NLE Choppa is the stage name of Bryson LaShun Potts, an American rapper and YouTuber from Memphis, Tennessee. He is also known as NLE the Great and previously used the name YNR Choppa. His music is associated with hip hop, trap, gangsta rap, hardcore hip hop, pop rap and southern hip hop, and he records on No Love Entertainment.

Early life and beginnings

Potts is born in 2002 in Memphis, Tennessee, and is raised in Southeast Memphis in the Parkway Village area. He is the son of an African American father and a Jamaican mother. He attends Cordova High School, where he plays basketball. He begins freestyling with friends at 15 and starts pursuing music seriously at 16.

Breakthrough and early releases

He begins releasing music in 2018 under the name YNR Choppa. His first song, "No Love Anthem," appears in March 2018, followed by the debut mixtape "No Love the Takeover" in July. He also appears on the cypher-style track "No Chorus Pt. 3" with his Shotta Fam collective, which draws attention to his performance and dance moves.

His breakthrough comes with "Shotta Flow" in 2019. The single is certified platinum by the RIAA and enters the Billboard Hot 100, later peaking at number 36. A remix featuring Blueface appears in June 2019, and a follow-up, "Shotta Flow 2," is released earlier in the year and receives 20 million views within two months.

EPs, albums and mixtapes

"Cottonwood," his debut EP, is released in 2019 and includes "Shotta Flow" and a collaboration with Meek Mill. A short film of the same name accompanies the release. He then signs with Warner Records for his debut studio album "Top Shotta" in 2020. The album reaches the top ten of the US Billboard 200 and includes the singles "Camelot" and "Walk Em Down" featuring Roddy Ricch, both of which reach the Billboard Hot 100 top 40. Other singles from this period include "Shotta Flow 5" and "Narrow Road" featuring Lil Baby.

Later in 2020 he releases the mixtape "From Dark to Light," which shifts toward more positive and spiritual themes. In 2022 he releases his fifth mixtape, "Me vs. Me," with guest appearances from Young Thug, Polo G, G Herbo and Moneybagg Yo. Singles from it include "Shotta Flow 6" and "Walk Em Down 2" with Lil Durk. His second studio album, "Cottonwood 2," follows in 2023 and includes the lead single "Slut Me Out," remixed with Sexyy Red, which becomes his highest-charting single by reaching the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Later activity and recognition

He is included in XXL’s 2020 Freshman Class. In November 2022 he features on Lambo40e’s single "Self Esteem." He releases "Shotta Flow 7" in December 2023. In 2025 he publishes the children’s book "Cricket Stop Cricking," which is intended to promote literacy among children.