YoungBoy Never Broke Again (known simply as NBA YoungBoy or YoungBoy) is an American rapper who came to fame for releasing a slate of successful independent mixtapes between 2015 and 2017. In late 2017, YoungBoy signed with Atlantic Records, who distributed two additional mixtapes. In January 2018, YoungBoy released Outside Today, the lead single for his 2018 album Until Death Call My Name.
YoungBoy (real name Kentrell DeSean Gaulden) hit the top of the Billboard 200 following the successful debut of his 2019 project YoungBoy 2. His sixteenth mixtape, 38 Baby 2, released in April 2020, also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. YoungBoy released his latest single Territorial from jail, prompting questions as to why he is incarcerated.
This piece will look at what YoungBoy did to land in prison and his previous arrests.
YoungBoy was arrested by the FBI for felony possession of a firearm
On 22nd March 2021, news broke, stating that the FBI had arrested YoungBoy for felony possession of a firearm. YoungBoy allegedly attempted to evade arrest after the FBI and LAPD pulled him over due to an outstanding federal warrant. After a short car chase, YoungBoy tried to flee the scene on foot but was swiftly arrested after police set up a perimeter and deployed the K-9 unit.
Per TMZ, police recovered a firearm in YoungBoy’s vehicle. The federal arrest stems from a September 2020 video shoot, which allegedly involved members of two gangs wielding stolen firearms. Police responded to reports that individuals were brandishing firearms at an abandoned property on Chippewa Street in Baton Rouge and arrested 16 people, including NBA.
A search of the vehicles at the shoot yielded weapons and drugs allegedly packaged for distribution. Police also confiscated large amounts of cash from the individuals. Authorities claimed that the individuals arrested were part of two street gangs, Bottom Boy Guerillas and Never Broke Again. Following his arrest, NBA’s representative released a statement saying:
“It is important to remember that when someone is arrested for a crime it does not mean they are guilty of anything. Kentrell Gaulden is innocent of the crimes he was arrested for yesterday evening. He did not possess any firearms nor did he possess any controlled dangerous substances.”
In December 2020, a state District Judge ordered the return of cash, a cashier’s check, two diamond necklaces, and a diamond ring confiscated from YoungBoy during the arrest. The recent FBI arrest stems from YoungBoy’s possession of a firearm while on probation.
YoungBoy’s lawyers successfully applied for bond in California, but the magistrate stated that it needed approval from Louisiana. On 1st April 2021, a Louisiana judge revoked the bond, citing YoungBoy’s prior bond violations and his “characteristics and history, which reflect a pattern of violent behavior stretching back several years.” The judge continued:
“The circumstances of his arrest indicate he is inclined toward reckless, illegal, dangerous behavior. His purported possession of a firearm at the time of his arrest indicates a continued disregard for the law and evidences a certain nonchalance to his violation of it. Gaulden has continued to show a penchant for allegedly possessing firearms he knows he cannot possess.”
YoungBoy has previously been arrested for attempted murder, aggravated assault, and domestic violence
YoungBoy’s legal struggles started after the U.S. Marshals arrested him for jumping out of a vehicle and opening fire on a group of people in Baton Rouge. He faced attempted murder charges and spent most of 2017 in jail for attempted first-degree murder. Speaking to XXL after his incarceration, YoungBoy suggested that his fame made him an attractive target for authorities:
“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.”
YoungBoy eventually pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a firearm, earning a suspended 10-year sentence and three years of active probation. He was arrested again in February 2018 before a concert at The Moon nightclub for alleged weapons violations, kidnapping, and assault. Shortly after, hotel surveillance footage leaked showing him assaulting his then-girlfriend Jania.
He left prison a month later after posting $75,000 bail. In the summer of 2019, YoungBoy spent three months in jail for his involvement in a Miami shooting that resulted in the death of a bystander. The death happened after gunmen opened fire on YoungBoy outside Trump International Hotel. Legally armed members in YoungBoy’s crew returned fire, killing the bystander.
Police stated that since YoungBoy’s crew acted in self-defense, none of them would be arrested. Prosecutors in charge of the killing linked the shooting to a deadly feud between the YoungBoy-founded group, NBA, and a rival group, Top Boy Gorilla. YoungBoy spent time in prison since his involvement in the shooting violated his probation.