NBA Youngboy Doesn't Care About Being Influential: "I Just Wanna Be Paid"

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Lil Wayne's Lil WeezyAna Fest
NEW ORLEANS, LA - AUGUST 25: NBA YoungBoy performs during Lil WeezyAna at Champions Square on August 25, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images)
"I just wanna be paid and stay out the way," NBA Youngboy said on the latest episode of "Rap Radar."

Most rappers hope to etch their name into history but NBA Youngboy doesn’t appear to care for that. Over the years, he built his persona as a recluse of sorts, straying away from industry politics and maintaining a significant distance from his peers. It’s unclear if that’ll change in the future, especially with plans to move his family to Europe. No matter how big YB becomes, it seems that he continues to maintain a level-head, for the most part.

YB remains an interesting character in hip-hop, especially for the amount of fame he gained organically. He hasn’t showcased the competitive nature that we’ve seen among some of rap’s greats who've battled their way to the top of the food chain. Still, his fans don’t hesitate to bring his name up in comparison to other rappers. “YB Better” became engrained in Internet dialect within the past year. However, it doesn’t seem as though NBA Youngboy really cares for competing.

NBA Youngboy Just Wants A Bag

During his recent appearance on Rap Radar, the rapper divulged his thoughts on the competitive nature of rap and going toe-to-toe with his peers in the space. “I don’t think I could compete,” NBA Youngboy said. “I think I’d lose, I don’t know how to play the game, I just go. Like, I ain’t never really have no type of structure or nothing. I just go. Like, even when it’s time to drop, I just pick the songs out and go.”

His approach evidently worked in his favor throughout his career. He’s bigger than he’s ever been, and enough time has passed for him to be consider an influence on other rappers who emerged after him. However, having his name stand alongside the greats isn’t something he necessarily cares for. “​​I just wanna be paid,” YoungBoy said. “... This whole music thing, like every aspect of it, like it’s all ignorance. I just wanna be paid, I don’t care about all that extra shit. I just wanna be paid and stay out the way.” Peep NBA Youngboy’s comments above and let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. 

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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