NBA YoungBoy Reveals Heart Condition, Promises One Last Tour
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- NBA YoungBoy revealed on Funny Marco's Open Thoughts podcast, held in Korea where he now lives, that a doctor told him the left side of his heart was swollen during a past tour and he "never told nobody," but finished the tour anyway.
- YoungBoy said the condition persists — "My heart kind of still is enlarged on this little side" — and linked it to his music, clutching his chest and saying "That explains the music though, right? She's hurting."
- The 26-year-old rapper said he has "one or two" albums and one last tour left: "I go on tour one more time throughout my whole life and that's it."
- The RIAA announced in January 2025 that following his ninth studio album Slime Cry, YoungBoy (born Kentrell Gaulden) earned more Gold and Platinum certifications than any rapper ever, surpassing Kanye West, Drake, Jay-Z, and E-40.
- YoungBoy said he would "never in my life" move back to the United States from Korea.
- After pleading guilty to gun charges in December 2024 and a fraudulent prescription drug scheme, YoungBoy was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison with credit for time served before President Trump pardoned him in May 2025.
Why it matters: YoungBoy has become the most certified rapper in history — surpassing Drake, Kanye, and Jay-Z — yet is publicly signaling the end of his touring career at 26 while choosing to live permanently in Korea. His 2025 Trump pardon, following a 23-month federal sentence for gun and drug charges, is one of the more striking entertainment-adjacent clemency actions of the administration and precedes a rapper now based abroad.
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