Hip Hop Awards ‘20: 5 Things To Know About Memphis Star NLE Choppa
Despite his relatively short time in the rap game, NLE Choppa, whose real name is Bryson Potts, has quickly emerged as a leading rap talent for Generation Z. At just 16 years old, Choppa exploded onto the scene out of Memphis. Picking up rapping in high school, Choppa went from a normal student to rap star-in-the-making overnight with the release of “Shotta Flow” in 2019.
The viral success of the song skyrocketed Choppa’s career and scored him his first charting single. In August, the Memphis native dropped his highly-anticipated debut album, Top Shotta, which debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart. That same month, he was announced one of XXL’s 2020 Freshman honorees. And, he’s just getting started.
Now, the Memphis rap sensation is nominated for Best New Hip Hop Artist at the 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards alongside fellow newcomers Flo Milli, Jack Harlow, Mulatto, Rod Wave and the late Pop Smoke.
NLE Choppa started rapping in his freshman year in high school
Before he began focusing on his flow, Choppa was heavily into basketball and was the star point guard on his high school basketball team. He picked up rapping as a hobby with his friends during his freshman year but it wasn’t until 2018 that he started taking it seriously. “I was recording stuff, but I guess it wasn’t good music. Now, I guess I’m making stuff that people actually want to hear,” he told XXL in June 2019. “I started taking it seriously after I found out I could actually do good with it. The first single I dropped went viral. After that, I know I can get to work.”
NLE stands for ‘No Love Entertainment.’
With Choppa his given nickname as a child, the Memphis native first started out rapping under the moniker YNR Choppa. He later changed it to “NLE.” In the same aforementioned XXL interview, he shared the meaning behind the three letters. “NLE stands for No Love Entertainment. “It’s pretty much a brand,” Choppa said, explaining that he adopted the moniker after he banded together with several other rappers that helped him get his start in the music industry. Beyond that, the teenager has higher goals for the brand. “I want to pretty much make it into a label,” the rapper expressed. “Just make it big. A household name, you know what I’m saying?”
He turned down a $3 million record deal.
Following the viral breakout success of “Shotta Flow” in 2019, record labels came knocking on Choppa’s. However, in a February 2019 profile, a then-16-year-old Choppa told Billboard that he turned down all of those offers. Instead, the Memphis rap sensation chose to enter a distribution partnership with UnitedMasters, Steve Stoute’s independent distribution company. Though that meant he forewent a customary advance, the deal allowed him to retain full ownership of his master recordings.
While the influence of his Tennessee upbringing can be felt in his music, NLE Choppa also has roots in Jamaica.
Speaking to Side Door Magazine in August, Choppa revealed that his mother and grandmother hail from the Carribean island. “I listened to a lot of Jamaican vibes growing up. A lot of Bob Marley, Shabba Ranks, but also, Lil Wayne and Tupac. My Mom and my Pops liked Tupac a lot. I always liked making the “vibe music” more ‘cause I feel like you can get more creative on it,” he said. “Memphis is for sure like the grimey. In my hype music, the Memphis comes out of me – but when I try to vibe, I feel the Caribbean culture come out.” In fact, in a separate interview with NME, Choppa revealed that he won a dance competition in Jamaica when he was six years old.
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In September, he vowed to no longer rap about violence.
This year has marked a spiritual awakening for NLE Choppa. Following the release of his debut album, Top Shotta, in August, the 17-year-old opened up to Complex. about the dark place he found himself over his newfound fame and fortune while recording the project. “I just didn’t really know who I was,” he told the digital publication. “I couldn’t sleep, I had a bad attitude, and my whole mood was just thrown off balance. The stress just had me in a space where I didn’t want to be bothered because I was working so hard.” So, he turned to meditation to quell the darkness and find inner peace. One month, NLE Choppa declared on Twitter he would no longer rap about violence.
“Ion Rap ‘Bout Violence Nomo. If You Hear It From Me It’s A Old Song,” he declared on Twitter. “I Wanna Spread Positivity And Wake People Up. I’ll Still Drop Them For Y’all Tho But Just Know I’m On To Better I’m Tryna grow I Got More To Talk about Now.”
Since then, he has started advocating for mindfulness, meditation, positivity, and optimism. He has launched a spiritual YouTube channel, “Awakened Choppa.”
The 2020 Hip Hop Awards will air on BET October 27 at 8/9c.
