Unfortunately, NLE Choppa’s name has been in news headlines more over the last several weeks for arrests and conflicts than for his recent turn towards positivity. Yesterday, the 18-year-old rapper had to explain footage of him being involved in a physical altercation.
Video of NLE Choppa and his crew beating down an unknown man in Venice Beach, California made its way to social media. While the fight appeared to be at least five-on-one, a lot of the conversation online was concentrated on Choppa catching a direct punch to the face at one point.
“Damn, y’all never got hit in a fight before? 😂 Bruh asked for [a] picture. I said, ‘No, I’m enjoying [myself],’ and I get called scary and a b####. I make sure I take pictures with every fan but some days I just be trying to chill and get disrespected in the process,” tweeted NLE Choppa on Monday.
The Memphis, Tennessee native later added, “And I eat punches. Ask bout me. Imma rush you take what you got to give and resume beating some. Honestly [I] ain’t wanna fight I was just tryna walk the beach 🤷🏽♂️.”
Prior to the beach brawl over the weekend, NLE Choppa (born Bryson Lashun Potts) was arrested in Davie, Florida. The “Shotta Flow” hitmaker was charged with carrying a concealed firearm, possession of illegal narcotics, and burglary.
“To begin when you start changing lives around you and began to stand for something deep in your purpose you become a target to a certain group of people and also the devil. During this arrest I was setup, substances were planted on me that I don’t consume/use/own, my name was lied upon, and I was even mistreated in the process,” stated NLE Choppa.
He added, “Every media outlet, news channel, and etc covered this story to paint a picture on a new surface I’ve been working so hard to create. This case will be beat and I will walk a free man, remember it’s innocent until proven guilty not guilty until proven innocent.”
Over the last year, NLE Choppa has changed his public persona to focus on self-healing, meditation, affirmations, vegan cooking, and other healthy lifestyle options. He released his From Dark to Light mixtape in November 2020. The project was a departure from Choppa’s previous street life-themed content.
NLE Choppa also started speaking out about the importance of mental health awareness in the Black community. A February interview with Fox Soul’s The Mix included the Warner Records signee discussing African Americans having to deal with anxiety and depression.
“The problems we face, the trauma we see on a daily basis, how we’re treated just off the melanin skin that we got – a lot of people don’t know that they be facing a type of mental illness. They don’t know the things they’re seeing – all this police brutality – everything you feed your mind, your soul, your body, it affects you,” said NLE Choppa.