NBA YoungBoy Says Jay-Z's "The Blueprint" Made Him Realize He's Ahead Of The Game

BY Cole Blake
Link Copied to Clipboard!
NBA YoungBoy: MASA TOUR - Atlanta, GA
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 15: NBA YoungBoy performs onstage during the MASA TOUR at State Farm Arena on October 15, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Julia Beverly/Getty Images)
Add HNHH as a preferred source on Google
NBA YoungBoy dropped his ninth studio album, "Slime Cry," back in January, featuring Burna Boy and Jelly Roll.

NBA YoungBoy says that he recently realized how ahead of the game he is after listening to Jay-Z's iconic album, The Blueprint. In a new video on social media, YoungBoy mentions that Jay-Z rapped about being worth $40 million on the album. He is referencing Jay-Z's song, U Don't Know." On the track, he raps: "One million, 2 million, 3 million, 4 / In just five years, 40 million more / You are now lookin' at the 40 million boy / I'm r*pin' Def Jam 'til I'm the 100 million man."

"I was listening to Jay-Z's Blueprint," YoungBoy says in the clip, as shared by XXL. "That boy say, I think at 31 years old or some sh*t, that boy said, 'You are now looking at a $40 million n***a.' And I was just sitting back thinking to myself, how blessed I am and ahead of the f**king game I am."

YoungBoy continues: "Boy, you know what you looking at? I ain't even gon' pop that, because like this, God will take it from you. So I'ma chill on you."

Jay-Z's Net Worth

While he rapped about being worth $40 million when he released The Blueprint back in 2001, Jay-Z's net worth has skyrocketed in the decades since. With the success of Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, the sale of the streaming service Tidal, and the success of many more business endeavors, he became hip-hop's first billionaire in 2019.

As for NBA YoungBoy, he is coming off a massively successful year in 2025. He embarked on the MASA Tour, which helped him bring in $70 million in earnings. This January, he dropped his follow-up to MASA, Slime Cry. On that album, he collaborated with Burna Boy and Jelly Roll. The project debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200 after moving 70,000 album-equivalent units. The release marked his seventeenth time reaching the top ten on the chart.

About The Author
Cole Blake is a current staff writer at HotNewHipHop based out of New York City. He began writing for the site as an intern back in 2018 while finishing his B.A. in Journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s covered a number of breaking stories for HNHH. These include the ongoing YSL RICO trial, the allegations surrounding Diddy, and much more. His work also extends outside of hip-hop, having written extensively about a myriad of topics including politics, sports, and pop culture. He’s attended several music festivals to provide coverage for the site as well, such as Rolling Loud and Governors Ball.

Comments 1