YoungBoy Never Broke Again — the prolific rapper who released eight albums in the past year alone — has opened up about regretting some of his early music-making decisions.
As part of a Billboard cover story published on Wednesday, the 23-year-old gave a vulnerable look into his life and artistic evolution throughout his rapid rise to fame. He also discussed how his move to Utah has positively impacted his daily life and credited his change of mindset to his budding connection to the Book of Mormon and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He recalls one specific instance where he was quick to decline a visit from a group of Mormon missionaries who showed up outside his home, but after recognizing that he “wanted help very badly” and “needed a friend,” the artist opened his doors to them.
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“It was just cool to see someone with a different mindset that had nothing to do with business or money — just these wonderful souls,” he said. He also told the publication that he hopes to further commit to his new-found spirituality with a baptism ceremony, but he’s waiting until he is no longer on house arrest (YoungBoy has been on house arrest since October for a weapons charge in Louisiana).
Reflecting on his early releases, the Louisana-born rapper said he felt a sense of responsibility for “the shit I put in these people’s ears,” adding that he feels “very wrong about a lot of things…How many kids or people have got in a car or put this shit in their ears and actually went and hurt someone?”
Acknowledging that the damage has been done, YoungBoy expressed his eagerness “to clean whatever I can clean” moving forward, “but it’s gon’ take time.”
YoungBoy is one of the most commercially consistent rappers to have come out of the past few years. Five out of eight of his 2022 full-length releases reached the top 10 of the Billboard 200 last year. His latest, “I Rest My Case,” debuted at No. 9 after its arrival in early January, and marked his first studio effort under Motown. “The Last Slimeto,” which peaked at No. 2 on the albums chart, was the rapper’s final obligation to Atlantic Records — his label of five years.
