NBA YoungBoy has received some fairly high praise from SZA, who says the rapper and his work are examples of Black brilliance.
The TDE singer admitted in an interview with The New York Times that she opposes the implicit class system that prevails in the music business and that she objects to Black musicians being valued for the breadth of their skill sets.
True Black greatness, in SZA’s opinion, shouldn’t come with a set of guidelines but should instead highlight what individual artists are accomplishing with their respective works.
“The industry leans into the classism of celebrating only those Black musicians who play 50 instruments, went to all the right schools, did all the right programs, and talked to all the right people,” SZA said before bringing up YoungBoy. “I don’t like that. Black excellence is NBA Youngboy putting out projects and speaking his heart and screaming into a microphone.”
Just before YoungBoy’s label Never Broke Again teased his upcoming album, AI YoungBoy 3, on Instagram with a video of the rapper swinging a knife at a cardboard box with friends, SZA posted her comments. Following the release of I Rest My Case last month, the upcoming album will be YoungBoy’s second of the year.
Given that YoungBoy has been using the term regularly on social media, some fans think he’s releasing a new album titled Don’t Try This At Home. The post said,“‘Don’t try this at home’ then AI Youngboy 3 album on the way,”
Since he first appeared on the Hip Hop scene in 2015, NBA YoungBoy has been exhibiting his Black greatness. The 23-year-old has so far had 26 projects on the Billboard 200 and 96 entries on the Billboard Hot 100. Twelve of those albums peaked in the Top 10 and four reached No. 1 on the charts.
