If you spend even a little time on YouTube or hip-hop social media, you have probably come across the phrase “YB Better” flooding the comment sections. That is the fanbase of NBA YoungBoy, one of the most streamed rappers of his generation. But behind the memes and the record-breaking numbers is a story that is anything but easy — a kid from Baton Rouge who broke his neck as a toddler, lost the only person raising him before he was even a teenager, and somehow turned a cheap microphone from Walmart into one of the biggest careers in modern rap. Let’s get into who he really is.
NBA YoungBoy Wiki/Biography
NBA YoungBoy is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He was born as Kentrell DeSean Gaulden on 20 October 1999 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which makes him 26 years old as of 2026. He performs under the names NBA YoungBoy and YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and fans also call him YB or Lil Top. He never finished school and never had a music industry connection, yet today he has several number-one albums and one of the most loyal fanbases in the world.
| Name | NBA YoungBoy |
| Real Name | Kentrell DeSean Gaulden |
| Also Known As | YoungBoy Never Broke Again, YB, Lil Top |
| Birth Date | 20 October 1999 |
| Place of Birth | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Age | 26 Years Old (as of 2026) |
| Education | Dropped out in the ninth grade from Scotlandville Magnet High School |
| Profession | Rapper, Singer, Songwriter |
| Wife | Jazlyn Mychelle Hayes (married January 2023) |
| Mother | Sherhonda Gaulden |
| Children | Reportedly 13 children with 8 different women |
| Height | 5 feet 8 inches |
| Weight | 67 Kg |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | American |
| Labels | Never Broke Again (formerly Atlantic Records and Motown) |
| Net Worth | Estimated between $10 million and $40 million (not officially confirmed) |
| Social Media | YouTube |
NBA YoungBoy’s Physical Appearance
NBA YoungBoy stands at 5 feet 8 inches and weighs around 67 kg. He has a slim build, dark brown eyes and black hair, and his face carries something you cannot miss — permanent scars on his forehead. Those scars are not a style choice. They come from a childhood neck injury that forced him to wear a head brace for years while his spine healed. He is heavily tattooed, which is common in his world, but he has a different relationship with ink than most rappers — many of his tattoos are dedicated to his grandmother and the people he has lost. Even with all the money and fame, his look stays true to where he came from.
How old is NBA YoungBoy and Birthplace
NBA YoungBoy was born on 20 October 1999 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Baton Rouge is one of those cities known for producing raw, pain-filled rap music, and Kentrell’s childhood fit that picture completely. When he was just a toddler, he broke his neck while wrestling and had to wear a head brace until the spine healed, which left permanent marks on his forehead. Then, when he was around eight years old, his father was sentenced to 55 years in prison. His mother Sherhonda, was not able to raise him on her own, so Kentrell was raised mostly by his maternal grandmother, Alice Gaulden, in north Baton Rouge.
NBA YoungBoy Family
The family story of NBA YoungBoy is a painful one, and it explains a lot about his music. His father went away to prison for 55 years when Kentrell was still a small boy. His mother, Sherhonda Gaulden, was around but struggled to manage everything, so his grandmother Alice became the center of his world. Sadly, she died of heart failure in 2010, when Kentrell was only ten. After her death, he was sent to a group home, where he has said he was beaten and bullied by other kids. He later said that experience changed him and showed him a side of himself he never liked. He also has siblings, including his brother Ken Gaulden, who has appeared alongside him publicly, and his sister Teelee.
NBA YoungBoy’s Wife and Relationship
NBA YoungBoy married his longtime girlfriend Jazlyn Mychelle Hayes in January 2023. Jazlyn is a YouTuber and social media personality, and she is the mother of two of his children. Their relationship has survived a lot, including his house arrest, his prison sentence, and the constant attention that comes with his fame.
Before Jazlyn, his love life was all over the news. He was famously engaged at one point to Iyanna Mayweather, the daughter of boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, and they share a son named Kentrell Jr. His other past relationships include Jania Bania, Starr Dejanee, Drea Symone and a few others. By most recent counts, he is a father of around 13 children with 8 different women — something even his biggest fans admit is hard to keep track of. Despite the complicated personal life, he often says his kids are the reason he keeps going.
NBA YoungBoy’s Education and Career
NBA YoungBoy’s education ended early — he dropped out of Scotlandville Magnet High School in the ninth grade. Around that same time, he got into trouble with the law and landed in juvenile detention, and it was there that he started writing lyrics seriously. When he came out, his grandmother had passed away, so he moved in with his friend NBA 3Three and committed small crimes just to pay for studio time. At fourteen, he bought a cheap microphone from Walmart and started recording at home.
His first mixtape, “Life Before Fame,” came out in 2015, followed by projects like “Mind of a Menace” and “38 Baby,” which started building his name in Louisiana. In 2016, he was arrested in Austin, Texas, on an attempted murder charge connected to a drive-by shooting. Strangely, that situation only made his name bigger. While behind bars waiting for his trial, he re-released his earlier music, and by the time he took a plea deal and walked free in May 2017, labels were waiting for him. He signed with Atlantic Records and dropped eight mixtapes between 2015 and 2017.
His single “Outside Today” in 2018 became his first big mainstream hit, going four times platinum, and his debut studio album “Until Death Call My Name” reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200. In 2019, “Bandit,” his collaboration with the late Juice WRLD, hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 — still his biggest single to date. That same year, “AI YoungBoy 2” became his first number-one album, and he kept the streak going with “38 Baby 2” and “Top” in 2020, “Sincerely, Kentrell” in 2021 — which hit number one while he was sitting in jail — and “The Last Slimeto” in 2022. In 2022, he also signed a deal reported to be worth around $60 million with Motown Records, before later starting his own label, Never Broke Again.
His legal troubles have run side by side with his career the whole way. He was arrested in 2021 over federal gun charges, acquitted in California in 2022, and then arrested again in Utah in April 2024 in a prescription drug fraud case along with another gun charge. In December 2024, he was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison. He served roughly eleven months and was released in March 2025. He is now out and under supervised release, and he has publicly said he wants to get sober and even get baptized into the Mormon church once his ankle monitor comes off.
NBA YoungBoy’s Net Worth
NBA YoungBoy has never officially confirmed his net worth, so the numbers you see online vary a lot depending on the source. Some estimate it at around $10 million, while others put it as high as $30 to $40 million. What is clear is where the money comes from — his music streams are enormous, his YouTube channel pulls in billions of views, and he has earned big from record deals, including the reported $60 million Motown deal and his own Never Broke Again label. He also bought a mansion in Salt Lake City, Utah for over $5 million in 2022, though he listed it for sale later. Even with legal fees and years of house arrest limiting his touring, he has clearly done very well financially for someone still in his twenties.
Final Word
NBA YoungBoy’s story is not a fairytale — it is a story of pain, talent, and survival all mixed together. He went from a group home in Baton Rouge to number-one albums, all while fighting court cases that could have ended everything. Being one of the most streamed artists in the world has not made his life simple, and his mistakes are just as public as his success. But his fans connect with him because his music sounds exactly like his life — raw, honest, and unfiltered. Now that he is out of prison and talking about a fresh start, the next chapter of NBA YoungBoy’s story may turn out to be the most interesting one yet.
Read More: Donte DiVincenzo: Villanova Career, Stats and Highlights
