rest My Case, Don't Try This at Home, Richest Opp, and Decided 2

Main articles: I Rest My Case, Don't Try This at Home (YoungBoy Never Broke Again album), Richest Opp, and Decided 2

On January 3, 2023, Gaulden's label released the official artwork for his fifth studio album I Rest My Case on their Instagram. On January 4, 2023, Gaulden released a series of promotional singles, most notably "Black" which peaked at number 93 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was released on January 6, 2023, and is his first project under a new artist deal with Motown Records. The album peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200, marking Gaulden's lowest charting studio album. Through Billboard, on February 1, 2023, Gaulden was announced to appear on the magazine's cover which was released alongside an interview. Appearing on the cover marked his first in five years since his October 2017 appearance on The Fader. Through the interview, it was noted that Gaulden's sixth full-length studio album titled Don't Try This at Home was in the works.

On February 24, 2023, Gaulden appeared as a feature on Yeat's third studio album Afterlyfe on the second track, "Shmunk". Weeks later, on March 17, 2023, he would appear as a feature on "I Don't Mind", the fifth track on Lil Pump's third long-awaited studio album, Lil Pump 2.

On February 27, 2023, Gaulden released "Next", a promotional single leading up to his sixth studio album, Don't Try This at Home. Just days later on March 2, 2023, he issued another single, "Demon Party". Weeks later, through Motown Record's official Instagram, it was announced that the album would drop on April 21, 2023, and it would consist of thirty-three songs. Following the album's announcement, the album's lead single, "WTF" with the Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj was announced. The track was released on April 7, 2023, just two weeks before the release of the project. The album's second and final single, "Rear View" with the Atlanta singer Mariah the Scientist was released on April 14, 2023. The album was released according to plan on April 21, 2023, featuring guest appearances from Mariah the Scientist, Nicki Minaj, Post Malone, and the Kid Laroi. The album debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200 after selling 60,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. Furthermore, Gaulden became the youngest artist in Billboard history to chart 100 songs on the Hot 100 after "Big Truck" debuted at #100 on the chart.

On May 8, 2023, Gaulden announced a mixtape titled Richest Opp and its release date of May 12, the original release date of rival Lil Durk's album, Almost Healed. Just a day prior to the release of the mixtape, Gaulden released the track "Bitch Let's Do It" exclusively to his YouTube channel. The mixtape released as planned while Almost Healed was pushed back to release the following week. Richest Opp debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 with 51,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. The mixtape garnered attention due to a song titled "Fuck the Industry Pt. 2" in which YoungBoy called out multiple rappers including Drake, J. Cole, and Lil Yachty.

On June 12, 2023, Playboi Carti gifted Gaulden an Opium chain which is a black diamond chain with an upside-down cross pendant and had taken to his Instagram after a long hiatus to show the rapper wearing the chain. The makers of the chain, Jewelry Unlimited took to their Instagram to announce that the chain was a gift from Carti ahead of the two's collaborative album which was hinted to be titled, 004KT. On the same day, record producer F1lthy, alongside the executive producer of Carti's upcoming solo album, Music had taken to Twitter to tweet, "004KT", further creating discussions about a new album between the two.

On October 26, 2023, Gaulden released the music video for "Deep Down". A day later, on October 27, 2023, YoungBoy released two more singles, "Now Who" and "My Body". The singles would appear on YoungBoy's twenty-first mixtape, Decided 2, the sequel to his September 2018, Decided, which was later released on November 10. At the end of 2023, YoungBoy became the most streamed rap artist on YouTube for the fifth year straight in the United States and was the second most streamed artist overall behind Peso Pluma. YoungBoy was the sixth best-selling artist in the US in 2023 with 4.2 million album units sold.

During Gaulden's Million Dollaz Worth of Game interview, he stated that his next full-length release would be his last with Motown. On January 27, 2024, Gaulden took to his Instagram to tease a new album that would drop on April 19. After releasing several singles in the first quarter of 2024, on March 17, Gaulden shared the official artwork and title for his next release, I Just Got a Lot on my Shoulders, expected to release in 2024.

Artistry

Influences

Gaulden's artistry has been compared to Lil Wayne (left) and Tupac Shakur (right).

Gaulden has been compared to several artists throughout his career including Boosie Badazz, Kevin Gates, Lil Wayne, and Tupac Shakur. Despite the several comparisons, Gaulden cited the late Lil Phat as his primary influence in his 2016 interview with The Fader. In December 2022, Gaulden cited Yeat, Young Thug, French Montana, Shy Glizzy, and Soulja Slim as his top five favorite rappers.

Musical style

Gaulden has been described as "one of the hardest working rappers" in the music industry due to his high musical output. He is known for his consistency in releasing music, with his work ethic described as being of a "rapid fire pace". He has released over twenty-six studio albums, EP's, and mixtapes since 2015. In 2023, he described his tendency to release music constantly as a "disease".

The music is therapy, but I can't stop it when I want, and the lifestyle is just a big distraction from your real purpose.

His musical creativity and lyrical content derive from his own lived experiences, including his criminal history, as well as past relationships. In his music, Gaulden is "brutally honest, which is a result of what he's seen and experienced at a young age". His music is described as "raw" and "spiritual" due to the way he "evokes emotion". Gaulden has been noted for his melodic vocals and "signature aggressive punch and high energy". Gaulden's often praised by music critics for his vulnerability in his music, ranging from the death of his loved ones to broken relationships.

Gaulden will often pay homage to his Louisiana roots in several of his songs. Gaulden's April 2018 track, "Diamond Teeth Samurai" samples Lil Wayne's "Tha Block Is Hot", a southern hip hop track. Songs like "Carter Son", "On My Side", and "Deep Down" will also incorporate Southern melodies and instrumentals. Gaulden has experimented with southern hip hop and hardcore hip hop sounds on his eighteenth solo mixtape, 3800 Degrees (2022), which pays homage to Juvenile's 400 Degreez and Lil Wayne's 500 Degreez. Songs like "Toxic Punk", "2Hoo", and "Bestie" are reminiscent of pop rock and rage songs, further embodied in Gaulden's experimental rage album, I Rest My Case (2023). Gaulden has also experimented with rap rock in songs like "Guitar Hero".

Philanthropy

In 2017, following the release of Gaulden's seventh solo mixtape, AI YoungBoy, he gave away $20,000 in cash in the neighborhood he grew up in. Just a year later, in October 2018, he gave a fan what seemed to be $10,000 for graduating high school in order to push more of his younger fans to stay in school.

In April 2019, Gaulden headed down to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, his hometown, to feed the homeless in the area and set up a shelter for people in need while handing out food to the public. In August of the same year, while incarcerated, he and his team funded an annual "Back to School Drive" in order to give children school supplies, backpacks, clothes, alongside other necessities which may be hard for them or their families to acquire. Through a phone call from jail, Gaulden stated, "I hope everybody has fun. Thank you for coming". In 2020, following the release of his chart-topping sophomore studio album, Top, on behalf of the artist due to his legal circumstances, Gerald Gaulden, Cameron Brown, and Monique, all who have been around Gaulden since his childhood would donate school supplies funded by Gaulden to Capitol Elementary in Sacramento, California.

In November 2022, while on house arrest Gaulden partnered up with NAACP in order to donate 500 turkeys to Baton Rouge families in need for Thanksgiving. Furthermore, he funded a Thanksgiving buffet at Boil & Roux in Baton Rouge during his "Stop The Violence" movement in order to stop violence within black communities.

Aye! Stop the violence. Look at me! I could promise you it's a bigger side of life. Stop the violence. You could be a rich nigga, ya heard me? I could promise you. I ain’t gon’ tell you what's in my bank account bitch but aye – stop the violence!

Just a month later, in December, Gaulden partnered up with his long-time rivals Fredo Bang and TG Kommas alongside NAACP and Metro Health Education in order to give back to their community in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to donate thousands of toys to the youth for Christmas alongside donating toys to the children's sector of Baton Rouge's Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. They also hosted a private dinner to provide food and gifts for people who recently lost their homes in house fires.

Legal issues

Despite his success as a musical artist, Gaulden had been involved in numerous criminal run-ins and a civil lawsuit.

2014: Robbery charge and juvenile detention

In late 2014, Gaulden was arrested for robbery and sent to a detention center in Tallulah, Louisiana. He was released after serving 6 months.

2016–2017: Attempted murder

On November 28, 2016, U.S. Marshals arrested Gaulden before a concert in Austin, Texas, accusing him of jumping out of a vehicle and opening fire on a group of people on a South Baton Rouge street. Gaulden was charged with two counts of attempted murder. Gaulden was in jail until May 2017 for attempted first degree murder. Speaking on his incarceration, he said "I don't think they really target, but if you got a name, they know who you is, you do something, they gonna come get you, and whoever you're with and whatever they do, you're accountable for it just because you got the biggest name. That's how that shit go." Facing two counts of attempted first-degree murder, he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of aggravated assault with a firearm. On August 22, 2017, he was sentenced to a suspended ten-year prison term and three years of active probation.

2018: Assault, weapons and kidnapping

Gaulden's 2018 mugshot

Gaulden was arrested before a concert at The Moon nightclub in Tallahassee on February 25, 2018. Gaulden had a warrant in the state of Georgia for allegedly committing assault, weapons violations and kidnapping. Hotel surveillance footage leaked shortly following his arrest showing Gaulden assaulting his former girlfriend. On March 15, 2018, he was released from jail on $75,000 bail.

2019: Assault and battery lawsuit

On March 12, 2019, it was reported that Gaulden and Never Broke Again artist Tyquian "Quando Rondo" Bowman were filed suit by a man claiming to be the rappers' bodyguard, tour manager and/or tour DJ for assault, battery and emotional distress. The lawsuit claims that on December 21, 2018, during a concert in Florence, South Carolina, the two performers were annoyed by a crazed fan resulting in an argument. The claimant states that he, Gaulden, Bowman and members of their entourage were escorted backstage by management, venue owners and concert organizers where he claims to have been assaulted by the two aforementioned. The person, who claimed was confronted by the two defendants, commented that Bowman (although unprovoked) instigated the incident by attempting to force him back onstage to break up the fan craze to secure his team, but after he refused, Bowman and Gaulden immediately assaulted him as he tried to explain to both parties of his deeds. It resulted in the victim sustaining a "cracked tooth, bloody face and injuries to his reputation". Gaulden's attorney stated that he had no prior knowledge of the incident, but would look into the outcome of the lawsuit.

2019: Miami shooting, probation violation, and house arrest

While Gaulden was on probation, on May 12, 2019, he was involved in a shooting in Miami in which he returned fire after a shooter in a black Cadillac Escalade opened fire, injuring Gaulden's girlfriend and killing a bystander. Though Gaulden's charges for the shooting itself were dismissed, he was found to be in the company of Ben Fields and Trulondrick "Boomer" Norman, which violated a special condition of his probation; for this violation, the judge ordered him to spend 90 days in jail, banned him from performing for the next 14 months, and sentenced him to house arrest with electronic monitoring for the remainder of his probation.

2019–2020: Probation termination and renewal

On December 13, 2019, the judge officially terminated Gaulden's probation for two counts of attempted murder. However, he was sentenced to a year of probation five days later after he pleaded guilty to simple assault in the case involving his ex-girlfriend.

2020: Baton Rouge arrest for federal firearm and drug offenses

On September 28, 2020, Gaulden was among sixteen people arrested in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on various charges, including distribution and manufacturing of drugs and possession of stolen firearms. His lawyer denied any guilt, stating "There was no indication that he had any guns or drugs on him at the time of the arrest".

2021–2022: California federal firearm charge and Baton Rouge federal firearm and drug charge

Gaulden's 2021 mugshot

On March 22, 2021, Gaulden was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles executing a federal warrant stemming from his September 2020 arrest in Baton Rouge. Officers attempted to stop a vehicle with Gaulden in it to serve the warrant when Gaulden took off on foot. After a search that involved using a police dog, Gaulden was found and booked on federal firearms charges. On October 26, 2021, he was released from jail on a $1.5 million bail.

On February 24, 2022, following Gaulden's September 2020 Baton Rouge arrest in the process of recording a music video, Gaulden's team filed a motion to suppress the firearm obtained during the arrest alongside the video and photo evidence via an SD card from the video shoot for "Chopper City". On March 2, 2022, the motion to suppress the video evidence was granted, however, the motion to suppress the firearm was denied. Following Gaulden's win, a trial date was set for May 16, 2022, however, it was later pushed back due to unforeseeable actions. In June 2022, Gaulden's team won a pre-trial motion as his team filed for a removal of evidence due to prosecutorial misconduct.

During the trial for Gaulden's California federal firearm charge, on July 12, 2022, the prosecution’s motion for allowing lyrics from Gaulden's "Life Support" and "Gunsmoke", in both of which YoungBoy raps about FN Herstals, in the trial against him was denied. On July 15, 2022, Gaulden was found not guilty of his federal firearms charges from California, due to a lack of evidence linking him to intentionally possessing the weapons found.

2023–2024: Baton Rouge federal firearm charge

On March 9, 2023, regarding Gaulden's Baton Rouge federal firearm charge, the prosecution team filed a motion to challenge Gaulden's motion to suppress the video and photo evidence – which they won in March 2022. It was noted that the three-judge panel would come to a decision in the following weeks.

On March 15, 2023, it was announced that Judge Shelly Dick lifted restrictions from Gaulden's house arrest. In the report, two conditions were removed. Firstly, Gaulden would be allowed to have more than three visitors at a time without a curfew restriction.

After the prosecution team in Gaulden's Baton Rouge case filed a motion to challenge his to suppress the video and photo evidence, in July 2023, Gaulden's team re-filed with the United States courts of appeals, however, he lost the appeal. In October 2023, regarding Gaulden's Baton Rouge federal firearm charge, after Gaulden's team challenged the lost appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed their decision, allowing the prosecution to use the evidence.

In November 2023, Gaulden's defense filed a motion in order to amend his pre-trial conditions due to police corruption. Later that month, the court denied Gaulden's motion to ease his house arrest limitations due to his diminishing mental health alongside declining music sales. Assistant US attorney William K. Morris stated that Gaulden's "current conditions of pre-trial release prohibit him from seeking and obtaining mental health treatment". On December 19, 2023, Billboard announced that Judge Shelly Dick denied Gaulden's request to obtain more recording studio access, however, she allowed the rapper to get better medical treatment.

On March 13, 2024, a Utah federal court held up the case, due to Gaulden's attorney filing for Second Amendment rights. The following day, one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon was dismissed.

The trial was to begin on July 15, 2024, but was moved up to July 25, 2024. On August 16, 2024, it was reported that Gaulden entered a guilty plea in the federal firearm case. Gaulden's court proceedings would be moved from Louisiana to Utah due to Gaulden's pending charges in Utah.

2024: Utah arrest for drug and fraud charges

On March 1, 2024, Gaulden was alleged by Utah state officials to have violated "pre-trial conditions" because of his drug use. On April 17, 2024, he was arrested for charges ranging from continuous activity stemming from possession of controlled substances to possession of a deadly (dangerous) weapon and identity fraud.

The charges allege that Gaulden was running a "prescription fraud ring", by using a fake identity and imitating a pharmacy customer's voice via cell phone to purchase over-the-counter prescription drugs to fuel his codeine binge. His house arrest was revoked soon after and he was extradited to Louisiana, ordered to remain in a Baton Rouge prison, awaiting trial without bail. On May 9, 2024, Gaulden appeared in a Cache County, Utah, court for a bond hearing following his arrest in April. Gaulden appeared before Judge Spencer D. Walsh, and his bond was set at $100,000.

Following the transfer of Gaulden's Baton Rouge federal firearm charge from Louisiana to Utah after Gaulden entered a guilty plea, on August 19, 2024, prosecutors in Utah filed a federal firearm charge against Gaulden, stemming from his April 2024 arrest. Prosecutors claimed that Gaulden was in possession of an illegally obtained firearm while on house arrest.

On September 9, Gaulden's attorney, Bradford Cohen announced that Gaulden had accepted a global plea encompassing his current charges in Louisiana and Utah. On the same day, he was sentenced to 27 months in prison with credit served for time served dating back to May 10, 2024, alongside 5 years of probation following his release. Gaulden was also ordered to pay a $200,000 fine.

Feuds

King Von and Lil Durk

From 2018 to 2020, YoungBoy and Chicago rapper King Von – a signee of Lil Durk's imprint Only The Family – began to diss each other through social media and their music, in what was initially taken as a joke. In particular, Von who made several videos mocking viral clips of YoungBoy as Von noted that YoungBoy fakes in his music: "the f**k YoungBoy talking about on this song, bruh? He's talking crazy, he ain't even like that. I'm on his a** now. You got caps in yo raps." On November 6, 2020, King Von was shot and killed following an altercation with the YoungBoy Never Broke Again affiliate Quando Rondo.

In 2022, following Von's death, and YoungBoy's release from jail, YoungBoy released "Bring the Hook", the lead single from his mixtape Colors. In the track, YoungBoy sent an obvious diss toward King Von and rappers from O'Block in Chicago as he rapped: "Nigga, this that Squid Game, O-Block pack get rolled up / Murder what they told us, Atlanta boy get fold up". The song's release sparked a feud between YoungBoy and Von's close friend Lil Durk which lead to the release of "Ahhh Ha", the lead single from Durk's 7220. The song featured several subliminal disses from Durk to YoungBoy. In the track, Durk took several shots against YoungBoy's ex-girlfriend Jania Meshell, suggesting she had relations with the late King Von. On the same day, YoungBoy released "I Hate YoungBoy" which appeared on his fourth studio album The Last Slimeto. In the song, YoungBoy had taken shots at Durk's fiancé India Royale, Gucci Mane, Lil Baby, Boosie Badazz, Durk's late cousin OTF Nunu, and Durk himself. He also dissed Apple Music for promoting the Chicago native Lil Durk.

On May 4, 2023, media personality Akademiks stated that YoungBoy and Durk had reconciled, but on May 8, YoungBoy dissed both Durk and Akademiks on Twitter. On the same day, he announced a new mixtape titled Richest Opp and its release date of May 12, 2023, the same release date as Lil Durk's album Almost Healed.

NLE Choppa

In the midst of YoungBoy's feud with Lil Durk, YoungBoy released the track "Know Like I Know" which contained several disses towards NLE Choppa after he allegedly picked Durk's side in their beef after NLE responded negatively to a Tweet from a King Von affiliate, Lil Reese which stated: "That ain't no demon time he just rapping like the rest of these rappers all rap" under which NLE responded, "I stamp that". In the track, YoungBoy had taken several subliminal disses towards NLE where he rapped: "I bet your momma would be destroyed, n-gga, when we send your stupid ass to God for makin' statements/Choosin' sides about my beef with them lil boys. I can say I saw it, you can say I was your favorite, n-gga/Better stay up in your place bitch, fuck around get your face split" and "I don't give a fuck how you treat your body, give a fuck bout your cleaning". YoungBoy also referenced The Real Blasian who is both the ex-girlfriends of YoungBoy and NLE as he rapped: "Nigga better ask Blasian about me/How we catch 'em bad and take his shit/Leave 'em stripped, the police think we raped the bitch/Nigga better not play with this".

Gucci Mane

Following YoungBoy's infamous "I Hate YoungBoy" in which he rapped: "Used to fuck with Gucci 'til I seen he like them pussy niggas" after Gucci's collaboration with Lil Durk, "Rumors", Gucci responded with "Publicity Stunt" in which he dissed YoungBoy several times. In the track, Gucci responded to YoungBoy as he rapped: "Why you diss me for publicity nigga?/Is you in the streets or a industry nigga?" after YoungBoy had made it clear he doesn't appreciate the music industry. In the song's outro, Gucci interpolated YoungBoy's viral hit "Make No Sense" in which YoungBoy rapped: "I feel like I'm Gucci Mane in 2006", where Gucci switched it up, rapping: "I thought you felt like Gucci Mane in 2006".

Joe Budden

In December 2023, on Joe Budden's podcast, he brought up YoungBoy in his list of topics stating that his music is bad:

Uh, what else do I have written down here... You ready to tell the truth about NBA YoungBoy?' Am I ready to do this? That n***a is trash. He's horrible. He is horrible, he is horrible, he is really, really, really, really, really bad. I don't know him as a person, I'm only speaking about music. He is really, really, really bad. And that thing happened with him. When he was out, the label pushed a button and did some YouTube s**t. All the little kids had to just come to the f***ing gathering and tell you about NBA YoungBoy's views and how great he is and how awesome he is and how amazing he's doing.

Budden criticizing YoungBoy sparked a response from him through the Never Broke Again, LLC Instagram page in which YoungBoy made a story dissing Budden in which he noted that his mixtape Decided 2 is still in the Apple Music top ten US albums chart, "The last thing I dropped was Decided 2, and my album is still in the top 10 [on Apple Music] pussy ass nigga. Don’t speak on me, I don’t play that shit. Don’t rat on me either, you pussy ass bitch". Label head Birdman also responded to Budden, noting that he isn't wise for dissing YoungBoy. Budden later doubled-down on his diss, stating that he's "way bigger" than YoungBoy:

I just wanna say, I’m way bigger than him. Stop this. Dawg, you young idiots get fooled by these label metrics and these digital tricks. Would you like me to read you the numbers on YoungBoy’s last six projects? Alright. I mean, I don’t want to. I didn’t think I had to do this. ‘Cause I’m sure someone here is recording.[...] The point is, you doing a lot for somebody that don’t sell more than 60,000 records. Stop it. Enough of young people just saying stupid shit in Hip Hop. We get it, you like who you like, awesome. But it’s not this dominant force that you niggas keep tryna make it out to be.

However, days later, Joe Budden apologized to YoungBoy, stating that there was a much better way to articulate his opinions. YoungBoy later responded to Budden's apology, claiming that the entire controversy was a publicity stunt, "Joe Budden, I love you, bruh. They don’t understand our plot twist. It was strictly finna do an interview after this. Tell ’em don’t take us too serious. Everything entertainment, man".

Charlamagne tha God

On January 8, 2024, YoungBoy appeared in an interview with popular Hip-Hop interviewer, Bootleg Kev in which he spoke about not being too keen on the idea of fatherhood despite having several children. YoungBoy's comments on fatherhood sparked a response for The Breakfast Club host, Charlamagne tha God who criticized YoungBoy's views on fatherhood, calling him "The Donkey of the Day". Following the diss, YoungBoy released a diss track towards Charlamagne, titled "Act a Donkey" in which he invited him to his house in Utah to sort out the twos issues together in a threatening manner. However, Charlamagne responded to the track noting that he's not going to travel to YoungBoy's home which fans asumed is because he's afraid.

Business ventures

Never Broke Again

Main article: Never Broke Again

Following YoungBoy's signing with Atlantic Records in 2017, his music had begun to be released under Atlantic and Never Broke Again, a record label founded by YoungBoy, Rodrick "OG 3Three" Jeanpierre, and Kyle "Montana" Claiborne. YoungBoy's aim was to guide his friends into the music industry and give upcoming artists a platform to share their music. Never Broke Again's music would originally be distributed through UnitedMasters, however, on September 8, 2021, it was announced, that Never Broke Again would sign a global joint venture deal with Motown who would distribute their music and release compilation albums under the joint venture. Despite YoungBoy being a co-founder and the face of the label, it's run by Kyle "Montana" Clairborne. When asked about the inspiration behind the label, YoungBoy noted, "I felt like I had a responsibility to my artists to make sure to find the right partner for my label. I'm looking forward working with Ethiopia, Kenoe and Motown Records."

The label has been home to several artists such as YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Quando Rondo, and NoCap, as well as record producers and engineers such as Jason "Cheese" Goldberg and Khris James.

Amp talk show

On December 8, 2022, it was announced through the Never Broke Again Instagram that YoungBoy would ink a deal with Amazon's Amp. Following the announcement of the partnership, each Friday YoungBoy would host the radio show at 8 PM Central Time. Each episode would feature popular guests and celebrities such as Blueface, Rich the Kid, and Ja Morant; YoungBoy would interview his guests following their arrival. Despite Ja being announced as an official guest, the show was canceled on the same night and stopped airing since. On October 4, 2023, Amp was deprecated and all of its content (including YoungBoy's radio show) was discarded from Amazon.

Fashion

In 2020, YoungBoy collaborated with ASAP Bari's popular streetwear brand, VLONE to bundle with his newest studio album at the time, Top.

In July 2023, YoungBoy released his own sneaker chain under his Never Broke Again Clothing as the "Grave Digger". This was followed by a collaboration with Supreme in which he was announced as the face of the Fall/Winter 2023 Series. Ahead of YoungBoy's 21st solo mixtape, Decided 2, released on November 10, 2023, YoungBoy announced his collaboration with the popular streetwear brand, Guapi. The mixtape's 16th cut titled "Guapi" is an ode to the brand.

Personal life

Family and relationships

At 25 years old, Gaulden is the father of twelve children with nine different women. Two of his sons, Kayden and Kacey, appeared in the video for his single, "Kacey Talk".

On January 7, 2023, Gaulden stated that he married his longtime girlfriend and the mother of two of his children, Jazlyn Mychelle Hayes.

Health problems

While on house arrest in 2023, YoungBoy had publicly spoken about his heavy drug use to cope with depression and anxiety, stating that he takes approximately 20 Xanax pills a day. In November 2023, YoungBoy's lawyers filled a motion to make amendments to his house arrest conditions due to a decline in his mental health. In a December 2023 interview, YoungBoy revealed that he's begun to go to rehab. However, in February 2024, YoungBoy shared a post on Instagram which pictures him unconscious on the floor with spilled Xanax pills and a cup of lean, creating concerns on the rapper's health.

Faith and beliefs

On August 8, 2018, Gaulden announced via social media that he reverted to Islam, showing his then-girlfriend in a burqa. However, since his move to Utah in 2021, Gaulden has been visited by missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he has stated his intention to be baptized into the church once his ankle monitor is removed.

Discography

Main article: YoungBoy Never Broke Again discography

Studio albums

• Until Death Call My Name (2018)
• Top (2020)
• Sincerely, Kentrell (2021)
• The Last Slimeto (2022)
• I Rest My Case (2023)
• Don't Try This at Home (2023)

Awards and nominations

Award	Year	Recipient(s) and nominee(s)	Category	Result	Ref.
ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards	2021	"Bandit" (with Juice WRLD) (only on behalf of Gaulden himself)	Winning Rap Songs	Won
BET Hip Hop Awards	2019	"I Am Who They Say I Am" (with Kevin Gates and Quando Rondo)	Best Impact Track	Nominated
	2022	Birdman & YoungBoy Never Broke Again	Best Duo/Group	Nominated
		DaBaby & YoungBoy Never Broke Again
BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards	2021	"Bandit" (with Juice WRLD) (only on behalf of Juice WRLD (posthumously) and Nick Mira)	Most Performed R&B/Hip-Hop Songs	Won
Grammy Awards	2022	"WusYaName" (with Tyler, the Creator and Ty Dolla Sign)	Best Melodic Rap Performance	Nominated
XXL Awards	2023	Himself	The People's Champ	Won

See also

• List of highest-certified music artists in the United States

External links

• YoungBoy Never Broke Again at IMDb
• YoungBoy Never Broke Again discography at Discogs
• YoungBoy Never Broke Again on SoundCloud
• YoungBoy Never Broke Again on Spotify
• YoungBoy Never Broke Again on YouTube