“Bro finally came out the hood”: Netizens react as NBA YoungBoy returns to stage after 5 years with his MASA Tour premiere

NBA YoungBoy returned to the stage after five years on Monday, September 1, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. It marked the beginning of his MASA Tour.

NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, had been away due to multiple legal issues and a 23-month sentence for a federal gun charge. The US President, Donald Trump, granted him clemency in May 2025. In July, Gaulden released his eighth studio album, titled MASA (Make America Slime Again).

As he kicked off his MASA Tour in Dallas on Monday, emerging from a casket on stage, several fans cheered.

"Bro finally came out the hood," one X user said.

Cali DBN

@CaliDbn

@FearedBuck Bro finally came out the hood 😭

Mr Shelby

@mrshelby101

@FearedBuck Rising from a casket? Symbolic, bold, and rebellious.

Cyper

@CyperX01

@FearedBuck Legend moves. That’s one way to make an entrance 👀🔥

Fans continued to share their excitement about seeing YoungBoy back on stage, as one X user tweeted,

Basecamp

@Basedcampp

@FearedBuck n***a a superstar been listening since the jump

Cjayy.eth(🫰,✨)

@Cruxxxjay

@FearedBuck YoungBoy literally rising from a casket to start the MASA Tour Five years off and he’s already making it cinematic 🔥

SUAREZ

@suayrez

@FearedBuck Track list been fire so far but ngl they could be different for all shows

The rapper has one more performance at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Tuesday before heading to the Moody Center in Texas on September 5.

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NBA YoungBoy made donations at Dallas non-profits ahead of the MASA Tour

Lil Baby & Friends - (Image Source: Getty)

Before starting his tour on Monday, Gaulden also made donations to anti-gang violence nonprofit Urban Specialists and Manifest Freedom. The latter was co-founded by the rapper's lawyer, Brittany K. Barnett. He donated a total of $50,000 and stated that he intends to,

"help try to stop the crime. You know, a lot of people be getting hurt, so it ain’t really cool at this point to me, so I just want to help in any way I [can]."

Meanwhile, Atong Lucky, the founder of Urban Specialists, said,

"YoungBoy's donations are sending messages throughout America that redemption and transformation [are] real for these young people. Cause a lot of them young people find themselves in the shoes of feeling like they’re NBA YoungBoy."

The US leg of YoungBoy's MASA Tour will end on November 12, 2025, at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

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When NBA YoungBoy thanked Donald Trump for his clemency

On May 28 this year, Kentrell DeSean Gaulden was among eight people who received a pardon from Donald Trump. As a result, he was released from prison after serving his 23-month sentence. After his release, the rapper shared an Instagram story, writing:

"I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building - as a man, as a father, and as an artist. This moment means a lot. It opens the door to a future I've worked hard for and I am fully prepared to step into this."

Gaulden was notably arrested on a federal gun charge for illegally possessing firearms in a 2021 music video. A gun was again found in his Utah home in 2024. He was also fined $25,000 after pleading guilty to helping run a Utah drug ring.

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