As we close in on the end of the fourth quarter, let’s just make the call now. NBA YoungBoy is the best rapper of 2025.
The Baton Rouge rapper, who also goes by YoungBoy Never Broke Again, is on his first-ever headlining tour, which is on track to be one of the top 10 highest-grossing rap tours in America, earning over $70 million from more than 500,000 attendees across 42 shows, according to Touring Data. The MASA Tour (Make America Slime Again) opened in Dallas for a two-night stand on Sept. 1 and Sept. 2 at American Airlines Center and made local headlines for donating $50,000 to two Dallas nonprofits: $25,000 to Urban Specialists, a nonprofit that works to reduce violence in communities, and $25,000 to Manifest Freedom, a nonprofit that invests in entrepreneurs and creatives impacted by the criminal justice system.
YoungBoy returned to Dallas on Oct. 30 for a third show, a testament to his ability to meet fan demand by adding extra dates. The welcome by his fans was much bigger and louder than when he launched the tour over Labor Day weekend. It not only teed up Halloween festivities, but the loyalty was evident in the slime green bandanas worn by nearly everybody in the arena, the tour merchandise purchased by fans of all ages and the custom-made MASA gear.
To understand the wild popularity of YoungBoy, you need to know that he’s not like Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator, or Travis Scott, who are more dominant on the Billboard charts than he is. YoungBoy is a cult figure in the 2020s melodic rap era, growing his fanbase through his highly streamable mixtape and songs that illustrate pain, passion and menace. He has a compulsion to create and drop projects to the point where you’ll have a hard time keeping up with his pace. His virality stems from fans playing his songs on YouTube from their phones, as one example, rapping every word as if he’s speaking directly to them. Above all else, he’s faced a myriad of well-documented legal troubles, was under government surveillance living in Utah and recently received a pardon from President Donald Trump after he was sentenced for 23 months last December on federal gun charges.
“This moment means a lot. It opens the door to a future I’ve worked hard for and I am fully prepared to step into this,” he said in a statement. “I’m grateful. I’m focused. I’m ready.”
The freedom he has now is why fans have been clamoring to see him live. After short sets by Mellow Rackz, DeeBaby, NoCap (who got a surprisingly big pop by Dallas fans) and Offset (who had Haunted by Fame dropping that night and paid tribute to the late Takeoff through a Migos medley), the energy levels never waned. The long anticipation for YoungBoy’s arrival was buffered by Boosie and Webbie songs. The girls next to us said, “Come on!” when he didn’t go on at around 9 p.m., eagerly waiting for him to hit the stage.
The noise levels went to another decibel when the black curtain dropped to reveal a stage that looked straight out of a scary movie. A graveyard, a light pole and a dilapidated house made his stage seem like it was an eerier version of his project block. With dancers draped in American flag jackets and ski masks, holding prop guns and shooting towards a coffin suspended in the air, this was the most insane entrance we’ve ever seen. The coffin opens to reveal YoungBoy standing inside. A man of few words, he says, “Let’s do it, man,” and jumps into the song “MASA.” It tore the roof off AAC.
YoungBoy raps out of a coffin to start his show.
This crowd was locked in all night. For first-time attendees like us, a YoungBoy show is very much tailored to the youth. He sometimes performs only partial songs, but runs through a setlist of nearly 50 that transition seamlessly from one snippet to the next. Even if you don’t know his catalog deeply as these fans do, it’s the electric atmosphere he creates that makes you want to get in on the action. For “Bad Morning,” he just pointed his mic at the crowd, and they sang the hell out of that song.
YoungBoy’s set design was perfect for Halloween.
As a performer, YoungBoy relies on six dancers and two hypemen to engage the crowd. He doesn’t say much, letting his presence draw you in. He is at his best when he’s erratic, manipulating his voice from a high-pitched whine to a deep rumble. He smokes a lot, holding a cigarette and the mic while rapping his lyrics.
Fans were ready for YoungBoy.
NBA YoungBoy Brings Out BigXThaPlug on MASA Tour
The pacing of the show was broken up by surprise guests and DJ sets when YoungBoy needed respite. It was a respectable move for him to share this big stage with local acts. He called up BigXThaPlug to do “Mmhmm” and “Texas,” matching the magnitude of the moment with his own hit songs, and provided a glimpse of BigX doing his own arena tour someday.
YoungBoy returned. The house has risen, and he’s standing in the middle surrounded by fire. These were his more emotional songs, tapping into his soulful side with “Untouchable” and “Survivor.” He’s a master of switching between relentless verses and singsong melody, as seen in “Finest” and “Shot Callin,” a song that currently sits at No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100.
YoungBoy has been an advocate of reducing gun violence and bringing the community together. During his second intermission, he brought out OC Chris and HeadHuncho Amir. OC Chris killed the excitement as everyone sat down through his set. It was too early for him to be performing in front of such a big crowd, but you appreciated that YoungBoy gave him an opportunity to earn some new fans. Amir had people in our section rapping along to “You the Biggest” and “Every Time,” a good sign that the New Dallas movement is becoming more of a presence in the city.
YoungBoy returned again for the final set of songs. By this point in the night, we understood why this had been a hip-hop show you needed to see live. He’s a blend of Louisiana rap favorites like Lil Wayne, Mystikal and Kevin Gates, taking a bit of their qualities (Wayne’s eccentricity, Mystikal’s intensity, Gates’ charisma) to pave his own way for years. Songs like “Black Ball,” “All In,” “Heart & Soul” and “Lonely Child” rang off loudly like they were radio hits for the streets. The crowd did not let up.
NBA YoungBoy Performs “I Hate YoungBoy” in Dallas
YoungBoy paused. Fans knew his last song was “I Hate YoungBoy,” a diss track aimed at Lil Durk, Gucci Mane and Lil Baby, to name a few. No matter how controversial the song is, it’s not the first time a rapper’s diss track has become a mainstream hit. He started to shed his clothes on stage, throwing his Bathing Ape beanie to his fans. Then it was his sweater. Lastly, he gave away his shirt, revealing a full back tattoo of a woman with several hands clasping her face.
As he performed “I Hate YoungBoy,” chaos ensued throughout the entire arena; his fans dialed in one last time before the show ended around 11:30 p.m. We noticed two middle-school-aged boys with their mom, ecstatically watching YoungBoy, never once looking tired.
“I love you all!” he said.
When YoungBoy decides to speak, it’s short enough that you get the message. As fans spilled outside the AAC, we thought about a recent Billboard article stating that no rap songs are in the top 40 of the Hot 100. The last time this happened was in 1990, ending a streak that’s lasted over 35 years. The discourse made it seem like hip-hop no longer has a stronghold in pop culture.
What it means is hip-hop is going back to the underground, where rappers like YoungBoy can thrive with people in the know. As his world expands, he’ll remain raw and intimate, exploring the trials and tribulations that have shaped his journey in his music. Some songs will catch fire, others won’t. But it’s clear from the MASA Tour that YoungBoy is getting massive, throwing a non-stop, full-throttle experience for all his slimes.