“Tech N9ne did it first”: NBA Youngboy slammed after saying he’s the first rapper to paint his face and wear biking clothing

American rapper NBA Youngboy has recently come under fire for mentioning he was the first to wear biking gear and using face paint while performing his music in videos and shows. The rapper went on Instagram on January 10, 2024, to post a story bragging about his face paint era. He said,

"Top painted his face first. Top put biker clothing on first let's pop that sh*t. I'm that thang mane who don't want eat my d*ck."

In December 2021, Never Broke Again (NBA) Youngboy released a music video for his song Black Ball. The clip showed the rapper wearing black and white paint on his face. Many netizens disagreed with Youngboy. One pointed out that 52-year-old Kansas City rapper Tech N9ne did it first. As per Hip Hop Dx, Tech N9ne has sported face paint since 1994.

---

Netizens slam NBA YoungBoy for claiming to be the first rapper to paint his face

Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, professionally known as YoungBoy Never Broke Again, or NBA Youngboy, is famous for his raw energy and unique lyrical style. He was born on October 20, 1999, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States.

Between 2015 and 2017, he released eight independent mixtapes and steadily garnered a huge following through his work, as per XXL. On January 10, 2024, NBA Youngboy took to Instagram to say he was the first to start the face paint trend in the hip-hop industry with his song Black Ball (2021).

The song showed Youngboy's face painted white with dark circles in black paint. "Rock" and "Peace" were written on his cheeks. As per Hip Hop Dx, The rapper also claimed he was the first to wear biking clothes for fashion.

However, fans are not convinced that the face paint style during performances was his idea. They pointed out that other artists such as Tech N9ne, ICP, and Sting have also expressed their craft through face paint and masks. As for the bike gear, fans claim the hip-hop group Migos began the trend. Here are some of the reactions online:

---

Controversies surrounding NBA Youngboy

On Monday, January 8, 2024, NBA Youngboy appeared on a podcast with Bootleg Kev from his Utah mansion on Grave Digger Mountain. As per Hip Hop Dx, he opened up about his rap career, childhood, and other topics during the interview. The rapper was asked his thoughts on fatherhood since he has 11 kids. Holding one of his kids, NBA said,

"I'm not really big on it to be honest. I'm only in her cause you here. See, this a crazy topic because I'm not the type to sugarcoat nothing. But, I'm four walls all day, everyday."

The response received a lot of criticism from the hip-hop community, as per XXL. On January 10, 2024, Charlamagne Tha God issued his daily "Donkey of the Day" segment on The Breakfast Club. He called out the rapper for his recent comments about not being a fan of fatherhood.

"Why do you have 11 children? Did it take 11 children to get to the point where you say you’re not big on fatherhood? Listen, we are in the era of generational curse-breaking, okay? Those dysfunctional cycles that we had to deal with? We’re the generation that’s supposed to break those."

As per People magazine, Youngboy is only 24 years old and has 11 children with eight baby mamas. The rapper has been under strict house arrest regulations since 2021 and will remain there until the trial concludes. He was charged with possession of two weapons.