Well here I am again. One more week with a young, very popular artist in the music industry. I should highlight the word young because NLE Choppa turned 18 last year in November. That means once again I am featuring an artist who was born after the year 2000. Of course, this will happen with more frequency as the years roll by, but for me it is interesting to consider the life experiences of a truly millennial artist. Young NLE Choppa arrives in Weekly Music Commentary with a lot of success and some trouble at the same time. Normally I try to only concentrate on the music, but this time the headlines led us to more of a personal issue.
With NLE Choppa being so young, the story of his successful rise has to be a major part of the story for Weekly Music Commentary. Therefore we must start with his musical beginnings. Perhaps that might provide some clues into how much he will continue to rise and how long of a career he will enjoy. Like each week, let us take a look at his start and then analyze what might be in the young rapper’s future.
Bryson Lashun Potts was born to a Jamaican mother and an Nigerian father on November 1, 2002. He was raised in Memphis, Tennessee in the Parkway Village area, and also was enrolled in Cordova High School where he played basketball. He began freestyling with friends at the age of 14 and started taking music seriously at 15.
NLE Choppa’s teen years were filled with events that made him grow up even faster than musical success. He spent some time in a juvenile detention center. He stated that the event motivated him to turn his life around. In an episode of his YouTube series The Rise of NLE Choppa, he said that being in detention helped him a lot and was an “eye-opener”. On June 20, 2020, NLE Choppa welcomed his first child, a daughter named Clover Brylie Potts. He stated having a child on the way changed his mindset; “I knew I needed to change and be a better person for my daughter”. In August 2020, NLE Choppa gravitated towards a “spiritual” awakening on social media, launching a YouTube channel called “Awakened Choppa”, where he documents his holistic and healthier lifestyle which includes veganism and gardening.
Of course the legal problems NLE Choppa experienced are a part of life no one should want to go through. However, the changes toward more responsibility as well as a better diet are excellent choices. Many of us probably wish we had made better dietary choices at 18 years old. We would all be a lot healthier in our older years.
NLE Choppa’s manager is his mother, Angela Potts, who has been managing him since he started expressing an interest in rap music. Upon hearing about his mother managing him my first thought was, “That’s really support!” It seems that she has done quite a job for the young artist. We’ll discuss that a little later into the post.
His first song, “No Love Anthem”, was released in February 2018 under the name YNR Choppa. On July 22, he released his debut mixtape, No Love the Takeover. In December, he appeared on “No Chorus Pt. 3″, a cypher-style song by his Shotta Fam collective. His opening verse and his dance moves in the accompanying music video made him stand out from the group, earning him an online buzz.
After the surge of popularity, he released his breakout single “Shotta Flow”. The video reached 10 million views in a month. A few days after its release, Pitchfork highlighted the track as its Song of the Day, praising his energetic delivery and adding that “he hits a new dance move every time the camera cuts back to him”. The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2019, debuting at number 96. It later peaked at number 36. The official remix, featuring Blueface and a Cole Bennett-directed music video, was released in June, shortly after the original song was certified platinum by the RIAA.
In February, he released the song’s sequel, “Shotta Flow 2”. The video received 20 million views within two months, prompting Carl Lamarre from Billboard to say that his “recent dominance has silenced any detractors”. It was around this time that I began to notice the young rapper’s videos continuing to go viral. I must admit I was intrigued by the rise of the artist. It would still be a while before I would feature him in Weekly Music Commentary. It was around this time that it was reported that Choppa had sparked a bidding war between a handful of top record labels, with bids reaching a reported $3 million. He turned these offers down, from Republic Records, Interscope Records, Caroline, however, to instead sign with the independent distribution company, UnitedMasters, while keeping his master recordings and publishing.
Now I turn the attention back to NLE Choppa’s mother, Angela Potts. It takes some resolve to walk away from $3 million dollars. I’m not aware of the conversations between Potts and her son, but I will say that both came to a very wise business decision. I know a few who did take the money at this point in their careers and experienced some regret later. NLE Choppa would later start his own label No Love Entertainment.
In May 2019, Choppa released a new single, “Blocc Is Hot”, produced by ATL Jacob. It was made as a tribute to his favorite childhood rapper, Lil Wayne. A few days later, he made his music festival debut by performing at the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis. Bob Mehr of The Commercial Appeal praised his act, saying that he “did much to seize the opportunity on the big stage in his hometown” and that “his career is likely to see plenty more memorable Memphis moments.
NLE Choppa’s debut studio album, Top Shotta was initially set for release in early 2020, and was preceded by multiple singles.After some delays, on August 7 Top Shotta was released. On August 11, 2020, NLE Choppa was included on XXL‘s 2020 Freshman Class. Choppa vowed to stop rapping about violence, stating he has more to talk about and wants to “spread positivity and wake people up” Hence he would become a more conscious and well-rounded rap artist.
Along the way of this quick rise to superstar comes several bumps in the road. A few weeks ago this is exactly what happened to NLE Choppa right here in South Florida. He was arrested after police claimed he was caught during an alleged attempted burglary of a watch with two other suspects. In a Twitter post he shared after the arrest, NLE Choppa claimed the allegations made against him are false, writing, “To begin, when you start changing lives around you and began [sic] to stand for something deep in your purpose you become a target to a certain group of people and also the devil.”
As always I don’t make any assumptions or takes sides in debates while writing for Weekly Music Commentary. The facts will be revealed in due time. Nevertheless, I don’t think this arrest will stop NLE Choppa and his continued rise in fame. My only hope is that he enjoys success and good health in the years to come.