A Second Chance: Rapper YoungBoy Incarcerated After Years of Legal Battles and Personal Struggles
NBA YoungBoy, the 25-year-old rap heavy-hitter, was sentenced to 23 months in prison earlier this week, marking a difficult yet perhaps inevitable conclusion to years of legal battles and personal struggles. Judge Howard Nielson oversaw the sentencing for two separate cases that involved firearms charges, culminating in what some say is a long road paved with both youthful transgressions and unforeseen twists of fate.
YoungBoy’s life story isn’t confined to rap lyrics and chart-topping albums. While he recently pleaded guilty to the unlawful transport of firearms, his setup in Idaho after being released from prison and pleading guilty to similar charges in a human case in Logan.
His Utah family, who have been influential champions in his life since he was 11, offered the court a poignant glimpse into the inside of a young man often portrayed in the media as nothing more than a tracing of sensational news headlines.
A key player in understanding YoungBoy’s path to incarceration is Kyrie Garcia, who connected with the young rapper years ago during her time with AmeriCorps in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
“We would get placed with kids that had early warning indicators that they wouldn’t graduate from high school," Garcia explained, highlighting that the young YoungBoy, "wasn’t even on anyone’s list because he was kind of past all the targets."
YoungBoy’s story is one that speaks to resilience amidst hardship; raised by his grandmother until her passing when YoungBoy was merely 10 years old. He had to navigate life with independence in tow from the age of 16 as his father was incarcerated.
Garcia described YoungBoy as a mischievous yet endearing soul, adding a touch of lightheartedness, "He’s a jokester. He’s funny. He’s pranky… he’d go prank my roommate and pour water on him. He just wants to make people smile," she shared.
Garcia’s impact extended beyond mere mentoring, eventually becoming YoungBoy’s godmother.
"It was a kind of a cool little moment," Garcia recalled, describing the day the family launched YoungBoy on his first plane ride to Utah – a sharp contrast to the challenging Louisiana landscape he knew so well. “Her mother saw it as a good opportunity for him to see my different state," he has a different way of life."
YoungBoy thrived in Utah for a period, becoming extremely close with Garcia, participating in an immersion of a new life; tagging along at the local Boys and Girls Club, attending Weber State University Basketball camps, and indulging in typical teenage activities – snowboarding, holiday gatherings and even experiencing his first drive-in movie, “His first drive-in movie was at the Motor-VU," Garcia reminisced, highlighting the sense of normalson," Garcia mentioned, based at the time, before his music career soared.
But his supportive circle acknowledged the systemic undercurrent that often plays out in the news unfolds; there were times he needed help.
"I just wanna people to see Kentrell as a human. There’s a whole other side to these things," Garcia shared in an impassioned plea to the judge before sentencing.
YoungBoy’s story speaks to the complexities inherent in the justice system
The judge "doesn’t paint a complete picture of him," acknowledged Judge Nielson, drawing on the letters and testimonies from characters who counterbalanced the judge’s concerns about YoungBoy’s past, stating, "The man sitting here
