YoungBoy Never Broke Again needed a police escort after wrapping up the first of two sold-out shows at New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center.
Several clips circulating on social media show the rapper walking through the streets of New Orleans with little visible security. In the videos, a large group of fans can be seen swarming him, hoping to grab a photo or say hello.
Police eventually stepped in to control the situation, escorting YoungBoy to his vehicle and ensuring the crowd didn’t block his exit.
According to NOLA, the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) announced it would ramp up security in the city’s French Quarter and Central Business District for YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s two sold-out shows at the Smoothie King Center on Sunday (Oct. 19) and Monday (Oct. 20).
The heightened security plan includes armored vehicles, drones, and enforcement units positioned around the concert venue.
NOPD Assistant Superintendent Hans Ganthier advised concertgoers to leave their weapons at home, stressing that safety was the department’s top priority. “This is not an event where you need to bring your gun. If it is, I think you should think twice about coming to the CBD and the (French) Quarter,” he said.
Ganthier explained that other police departments from cities where YoungBoy has recently performed shared information that raised “concern,” prompting NOPD to create an especially “robust” security plan for the back-to-back shows.
Meanwhile, the Smoothie King Center has announced that bags and purses are strictly prohibited for both of YoungBoy’s concerts. According to the venue’s information page, only cellphones, wallets or cardholders, and keys will be permitted, and those items must be carried “on your person/pockets only.”
The update follows a string of cancellations on YoungBoy’s Make America Slime Again tour. Three shows were called off — one in Chicago over security concerns, another in Detroit due to “unforeseen circumstances,” and most recently, his scheduled Atlanta concert on Saturday (Oct. 18).
While his first sold-out Atlanta show went off smoothly, city officials later clarified that the Baton Rouge rapper had not been awarded a key to the city, despite earlier rumors.
