NBA YoungBoy has finally address critics of his new makeup obsession.
The young Baton Rouge rapper says he doesn’t care what others think as many poke fun at photos showing him dressing up as “goth” with black makeup around his eyes and white makeup on the rest of his face.
Some critics have even gone as far as saying that the father of seven was now gay after his return from prison. Born Kentrell Gaulden Jr., NBA YoungBoy, is currently on bail as he awaits his trials in California and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
In the meantime, YoungBoy is on house arrest in Utah, where he is living with a mentor that the court-approved prior to allowing him to be granted bail.
While YoungBoy Never Broke Again has been socializing with his fans online, his photos wearing goth makeup have left many criticizing him.
When asked why he was wearing makeup, the rapper said he liked dabbling in the products traditionally used by women and LGBTQ people.
“I like painting my face, putting makeup on,” he said during a Clubhouse chat. “I like to look in the mirror and see everything black. Like my eyes and sh*t.”
YoungBoy added, “That’s one hundred percent real! That’s me being myself. Just, I don’t know. I feel comfortable that way… It give me like, the goth feeling, like rockstars.”
While wearing makeup might seem unusual for male rappers to some, there have been other weird trends in hip hop by male artists that fans have raised their eyebrows at, including wearing nail polish, and some heterosexual artists have even been styled in unisex clothing and garments, which some might argue is more feminine than masculine.
Nevertheless, self-expression and art have always been connected to music. Fans, however, did not feel that way towards Youngboy as they dragged him on Tuesday for another photo shared of him all painted up.
NBA YoungBoy, however, responded to critics telling them to leave him alone.
“Tell them stop liking me,” he reportedly wrote in a screenshot of text messages. “I don’t give a f*ck I got what I came in for. And if you never liked me why it matter [sad face emoji].”
Some of NBA YoungBoy’s fans have defended him from being bullied as they make the argument that other non-Black artists easily get away with the same look, but black rappers are kept in a box.
In any case, the 22-year-old rapper, who is regarded as one of the biggest talents of the current generation of rappers, looks like he is re-inventing his style. Based on the kind of year he has had, particularly with his arrests and jail time, it is obvious why he might be seeking an escape and using face paint to do so, others fans have pointed out.
