YoungBoy Never Broke Again

Born Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, Youngboy Never Broke Again was born on October 20, 1999, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After suffering a serious injury at the age of 4, he was left with significant facial scars that would stay with him for the rest of his life. His childhood was marked by his father’s 55-year prison sentence for a robbery and the fact that his mother abandoned him and his siblings. After turning to a life of crime, he served six months in prison, during which time he wrote his first lyrics. These writings evolved into music upon his release, and in 2014 he released his first mixtape, Life Before Fame. It took another two years for him to gain recognition, thanks to his next mixtape, 38 Baby. However, he was arrested at the end of that same year on charges of attempted murder. During his incarceration, which ended in the spring of 2017, several singles were released, and in the middle of summer, he released the mixtape Al YoungBoy (peaking at No. 24), led by the tracks “Untouchable” (No. 95) and “No Smoke” (No. 61). His first full-length album was released in January 2018. Titled Until Death Call My Name (No. 7), it notably features the track “Outside Today”, which reached No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2019, he returned with the single “ “Self Control” (No. 50). That same year, his duet “Bandit” with Juice Wrld was an even bigger hit (No. 10). His next two albums, Top (2020) and Sincerely, Kentrell, (2021) both reached No. 1 in the United States, while his next album, The Last Slimeto (2022)—which followed the EP Colors and featured collaborations with Kehlani, Rod Wave, and Quavo—peaked at No. 2. After the mixtapes 3800 Degrees—a tribute to Juvenile and Lil Wayne—and Ma’ I Got a Family featuring Nicki Minaj, the rapper collaborated with his protégé Quando Rondo on 3860 and left Atlantic Records for Motown via his own label. In early 2023, he began working on his fifth album, I Rest My Case (No. 9), immediately followed by Don’t Try This at Home (No. 5), featuring Post Malone, The Kid Laroi, Mariah the Scientist, and Nicki Minaj. With the single “Big Truck”, YBNBA became the youngest artist to reach 100 entries on the Billboard Hot 100. The mixtapes Richest Opp and Decided 2 rounded out a successful year, followed by a series of non-album singles in 2024 and a stint in prison during which the album I Just Got a Lot on My Shoulders was released. He regained his freedom in early 2025 thanks to a presidential pardon that ended his legal obligations. He quickly returned with the album MASA (Make America Slime Again), led by the single “Slimelord” and followed by the mixtape DeShawn and a national tour. In January 2026, NBA YoungBoy returned with the album Slime Cry, which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. In 2026, he released the compilation album ML2, the follow-up to More Leaks.