“Nobody likes to work with me.”

Despite being one of the most intensely adored artists in contemporary hip-hop, YoungBoy Never Broke Again—better known as NBA YoungBoy—is convinced he’s on an island. Speaking to me in a whisper inside a suite at the Park City Ski Resort, in Utah, the 26 year old explains that he doesn’t think about the charts (they’ve never truly reflected his audience) and keeps his distance from the music industry (“Just stay away from it,” he mutters). He holds a lighter to his joint and watches the smoke rise.

Over a decade into his career, not many things seem to excite YB. Not traveling the country after being released from house arrest last year, or the money he made on the first leg of his long-awaited arena tour, or his streaming success. In many ways, 2025 marked a new peak for the cult figure: praise in the mainstream, a near top 40 single, and that tour making visible the hundreds of thousands of fans who know every word to his vast catalog. He is Complex’s Best Rapper Alive for 2025, and it has been a difficult journey to this professional apex.

YoungBoy laughed—really laughed—just once during our hour-long conversation. I brought up his first stage name, Weight Gang KG, something that he came up with as a kid. “Who told you that?” he asked with a sly smile. Reminiscing about his humble beginnings pierced his stoic, inscrutable demeanor. It was a reminder that beneath it all, YB was once a child of Baton Rouge, rapping with his older brother on their front stoop.

But we’re a long way from Baton Rouge. He’s lived in Utah since 2022 and has fully embraced luxury ski wear. He sits folded over in a lounge chair, draped in an all-white fit with a cappuccino beige fleece vest and mocha ushanka on his head, wearing so much jewelry that the chains sometimes make more noise than his statements. The resort is a 40 minute drive from Salt Lake City, flanked by the western edge of the looming Rocky Mountains, and it looks like it could double as the set of a Christmas movie with ornaments and decorations still lining pine trees from the holidays. The area is packed with travelers coming to enjoy peak ski season. He was adamant about conducting a portion of the interview outside, despite the temperature being in the high teens (he does not explain why he wants to be outside). Seven of his 14 children are playing in a neighboring townhouse with his pregnant wife, Jazlyn Michelle, and friends.

In less than a year, he’s proved his superstardom. For the past several years his fans have been relegated to YouTube and social media comment sections to defend their GOAT in the face of ongoing legal issues, personal turmoil, and a house arrest stint that lasted four years and kept him out of the spotlight. But thanks to the Make America Slime Again tour—his first real national tour—promoting his MASA album, YoungBoy turned his redemptive return to the outside world into a country-wide coronation. He was released from federal custody in April after violating his “pre-trial conditions” of no drug-use on house arrest, received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump at the end of May, dropped his eighth studio album in July, and hit the road in September. The tour grossed $70.1 million and sold 555K tickets over 42 shows in the U.S, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.

Even if you haven’t been baptized into the church of NBA YoungBoy, this tour made his gospel legible to non-believers. I saw it first-hand at his September performance in Brooklyn. He emerged from his dressing room at the Barclays Center with an army of friends and a chain that gleamed like a constellation. The first time we spoke was as I walked with him to the stage that night, and the scope and intensity of his reach became flesh and blood. Green bandanas littered the arena. I met one fan who was nine months pregnant and told me nothing could stop her from finally seeing YoungBoy perform. He makes what’s colloquially known as pain music, and during his show he refrained from any kind of levity-inducing stage banter—he didn’t really address the crowd at all—and instead rapped his songs while the audience demonstrated their commitment to all his deep cuts. Until this tour, no one had ever truly seen what a large YoungBoy audience looks like: young, high energy, lots of women, and everyone locked in.

DJ Khaled, who collaborated with YB on the mixtape Deshawn, attended one of the shows and saw firsthand the crowd’s enthusiasm. “I’ve been to a lot of concerts,” he tells Complex over the phone. “They’re not singing word for word like that. And to sing every word like that isn’t easy. They know everything—every feeling, every emotion. I mean, you see the footage. It’s real.”

When he performed in New Orleans—the closest he came to a homecoming show on the tour—he was mobbed in the streets, with fans comparing him to Michael Jackson. YB chuckles at those comparisons. “I don't know anything about no Michael Jackson,” he says, alluding to his age and having missed out on the heyday of Jackson’s fame. “I feel like certain shit be exaggerated sometimes. You got to think about it. They over-exaggerate about me sometimes.”

His new album Slime Cry uses a tour photo for its artwork and across 30 songs covers YB’s various moods: pugnacious, despondent, morbidly romantic. According to YB, it will be followed by more tour dates, including a European stretch, which would be his first time performing internationally. When he was let off house arrest last year YoungBoy visited Amsterdam—the first time he’d ever left the country. “It feels free,” YB says, describing his experience in the Dutch city. “It feels like freedom.” He says he could imagine himself living in Norway, where he wouldn’t speak the language, wouldn’t know a soul outside his family, and would be perfectly remote.

Complex sat down with the artist for a conversation about his monumental year, his status in the industry, why he won’t say “fuck the Streets,” and Trump.

You are Complex’s Best Rapper Alive. How does it feel to get that MVP award?
It feels good. I don’t know what it means, but thank you.

It’s our version of the MVP award. In past years we’ve given it to Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Ye and more. So when you hear that you’re now in that lineage, what do you think?
I don’t know what that category is about.

It means you’re the best.
I wish I was.

What would it take for you to think that, because a lot of people already think you’re the best.
I don’t know. I just don’t think in that way probably.

Well I think you’ve had a dope 2025. How would you describe it?
It was a great experience.

Do the people know about Weight Gang KG?
No, I don't think so. How the fuck you found that out?

For the people who don’t know, that's your first stage name, right?
Yeah, that was my first name. Who told you that?

Listen, I do my research. So do you think that Weight Gang KG would have thought that NBA YoungBoy would be doing stadiums across the country?
No. That's crazy.

Does it ever hit you when you're on a show, when you're on the road, when you're in the stu, does it ever hit you that you are where you are now?
What do you mean? In what way?

That you’re a superstar.
I still could walk through the mall, so I don't think I'm a star. I don't consider that a star.

We're doing this interview in Utah, your new home. What drew you here? What do you like about this place? Because you don't like the cold. It's about 90 degrees in this room, but you live in a cold place.
Family. It's my home. It’s where I’m comfortable at.

I heard that you really like Amsterdam and being abroad. Do you remember your first international trip?
It was Amsterdam.

And what is it about Amsterdam that you like?
It feels free.

When do you feel the most joy? Is it making music? Is it being with your family?
I don't think I ever paid attention, but I don't think I've been paying attention to it. I don't know. I think so much. I just be going with the flow. I don't ever stop and pay attention to the moment.

You never really seem to be one to care about Grammys or industry accolades. Do you care about those things? That kind of recognition?
I want those type of things, but I ain't too focused on it.

What would you say you are focused on?
Staying out of jail. Staying out of trouble.

I was able to go on to the Barclays show. It was dope to see both sides of you. You've always been super chill, calm, quiet, but you're able to bring out a different part of you on stage. What was the preparation like for you to hit the road after obviously being on house arrest and not even be able to travel?
I was just ready to do it. I dunno, it’s just entertainment.

I heard that Teyana Taylor was helping creative direct some aspects of the show. A, is that true? And B, how did you connect with Teyana if that is the case?
My team.

You’re a little bit afraid of heights and they had you elevated at least 30 feet in the air. Did it take some convincing to get you to do that?
Yeah, I just wanted to give them a show.

What part of your stage or your performance was your favorite? Was it coming out of the coffin? Was it elevating into the sky?
Always the last song.

Why?
Because I completed the night. It's finished.

Who are some other live performers that you admire or rap shows that you might've studied going into this?
I haven't watched any in so long. I think the last concert I probably watched was Guns N’ Roses, some shit.

Live, or on YouTube?
YouTube.

Why Guns N’ Roses?
I don’t know, just watching things.

What about the most recent rap show you went to?
Probably that Thug show or something.

I think one of the things that stuck out to me the most when I went to your show were the little moments where you would take in the crowd, stare out into the distance, and I wanted to ask: what would you be thinking about when you would take those pauses and moments?
A lot of things. There's nothing specific though. A lot of things.

Give me one thing out of a lot of things that was running through your mind in any of those moments.
Are they enjoying it?

I heard that one of the potential names for the tour was going to be This Is What Heaven Sounds Like. Is that true?
I don't know. What do you think about that, man?

I think it's hard. Birdman was also on the tour at basically every stop. What was his role on the road with you?
Just chilling. Being unc.

Being unc?
Just chilling.

You got a favorite memory on the road with him?
Every moment.

After we did that video everybody was like, “Yo, this is really the Michael Jackson of this generation.” What do you think when you hear that?
You gotta think about my age, bro.

We the same age.
I don't know anything about no Michael Jackson.

Yo YB, you got a song called “Dirty Iyanna” sampling “Dirty Diana.”
I know, but I don't understand the stardom. I don’t understand the power.

Oh, because we weren't really alive at his peak, when women were passing out.
Yeah, I feel like certain shit is over exaggerated sometimes. You got to think about it, because they over-exaggerate about me sometimes.

That you’re the Michael Jackson of this generation?
Yeah, that’s going too far.

I’ll be honest though, you only really get it when you go to live shows and see how it’s one thing to have fans, they support you with the crazy streams, but it’s a whole other thing to have people go out of their way on a Wednesday night, put asses in seats, and support you in the way that your fans did.
I’m really thankful for it.

It must be crazy going from not being on the road for so long to then being on tour for half the year. What was the hardest part of being back on the road?
Having my kids with me. It’s no place for kids.

Why was it important for you to have them with you?
I wanted them to see what I do, who YoungBoy is. My wife never got to actually see [the tour]. I just wanted them to experience what it had to go through everything, what I went through, that was fun.

So more shows coming in the future. A European leg potentially?
Yeah.

Could we expect that this year too?
I don't know.

As the release of Slime Cry will have finally touched the people, did you work on a lot of that on the road?
I think after.

I remember you told me when we were there that you had recorded 30 songs already. That was in October, but you really did most of your work after it was finished.
Yeah.

How would you describe the album?
It's me.

What version of you is Slime Cry?
Whoever I'm seen as, that person, that's me. Whoever that is supposed to be.

Obviously you had certain cities just cancel on you, Atlanta, Chicago. What was your reaction when that happened?
I don’t care though, you get paid anyway.

Oh, they still give you that bread. Did it bother you though? Did they give you any explanation?
I ain’t ask.

Just onto the next.
Free money.

You've been doing a lot of dope things on the shows as well. I know you've been giving back to a lot of youth in different cities that you stopped at. What's your take? Because I think you've been early on this and 21 Savage has this “Fuck the Streets” movement that he kind of has been promoting.
I don’t give a fuck about that. I am the streets. I love the streets. I come from the streets. I ain’t on any of that pussy ass shit. It’s just stop the violence, same shit I've been on. I don't know, I think people are kind of confused. It ain't got nothing really to do with toting a gun, because I ain't telling you not to tote your gun, but you ain't got to have your gun and engage in bullshit. Have your shit because you love it and because you want to protect yourself. So that's why I donate money to those type of things. I actually do care. A lot of people just be like, I guess, confused. I be throwing out mixed signals probably.

I'm thinking about that. It's like standing on the second amendment but not promoting violence. It's your right to bear arms, but not being ignorant with it. I know you would never forsake where you came from. You would never forget about where you came from. Is that how you see the “Fuck the Streets” shit? Is it like you think people are saying fuck where they came from?
I don’t be paying attention to that shit. It's the narrative somebody pushing right now and I'm pushing my narrative.

What inspired the title Slime Cry?
I don't even know, bruh.

When did you come up with it?
I was going to name it MASA, but I didn't, so I don't know.

Oh, you were going to name MASA, Slime Cry? Why didn't you?
Because the music didn't feel like it. It didn't feel like that message or that type of sound.

What is that message, “Make America Slime Again”? What does that title mean to you?
It means follow whatever Trump applying.

In what way?
In every way.

Well, Trump pardoned you, got you off house arrest.
I don't know nothing about that.

What you mean? Did you ever speak to him about, did you ever have…
I know nothing about that.

Right. Okay. But the album's named Make America Slime Again. The tour is named Make America Slime Again.
The name was like just to enforce whatever Trump’s applying.

Have you ever met Trump?
Why you keep making me…

Okay, all right. But we at Slime Cry now. I haven't seen the track list. Like I said, when this comes out the people will have it, but since I don't know anything about it yet, can you tell me any features on it? Is it just you?
It's a surprise. I'm thinking about putting one on.

Who's the one feature you're thinking about putting on it?
I don't know yet. Nobody likes to work with me.

“Blackball” is one of my favorite joints of yours, and a lot of your fans would say that you have been blackballed in the music industry. What does that term mean to you?
I don't know. I don't think it's that no more. That might not be my caliber of a person, and I probably just did a lot of shit that people don't like or something. You never know. Everybody ain't going to like you. I don't know.

So that's why you don't really have that many people on the album, but it doesn't seem like that bothers you for real. You've always kind of been to yourself. But I will say, especially this year, it feels like a lot of people have jumped on the bandwagon. What do you think of that?
Not too much. Just stay away from it. Stay away from it.

What's “it”?
That type of stuff, those types of people. Just the music industry, that's what you call it.

The industry politics, the industry games, the having to show up for parties or award shows, the fake parts of the industry that sometimes you have to do.
I don't know what you have to do, but yeah.

That's got to feel good doing it your way and getting where you want to go. When was the most fun you had making music?
When I was younger.

Why?

I just didn't look at it as a job then.

When did it start feeling like a job?
When I let money become an important thing inside of whatever this is.

I remember you said a while ago that you own a hundred percent of your masters. Is that true?
Big yes.

Do you think you'd ever sell it? Seeing a lot of other big artists have done that?
Yeah. Why not?

What's your favorite song on Slime Cry?
I don't have one.

You drop in at the top of the year. You are someone who is known to drop consistently throughout the year. How many albums do you think we getting from YB in 2026?
No more than four.

Count and Slime Cry.
Count and Slime Cry. When you hear Slime Cry, what do you expect from me? What type of music do you think is on there?

It's called Slime Cry, so you would expect a lot of the pain in music. After seeing you on tour and you pulling out the energy and some of those old songs, you played “FREEDDAWG” in Brooklyn, which I was hyped about. You're doing “I Hate YoungBoy” at different cities, going crazy. So I feel like because you're doing a lot of these older songs on tour, I could only imagine that Slime Cry kind of has a mix of those energies.
It do.

But do you think you tap into that emotional side? I mean I would imagine because of the name Slime Cry.
Yeah, but not too emotional. I don't really get too hurt about things no more.

What do you mean?
I don't know. I'm just older now, so a lot of things that used to hurt me back then used to make me want to rap. I just don't make that type of music anymore. I don't go that deep because I ain't that hurt anymore. I think I go about things differently.

How do you go about things now?
Just let it go. Just let it be.

I remember you said a little while ago that you would never do therapy. Is that still the case or have you tried therapy?
I tried it.

It ain't work?
I can't remember.

When you say certain things don't hurt you anymore to make music about, are you talking about relationship-wise? Are you talking about rappers trying to get attention from you?
A lot of things don't really bother me anymore. It just ain't that important. Why would I want to make a song and put out my energy into it?

So we’re never going to hear another NBA YoungBoy response track?
Can’t say. I don't want to have to respond to something. I like to control the narrative, but I don't know.

Some of your kids are getting up there now—do they listen to your music?
I don't know.

You never hear what they're playing around the crib?
Probably would be something I wouldn't like.

I could see you working with Sabrina Carpenter.
I know their name, but I don't know who that is.

She's like a pop singer. She makes pretty good music though. I was talking to Rod Wave, who I think you definitely need to get in with, and he really likes Olivia Dean. She's a British singer. Do you mess with any of the singers or people who make pain music in a different way than you?
Yeah.

Like who?
I just like music. Period. I like good music.

What do you listen to in your free time?
Local artists from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Would you ever try to do a show in Baton Rouge?
Only if I could perform at LSU stadium. That’s the only way.

Do you watch any sports? What do you do in your free time when you're not making music?
I don't know. Nothing. I be chilling.

But it is funny because you'd be making music in the most unique places. I saw a video of where you recorded “Shot Callin” and it almost looked like an outdoor shower, but it was inside and it had three towels over it. Talk about the making of that song, which I think is one of the best songs of 2025.
Just a beat. Just the beat. Come on. It really ain't no process with none of this shit. I just do it.

Did you know that song would become as big as it's gotten?
No. Do you ever know?

Yeah, sometimes I think you might get that feeling, but it is hard to tell. We were talking earlier about accolades and stuff, but do you care about that part? The Billboard success and the charts and the streams and whatnot?
I ain't never really been in a good position without that, so I don't care anyway.

Because in the past the charts never were gracious to you like that.
Yeah, I ain't never made no charts, so I don't care about that shit.

The albums on the other hand though, you've definitely had some No. 1 albums.
Yeah, I do huh.

A few. But you don't really pay attention to that part either?
I know about 'em. I think I was just speaking too fast. I went No. 1 a couple times, but I don’t care about that shit though.

Yeah, I think what I was most curious about when I was coming here to meet you again is what you really do care about.
I don't know how to answer that question. I care about my family.

Beyond social media, do you ever pay attention to whatever the rumor mill is saying about you or whatever? Good or bad? Do you ever pay attention to social media? Do you see it?
Sometimes. I see a lot of shit. I see a lot of things. A lot of hurtful things too.

What are the hurtful things that you see or things that hurt you that they say on the internet? How do you get past it when you see those hurtful things?
Just bypass it. What you want me to do?

Looking ahead to this coming year, what are you most excited about?
My newborn baby.

Congratulations. I'm imagining, well, the three other albums that you had mentioned, four albums this year, so those three might be in that list. Is the next leg of the tour going to still be called MASA or are you calling it something else?
Something else.

Is it that This Is What Heaven Sounds Like?
I don't know.

I feel like you're moving, working. How do you not get tired from it? From all the traveling and working and making music, raising the kids. There's a lot going on.
I feel like it's just normal life. Shit ain't that hard.

Really? Well, you’ve gotten used to it.
You make money sitting on your ass. Being a musician ain’t so hard. Your family is your family. That's mandatory.

Yeah, there’s much harder jobs you're saying. I think a lot of it's funny now you came into the industry 16, 17 years old, a decade later now there's a lot of young artists who look up to you when you were once that young artist. What's a piece of advice you would give them?
Save your money.

Birdman has said in an interview that he thinks that you're going to become a billionaire. Do you think that's true?
Hopefully. I don’t like talking about money though. It’s going to make the whole interview, so, like, meaningless.

Damn, that's deep though. I feel like at one point you cared a lot about, like any artist would, caring a lot about making the bread, making the money, but now that's not the most important thing to you?
Just not that type of conversation.

Yeah, I feel that. It just reminded me, speaking of tour, you're going to be headlining Rolling Loud, which is crazy. When was the last time you even did a festival?
Maybe the last Rolling Loud. It was the last Rolling Loud probably.

What are your thoughts going into that headlining festival set? The only Rolling Loud this year.
It is a stage I'm waiting to see. Hopefully it's cool.

Do you think you've accomplished everything you've wanted to as an artist at this point?
I don't think I really care anymore. I just want to make good music.

Even like the best rapper alive, those things are nice, but it's not something that you're working towards. It just happens.
A lot of shit will kill your ego. Like that Billboard shit you was talking about.