NLE Choppa Bio
Bryson LaShun Potts, known professionally as NLE Choppa, is an American rapper, songwriter, and YouTuber from Memphis, Tennessee. Born on 1 November 2002, he first drew widespread attention with the release of his 2019 single “Shotta Flow,” which was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Over the following years, he released a string of commercial projects, including his debut studio album Top Shotta in 2020, and built a sizable audience on YouTube through his “Awakened Choppa” channel. Beyond music, Potts has branched into publishing and lifestyle content, releasing a children’s book in 2025.
Early Life and Background
Bryson LaShun Potts was born on November 1, 2002, to an African American father and Jamaican mother. He was raised in Southeast Memphis, Tennessee, in the Parkway Village area, and attended Cordova High School, where he played basketball. Memphis itself shaped his early musical perspective; he has recalled listening to a lot of unreleased music from around the city, and he also grew up listening to artists such as UGK and Lil Wayne.
Potts began freestyling with childhood friends at the age of 15 and started taking music seriously at 16. His mother, Angela Potts, recognized his interest in rap early and has served as his manager since the beginning of his career. Before his breakthrough, he spent time at a juvenile detention center, an experience he has described as an “eye-opener” that motivated him to change his behavior.
Path to Rap
Potts entered the recording scene in March 2018 with his debut single, “No Love Anthem,” performing under the name YNR Choppa. A few months later, in July 2018, he released his debut mixtape, No Love the Takeover, and by December he had appeared on “No Chorus Pt. 3,” a cypher-style track by his Shotta Fam collective. His animated verse and dance moves in the accompanying video helped him stand out and generated early online buzz, setting the stage for his solo breakthrough.
His momentum continued to build when “Shotta Flow” went viral in early 2019, drawing coverage from Pitchfork, which highlighted the track as a Song of the Day. Soon after, multiple major labels reportedly engaged in a bidding war reportedly worth as much as $3 million, but Potts ultimately chose to sign with the independent distribution company UnitedMasters, retaining control of his master recordings and publishing. He later launched his own label, No Love Entertainment (NLE), in partnership with Warner Records.
NLE Choppa Career
Early Career (2018-2019)
Potts’s earliest releases, including “No Love Anthem” and the mixtape No Love the Takeover, established his presence on the Memphis underground scene in 2018. The following year, he followed “Shotta Flow” with a string of singles such as “Capo,” “Birdboy,” “Blocc Is Hot,” and “Free YoungBoy,” the last of which became the inaugural release from his own No Love Entertainment label. He also made his music festival debut at the 2019 Beale Street Music Festival, where reviewers praised his ability to seize the moment on a hometown stage.
On September 13, 2019, Potts released “Camelot,” which became his second top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The year closed with the release of his debut extended play, Cottonwood, on December 20, 2019, accompanied by a short film of the same name. The EP featured the breakout “Shotta Flow,” its Blueface-assisted remix, and a collaboration with Meek Mill.
Breakthrough (2019-2020)
The arrival of “Shotta Flow” in early 2019 marked Potts’s mainstream breakthrough. The track debuted at number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2019, later peaking at number 36, while the official remix featuring Blueface arrived shortly after the original earned platinum certification. A sequel, “Shotta Flow 2,” drew more than 20 million views within two months, solidifying Potts as one of the most talked-about young rappers of the year.
On August 7, 2020, Potts released his debut studio album, Top Shotta, through Warner Records. The project peaked within the top ten of the US Billboard 200 and included the top 40 singles “Camelot” and “Walk Em Down,” the latter featuring Roddy Ricch. In August 2020, he was named to XXL’s 2020 Freshman Class, a notable recognition within the hip hop community. On November 1, 2020, his birthday, he released the mixtape From Dark to Light, signaling a more introspective phase in his music and image.
2021-Present: Me vs. Me and Cottonwood 2
Potts released his fifth mixtape, Me vs. Me, on January 28, 2022. The 16-track project included guest appearances from Young Thug, Polo G, G Herbo, and Moneybagg Yo, and was preceded by collaborations with Lil Durk on “Walk Em Down 2” and the single “Shotta Flow 6,” the latest installment in his signature series. He also released “Shotta Flow 7” in December 2023.
His second studio album, Cottonwood 2, arrived in 2023 and featured the lead single “Slut Me Out,” which was remixed with Sexyy Red and peaked within the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his highest-charting entry on that tally. In April 2025, Potts released a children’s book titled Cricket Stop Cricking, with the goal of promoting literacy in young readers.
Notable Works and Milestones
“Shotta Flow” remains Potts’s signature release, anchoring the “Shotta Flow” series and the Cottonwood project. The track’s platinum certification, paired with subsequent hits such as “Camelot” and “Slut Me Out,” has helped him maintain a steady commercial presence since 2019, while his inclusion in XXL’s 2020 Freshman Class marked a key industry milestone.
NLE Choppa Personal Life
On June 20, 2020, Potts became a father for the first time, an experience he has publicly credited with motivating him to become a better person. In August 2020, he launched his “Awakened Choppa” YouTube channel, where he documented a more holistic lifestyle that included veganism and gardening. On March 29, 2021, he was arrested on burglary, drug, and weapon charges, and he later released the freestyle “First Day Out” over SpotemGottem’s viral “Beat Box” beat.
In March 2022, Potts and his then-girlfriend, Marissa Da’Nae, shared that they had lost their unborn son due to a miscarriage, and on August 16, 2023, the couple welcomed a daughter. In December 2025, Potts announced that he had gotten engaged to singer Erica Ravén.