YoungBoy Never Broke Again (aka NBA YoungBoy; neé Kentrell Gaulden) has been on trial in Los Angeles on a federal gun possession charge this week. The case stems from an arrest in Los Angeles where a FN FNX .45 caliber pistol was found on the floor of the Mercedes Maybach that the “Late To Da Party” rapper was driving around in March of 2021. But today, NBA YoungBoy has been found not guilty of these federal gun charges.
The case saw some advancements this week that were both favorable for the Baton Rouge rapper’s not guilty ruling. First off, the lyrics to his songs like “Gunsmoke” and “Lonely Child” were deemed inadmissible in court. He mentions FNs in the music, which refers to the Fabrique Nationale Herstal maker of the pistol found in the car. YoungBoy’s defense successfully argued, “Even if Mr. Gaulden is familiar with various models of guns and sings about them, it does not mean that he knew this particular gun was secreted on the passenger floor of the Maybach when police attempted to pull his car over to arrest him.” Then, and more importantly, YoungBoy’s defense attorneys cited a lack of fingerprints on the pistol.
As Rolling Stone reports, it was in fact the aforementioned combination of factors that NBA YoungBoy’s attorney, Andre Belanger, cited in his closing arguments, along with the fact that the rapper wasn’t aware that the gun was in the car. He elaborated that it wasn’t just YoungBoy who had access to the car, there were no witnesses linking YoungBoy to the gun that day, and ultimately, that he had no intent to possess it.
“[NBA YoungBoy] was acquitted and walked out the courtroom saying he was never guilty of this,” Belanger told XXL. “I am grateful we could challenge what little evidence they had before 12 people. This verdict shows the power of a jury and the ability to check government power.”
Meanwhile, NBA YoungBoy still has to stand trial in Louisiana for a separate gun charge stemming from an arrest in September of 2020.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Source: https://uproxx.com/music/nba-young-boy-not-guilty-gun-charges/