By: Cameron Moore
After years of legal battles, house arrest, and federal incarceration, rapper NBA YoungBoy has officially started his first headlining tour. The “Make America Slime Again” (MASA) Tour kicked off on September 1 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. This raises the question: How did it take nearly half a decade for one of hip-hop’s most prolific artists to take the stage?
NBA YoungBoy, born as Kentrell DeSean Gaulden in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, spent the majority of the last four years confined to house arrest. In Sept. 2020, Gaulden and 15 others were arrested in Baton Rouge on drug and weapons charges after police responded to a group brandishing firearms during a music video. At the time, he was already on probation stemming from a 2016 felony charge.
In March 2021, federal agents arrested the rapper in Los Angeles on another gun charge. While in custody, Gaulden released the studio album “Sincerely, Kentrell”, which earned him his fourth Billboard No. 1 album. He became the third rapper in history to have a number one album while incarcerated, joining 2Pac (“Me Against the World”, 1995) and Lil Wayne (“I Am Not A Human Being”, 2010).
In Oct. 2021, Gaulden was placed on house arrest until the conclusion of all pending trials. Instead of staying in Louisiana, he moved to Utah, where he remained until 2024. Despite restrictions, Gaulden released over a dozen projects, six of which debuted on the Billboard Top 10.
In July 2022, he was acquitted of the Los Angeles gun charges. However, in early 2024, the Department of Homeland Security raided his Utah residence. The Cache County sheriff alleged that Gaulden ran a “large-scale prescription fraud ring”, where he and his associates allegedly used fake identities to obtain prescription medication. He was charged with 63 counts, including forgery, identity fraud, and unlawful possession of drugs and weapons.
On Sept. 9, 2024, Gaulden accepted a global plea deal resolving all cases in Utah and Louisiana. He pled guilty to two counts of felony forgery, two counts of felony identity fraud and six counts of misdemeanor unlawful pharmacy conduct, while entering no contest pleas to all remaining charges. Under the plea agreement, all four felony charges were reduced to misdemeanors.
In Dec. 2024, he was sentenced to 23 months in prison and 60 months of probation. Gaulden was transferred to a federal facility in Alabama before being released to a halfway house in April 2025. On May 29th, 2025, President Donald Trump issued him a presidential pardon, releasing him from his federal probation. Within weeks, Gaulden released new music videos such as “Where I Been” and “Finest”, both introspective tracks reflecting on his struggles and resilience.
His eighth studio album, “MASA”, featuring Playboi Carti and Mellow Rackz, was released on July 25, 2025, debuting at number six on the Billboard Top 200 and earning him his 16th Top-10 entry, tying him with Nas and Jay-Z for the third most among rappers. Less than three weeks later, Gaulden released a mixtape titled “DESHAWN”, hosted by DJ Khalid and featuring Kevin Gates, which also debuted in the Billboard Top 200.
The MASA Tour, which initially began as a 27-date tour concluding in New Orleans, expanded to 45 shows due to an overwhelming demand. The tour will conclude on Nov. 12 in Seattle, Washington and features special guests like Offset, NoCap, Deebaby, Toosii, EBK Jaaybo and others.
At the Dallas opener, the rapper made a dramatic entrance on stage after arriving in a casket suspended in the air. The setlist, which was around 50 songs, included some older classics such as “Ranada”, “Nevada”, “Lil Top”, “Life Support”, “Gravity”, and “I Hate YoungBoy”, alongside tracks from the newest album, including “XXX”, “Games of War”, and “MASA”.
Before the show, Gaulden donated $25,000 to two Dallas nonprofits, Manifest Freedom, which supports former inmates becoming entrepreneurs, and Urban Specialists, which works to reduce gang violence in their community. “This is bigger than music”, the rapper said in a video. “It’s about peace, growth, and giving people a real chance to change their lives.”
As the MASA Tour continues across the country, YoungBoy’s return marks not only a long-delayed career milestone but also a test of how his music and messages resonate. For fans the tour is more than a concert; it is a rare glimpse at an artist determined to turn controversy into longevity.
