Pardoned Rapper Now Rakes in Millions on Tour

YoungBoy Never Broke Again, aka NBA YoungBoy, the rapper who received a pardon from President Trump less than six months ago, is now headlining a sold-out tour expected to gross $70 million. The 26-year-old, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, was sentenced in December to nearly two years behind bars after pleading guilty to weapons charges, per the Wall Street Journal. Despite his legal troubles, YoungBoy built a massive online following, especially on YouTube, where he recently outperformed artists like Drake and Taylor Swift. However, his legal issues had kept him from proving himself as a live act—until now.

YoungBoy's crew had been planning the tour for two years, waiting for the right moment, with TPi Magazine noting that the program was "conceived within the confines of a prison cell." According to Live Nation's Colin Lewis, the tour's success—hawking 500,000-plus tickets and filling more than 40 arenas—cements YoungBoy's status beyond just a streaming phenomenon, per the Journal. The tour's elaborate staging includes an opening where YoungBoy emerges from a coffin above the stage, with choreography from actor Teyana Taylor. Fans describe the concerts as high energy.

"He's not even supposed to be a free person right now," notes one concertgoer. The tour has also boosted YoungBoy's streaming numbers, with his catalog jumping from an average of 133 million weekly plays earlier this year, to 181 million since the tour began in September. Not everything has gone smoothly. Shows in Detroit, Atlanta, and Chicago were canceled without explanation, a decision YoungBoy's agent blamed on the venues.

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YoungBoy's pardon was secured with the help of attorney Brittany Barnett, known for her work on high-profile clemency cases, including that of Alice Marie Johnson, a great-grandmother serving time for a drug-related offense. Barnett calls YoungBoy's story one of growth and redemption, saying, "I'm proud to see him using his freedom to create art that inspires millions." The rapper himself described the pardon as an "opportunity to keep building—as a man, as a father, and as an artist." (More here on the "community and connection" fans say they find at his shows.)