YBN (short for Young Boss Niggas) was an American hip-hop collective formed by Nick Simmons, who goes by the stage name YBN Nahmir.[1] YBN was a collective of rappers, record producers, social media personalities and promoters.[2] The collective included members from Alabama, Texas, Gothenburg, California, Maryland, Connecticut, and Narberth, Pennsylvania.[citation needed]

YBN
YBN Nahmir (left) and YBN Glizzy performing together in January 2018
YBN Nahmir (left) and YBN Glizzy performing together in January 2018
Background information
OriginBirmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Genres
Years active2014–2020
Labels
Past members
Websitey-b-n.com

On September 7, 2018, YBN released their only collaborative project, YBN: The Mixtape, which featured guest appearances from Gucci Mane, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Skies, Machine Gun Kelly and Chris Brown.[3][4][5]

History

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In 2014, Nick Simmons, better known as YBN Nahmir, met YBN Almighty Jay on the video game Grand Theft Auto V.[6] Nahmir later introduced Almighty Jay to his close friend YBN Glizzy, who he met on a San Andreas roleplay for Grand Theft Auto Online through an Xbox Looking for Group post.[7]

YBN was originally a gaming collective where Nahmir and his friends played video games, recorded videos and uploaded their videos to YouTube and streamed on Twitch.[8] In 2015, Nahmir and Almighty Jay eventually decided to record a song after freestyling in Xbox Live group chats. The song, titled "Hood Mentality", was both of the artists' first song, and the start of the collective's move away from video games and towards music.[9] In 2015, crew member YBN Valley died due to a heart attack.[10]

On September 18, 2017, Nahmir's debut single, "Rubbin Off the Paint", was released, and the music video premiered on WorldStarHipHop. The single featured production by Izak[11] and went viral, peaking at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Nahmir used the financial success of the song to move himself to Los Angeles, California and help fellow friends in the collective also move to Los Angeles, marking the first time they had met in person.[1]

Fellow members of the collective soon started to have viral songs too, though none charted. YBN Almighty Jay's "Chopsticks" in November 2017,[12] YBN Walker's "Gutta" in February 2018, and YBN NickyBaandz "Been Trippin" in April 2018.[2]

YBN Nahmir and YBN Glizzy met Cordae Amari Dunston, better known as YBN Cordae, online in 2017. Though Cordae didn't play video games, he had been rapping longer than any other member of YBN and was older than the rest of the collective. He decided to formally join the collective in 2018 and, in May 2018, released a remix of Eminem's "My Name Is"[13][14] which quickly went viral. He followed up with his breakout single, "Old Niggas", a remix and direct response to the song "1985 - (Intro to "The Fall Off)" by J. Cole.[15] The song was mentioned on multiple publications such as XXL,[16] Complex[17] and HipHopDX.[18] The music videos for both songs premiered on Worldstarhiphop's YouTube channel.

The group announced their first world tour in July 2018, scheduled for Fall 2018.[19] The group's first full-length project, titled YBN: The Mixtape, which starred Nahmir, Almighty Jay and Cordae, was announced in August 2018 and was released on September 7, 2018.[20][21] It included the singles "Rubbin Off The Paint" (Nahmir), "Bounce Out With That" (Nahmir), "Chopsticks" (Almighty Jay), "Bread Winners" (Nahmir and Almighty Jay), and "Kung Fu" (Cordae).

On August 6, 2020, Nahmir took to Twitter to announce that the collective had officially disbanded.[22] Cordae implied that the collective disbanded as well as he changed his stage name from YBN Cordae to just Cordae. He also did this on all of his social media pages and streaming services.[23]

Past members

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YBN consisted of three core members:

Discography

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Mixtapes

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List of mixtapes, with selected chart positions and details
Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
[24]
US R&B/HH
[25]
US
Rap

[26]
CAN
[27]
YBN: The Mixtape
(with YBN Almighty Jay, YBN Cordae and YBN Nahmir)
21 13 12 19

Singles

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Title Year Album
"Bread Winners"
(with YBN Nahmir and YBN Almighty Jay)[30]
2018 YBN: The Mixtape

References

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  1. ^ a b "YBN Nahmir Talks Going To Prom, Sleeping w/ 30 Year Olds, "Rubbin Off The Paint"", REAL 92.3 LA, 2017-12-04, retrieved 2018-09-09
  2. ^ a b Dandridge-e Fader]], Ben (May 24, 2018). {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  3. ^ "Listen to YBN's debut mixtape". The Fader. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  4. ^ "YBN Crew Releases New Mixtape f/ Gucci Mane, R Kelly, Lil Skies, and More". Complex. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  5. ^ a b "YBN: The Mixtape by Almighty Jay, Cordae & YBN Nahmir". Apple Music. September 7, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  6. ^ "A Guide to the YBN Crew: Rap's Most Exciting New Prospects". Highsnobiety. 2018-09-09. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  7. ^ YBN Glizzy (2015-02-15), Ayo Glizzy - WORST SA-MP Player FT. Nahmir, retrieved 2018-09-09
  8. ^ "How YBN Nahmir went from gamer kid to rising rapper". The Fader. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  9. ^ "The Break Presents: YBN Nahmir - XXL". XXL Mag. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  10. ^ "YBN Nahmir Releases Letter to Valley Part 5 Video - XXL". XXL Mag. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  11. ^ "YBN Nahmir, YBN Almighty Jay & YBN Cordae Showcase Potential as a Formidable Trio on 'YBN: The Mixtape'". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-10-19.
  12. ^ Waterwippinevan (2017-11-10), YBN Almighty Jay "Chopsticks" (Official Video) dir. by @waterwippinevan, retrieved 2018-09-09
  13. ^ WORLDSTARHIPHOP (2018-05-09), YBN Cordae "My Name Is" (Eminem Remix) (WSHH Exclusive - Official Music Video), retrieved 2018-09-09
  14. ^ "YBN Cordae Remixes Eminem's "My Name Is"". HYPEBEAST. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  15. ^ "YBN Cordae Is the Latest Rapper to Respond to J. Cole's "1985"". Complex. Retrieved 2018-10-19.
  16. ^ "The Break Presents: YBN Cordae - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  17. ^ "Bridging Rap's Generational Divide: An Interview With YBN Cordae". PigeonsandPlanes. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  18. ^ "YBN Cordae Challenges J. Cole's "1985" Criticisms On "Old Niggas"". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  19. ^ "YBN Nahmir Shares Dates for European Tour - XXL". XXL Mag. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  20. ^ "YBN Nahmir Sets Release Date for YBN Mixtape - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  21. ^ "YBN Nahmir, YBN Cordae and YBN Almighty Jay 'YBN: The Mixtape' - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  22. ^ "YBN Nahmir Announces YBN Crew's Disbandment". HYPEBEAST. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  23. ^ "YBN Cordae Changes Name Following Announcement of YBN Crew Split". COMPLEX.
  24. ^ "Billboard 200 – September 22, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  25. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – September 22, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  26. ^ "Top Rap Albums – September 22, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  27. ^ "Canadian Albums Chart – September 22, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  28. ^ "American certifications – YBN Nahmir". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  29. ^ "Canadian certifications – YBN Nahmir". Music Canada. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  30. ^ "Bread Winners - Single by YBN (Young Boss N*ggas), YBN Nahmir & YBN Almighty Jay on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved April 17, 2021.