homeboy vs friend

homeboy and friend both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
homeboy	Yes	No	No	No
friend	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, friend is a hypernym of homeboy; that is, friend is a word with a broader meaning than homeboy:

Other hypernyms of homeboy include acquaintance.

homeboy (noun)	friend (noun)
a male friend from your neighborhood or hometown	a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
a fellow male member of a youth gang	a person with whom you are acquainted
	an associate who provides cooperation or assistance
	a person who backs a politician or a team etc.