YoungBoy Never Broke Again sat down at his home in Utah for a fascinating discussion with Elliott Wilson and Brian “B.Dot” Miller for the latest episode of the consistently insightful Rap Radar podcast.
An early highlight from the resulting 35-minute conversation sees NBA YoungBoy mincing no words when it comes to his thoughts on being cited as an influence to other artists.
The comments came following a question around the 12:43 mark about successfully existing and creating within a lane he carved out for himself, with YoungBoy first speaking decisively about having no interest in competition.
“I don’t think I could compete,” he 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.”
From there, YoungBoy was asked whether he would want to see his name mentioned among the greats of his generation, particularly given his clear level of influence on younger artists.
“I just wanna be paid,” YoungBoy said. “I don’t know but I think 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.”
A recurring topic in the interview was YoungBoy’s move from Atlantic to Motown. Asked to open up about what he’s done, business wise, to put himself in a stronger position moving forward, YoungBoy again spoke candidly when detailing his issues with the music industry at large.
“No matter if I got two dollars, there’s actually somebody making four off of my creation,” he said. “So until I get the business down pat like to where I done built my own team, like I don’t need no label, like this whole system is what I’ve built and this all I need to get everything I want from out of it—I’ll be cool. But I don’t feel like I did nothing no different.”
Summarizing his feelings, YoungBoy made the goal clear:
“I want every dime. I want every dime that my creation brings.”
NBA YoungBoy also spoke with Wilson and Miller about the power of YouTube, the problem with fan expectations, his initial desire to drop 10 projects in 2022, possible setlist inclusions for when he returns to touring, his upcoming Don’t Try This at Home project, his picks for the strongest entries from his expansive catalog, and more.
Hear the full conversation here. You can also watch full video version of the episode up top.
