It's been established that NBA YoungBoy's fanbase is one of the strongest in rap.
Transforming from a meme to a legitimate powerhouse capable of pushing Sincerely, Kentrell past Drake's Certified Lover Boy for the top spot on the Billboard Top 200, despite YoungBoy being in jail and the album having no features, the Louisiana rapper's fanbase is impressive.
Image via HNHH
But according to DJ Akademiks, a New York Times report says there might be a substantial difference between the support YoungBoy receives online and the support YoungBoy receives on the radio.
According to the reported cited in Akademiks' IG post, the "Bandit" rapper has racked up over six billion streams since last September. In that same period, however, it was reported that YoungBoy only receieved 55,000 radio plays.
That is obviously a huge difference but, when contextualized, doesn't come as much of a surprise.
Currently imprisoned for various firearms charges, YoungBoy has been a polarizing figure since he was filmed bodyslamming his now ex-girlfriend back in 2018, and has notoriously fathered eight children with multiple different women. Just under 22-years-old, NBA YoungBoy has committed a handful of heinous crimes and his reputation is reflected by his lack of acceptance in the mainstream.
Radio plays are not nearly as important as they once were, but this radio blacklist, combined with YouTube's refusal to promote Sincerely, Kentrell and 21 Savage's explanation that other rappers won't work with YoungBoy because of their loyalty to Lil Durk, is just another barrier to acceptance. Despite the incredible numbers and fervent support, there's a clear wall between YoungBoy and the rest of the rap game and not getting played on the radio prevents the casual fan from hearing and digging deeper into the music.
Whether or not it will have an effect on YB or his career is yet to be seen but getting that heavy airplay does allow for certain rappers to take bigger steps into superstardom and it will be interesting to see if the blacklisting continues and if the rapper will ever acknowledge it.
Do you think NBA YoungBoy is blacklisted from the radio? Let us know in the comments.
[Via]