NBA YoungBoy Reveals Swollen Heart Condition, Says He Has 'One or Two' Albums Left
NBA YoungBoy has revealed that a doctor told him the left side of his heart was swollen during a tour — a condition he kept secret and continued performing with — and said he now has only "one or two" albums left in his career.
The 26-year-old rapper, born Kentrell Gaulden, made the disclosures in an interview on the Open Thoughts podcast, according to Rolling Stone. He said his heart is still enlarged on one side, which he cited as the reason for his extended break after his tour ended in October, as 95.3 The Beat reported. The diagnosis had first surfaced in a separate interview with comedian Funny Marco, covered by Complex on 12 August.
He also said he has one more tour left in his entire career. After that, he does not plan to return to the United States. He now lives in Korea and said he would never consider moving back.
The announcement carries particular weight given his chart history. In 2025, NBA YoungBoy surpassed E-40 to become the most decorated hip-hop artist in Billboard 200 history — the chart that ranks the week's most consumed albums in the US, combining sales and streaming equivalent album units, the measure that converts plays into album sales. In January, shortly after releasing his ninth studio album, Slime Cry, the RIAA — the body that certifies gold and platinum sales thresholds — announced he had earned more certifications than any other rapper ever. His August 2025 mixtape, Deshawn, was hosted by DJ Khaled.
The road to that statistical dominance ran through serious legal trouble. In December 2024, Gaulden pleaded guilty to one count linked to his 2020 gun-possession arrest in Louisiana and a separate count tied to a gun charge in Utah. He also pleaded guilty to involvement in a fraudulent prescription drug scheme while on house arrest in Huntsville, having four felony charges reduced to Class A misdemeanours and receiving a $25,000 fine. He was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison with credit for time served dating back to at least May 2024.
In May 2025, President Trump pardoned NBA YoungBoy.
For fans, the medical revelation adds a sobering frame to what already looked like a winding-down. A fan offered to give the rapper their heart after the diagnosis became public, a moment captured and shared by XXL Magazine on 12 August. Whether the remaining albums arrive on a fixed timeline or stretch out, the body of work behind him is already record-setting — and the one ahead is, by his own count, nearly finished.
