NBA YoungBoy may still be a teenager, but there's no denying that this rising star is consistently dealing with grown men problems. The Baton Rouge-bred rapper is definitely deserving of his time in the spotlight, but it's impossible to ignore that YoungBoy's relationship woes make headlines just as much as more than his music does.
From catching several cases to spending some time on the run as a fugitive from a kidnapping charge, YoungBoy's explosive love life has heaped drama on his name ever since he first made waves with his 2016 mixtape 38 Baby. Despite his continual run-ins with the law and several domestic violence accusations that seem to surface with each new public relationship he's involved in, the 19-year-old rapper is working to clean up his image. "I want to change my image up. They should know what I’m like by now, they should know how we live, so I don’t really gotta flash guns or none of that shit. I got children, I got a lotta bigger things to look forward to, a career," says the father of (now) five children by four separate women. "That’s all that really matters. I want to make better music, though. Better than what I've been making.
For a complete breakdown of NBA YoungBoy's high-profile, messy AF breakups, makeups and everything in-between, check out our list below.
Jania Jackson
On February 24 2018, NBA YoungBoy was arrested before hitting the stage for a scheduled performance in Tallahassee, Florida on assault and kidnapping charges in addition to a weapons violation. The charges were administered as a result of a heated disturbance with his then-girlfriend, 18-year-old Jania Jackson which was caught on tape and released to the public by TMZ.
With the basis for the alleged assault charge due to YoungBoy putting hands on Jackson, the kidnapping charge indictment was handed down by a grand jury in Waycross, Georgia after the rapper was caught on camera dragging his girlfriend into a hotel room against her will. After the video made waves on social media, Jackson swiftly issued her response in defense of her man. "I was pulling him, that’s just us, that’s just the way we play.” “Kidnapped? F**k no! … has he ever put his hands on me? F**k no!” she explained. “We 18, what do y’all expect? What do y’all expect?… We good, I promise you that – y’all think I would stay somewhere I was getting abused? F**k no! We’re good, trust me.”
In addition to the hallway incident, several reports leaked on social media claimed that YoungBoy made Jackson sleep in the hotel lobby so he could hook up with another woman.
"Honestly, it’s not what y’all making it into. It’s not as bad as y’all making it seem,” said Jackson, admitting to sleeping in the lobby but refusing to admit that YoungBoy kicked her out. “Okay, I’m not in the room. Okay. I’m good. Maybe I just didn’t need to go to sleep tonight, shit.”
Soon after she was pictured sleeping in the hotel lobby, she uploaded a picture to her Instagram account of a YoungBoy-funded shopping spree which was apparently enough to set things right between the two of them once more.
With the charges leveled on YoungBoy keeping him from communicating with Jackson for the time being, he picked up a new girlfriend, only to warn her that once the charges dropped, she'd be gone.
"I never physically punched my girl, I never physically slapped my girl," he explained in an Instagram Live video. "But you know, they gon' bend it for who I am. And when they ban us from being around each other, you know we couldn't speak no more. But at the same time, you know, when everything back right, you know what it is. Bitch I'll leave you in a second when them charges drop." In the same video, YoungBoy revealed that Jackson was pregnant with his child and that the four tattoos on his body in her honor prove his undying love and loyalty to his soon-to-be baby momma.
Even though they also share a herpes diagnosis, the two are no longer together.
Unnamed Fling
While on a court-mandated separation from Jackson, YoungBoy showed off his new girl for the 'Gram. Wearing a Burqa for the majority of the video, YoungBoy directs her to briefly show her face for the camera before asking her what "Allahu Akbar" means, she dutifully responds to her man by stating, "God is great."
Bhad Bhabie
It should be noted that this romance was never confirmed, and Bhad Bhabie has denied any involvement with Youngboy in the past. However, the two stars set tongues wagging by posting pictures of each other on their respective Instagram accounts.
"When I first met you to be real I had to stare you done," captioned YoungBoy alongside a pic of himself and Bhad Bhabie.
To make the situation even stickier, a video soon surfaced of the then 18-year-old rapper in bed with an underage Bhad Bhabie. Despite the fact that an emoji covered YoungBoy's face, the rapper's identifying facial tattoos quickly revealed his identity.
The posts were soon deleted and no charges were filed.
But, it didn't end there-- the rumours swirled once more surrounding a possible Bhad Bhabie x Youngboy love connection, when Bhabie was on IG Live this past weekend and had to put a girl, identified as Malu Trevejo, "in her place," after the female brought the Baton Rouge rapper up during the session.
Tattoo Lovers
After a female fan went viral for flexing her NBA YoungBoy portrait tattoo, the public quickly assumed that the two were dating. However, YoungBoy was quick to shut those rumors down.
"I don’t have no girlfriend I don’t know what’s going on I ain’t been influencing bitch,” wrote the rapper on social media.
The young woman, who goes by the name Arabian, echoed NBA YoungBoy's claims.
"I’m nobody’s girlfriend stop the lies please the tattoo is just apart of my story," she tweeted. "I never said he told me to get that Y’all came up with all this so stop saying I took an L BC of y’all false accusations and meanings behind his tweets… idk what y’all got going on," wrote the fan.
Even if they didn't officially date, and even if Arabian will never admit it (she also told us in an interview later that she simply respects Youngboy as a rapper and the tattoo had nothing to do with a romantic entanglement), it's seems as though Arabian was at least YoungBoy's side chick, because her tattoo definitely got Jania Jackson feeling some type of way-- enough so that she cussed her out on Instagram Live. Topping off their beef, the two ladies went toe-to-toe on Twitter and aired their dirty laundry, publicly.
Cutting to the core, Arabian even referred to Jackson's then-unborn child as "her stepson." Ouch.
This isn't the first lady to have a dedication to Youngboy inked on her body, despite the lack-of relationship. Even Bhad Bhabie had to fight rumours of a Youngboy tattoo recently.
Iyanna Mayweather
When it comes to love, no one captures the attention of Floyd Mayweather's daughter, Iyanna Mayweather quite like NBA YoungBoy. With flirtatious social media posts exchanged back and forth between the rumored couple for some time, it seemed that YoungBoy and Yaya were on their way to making things official before relations quickly soured between the two. Accused of slashing the tires on his Maybach, Yaya hopped on Instagram Live while in a crowded nightclub to profess her love for YoungBoy. "Kentrell got my heart, and I don’t care what y’all say," she said.
In response, YoungBoy issued a scathing dismissal of her drunken declaration. "I do not like girls that get drunk," he said. "I never got drunk a day in my life. You got a real problem when you drunk."
Starr Thigpen
When it comes to dissecting YoungBoy’s personal life, one thing is painfully obvious-- he doesn’t have the best track record when taking his lady loves to hotel rooms. In early February 2019, the “No Smoke” rapper was arrested alongside his apparent-then-girlfriend (and mother of one of his children) in downtown Atlanta hotel room. According to reports, a staff housekeeper entered the room, expecting it to be empty when she them came across Thigpen and the rapper. After YoungBoy instructed Thigpen to “get the housekeeper out of the room,” a physical altercation escalated until the staff member was able to escape downstairs and call for assistance. In the aftermath of the incident, NBA YoungBoy “was charged with disorderly conduct, use of fighting words, disorderly conduct - physical obstruction of another and possession of marijuana less than an ounce” while Thigpen was charged with disorderly conduct - act of violence toward another, disorderly conduct - physical obstruction of another and possession of marijuana less than an ounce.
Their pair of mugshots, featured above, quickly went viral.
Kay Marie
While outside near the Trump Hotel in Miami, Florida, NBA YoungBoy, his current-girfriend Kay Marie and his entourage were sprayed with bullets in a driveby shooting.
"He was the victim of an assassination attempt," said James Manasseh, YoungBoy's defense attorney. While YoungBoy escaped from the scuffle unscathed, Kay Marie was struck in the shoulder and one bystander died from the firefight.
After Kay Marie was hit, YoungBoy rushed to her side to offer his help before making sure she received appropriate medical care and attention.
She's also remained steadfast by his side in the wake of this recent wave of violence in his presence.