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Who is NLE Choppa? Memphis rapper gets into beach fight just a month after arrest on gun and drug charges

The 18-year-old rapper previously claimed that he was set up by the police after his arrest on March 28, 2021 in Florida

Rapper NLE Choppa from Memphis, Tennessee, who rose to prominence with his 2019 single 'Shotta Flow', was spotted in the middle of a fight at Venice Beach in Los Angeles. Choppa was arrested barely a month ago on March 28, 2021, in Broward County, Florida, on charges of carrying a secret firearm, possession of Xanax, cannabis as well as for burglary attempt at a tow yard. However, Choppa denied his involvement in the crimes and had remarked that the charges were a 'setup' by the police. He is presently out on a bail of $4,500.

In the video, that began circulating online on Monday, May 3, originally shot by Instagram user Pooja Bawa, NLE Choppa can be seen flanked by his crew of at least six men, who were arguing with two men on electric bikes. According to the person who shot the video as soon as one of the men stood up and took off his backpack, Choppa's crew charged toward him to attack. The rapper and his crew clearly outnumbered the victim and continued to beat him up in front of bystanders. Even the spectators can be heard shouting that the fight was not fair. 

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Who is NLE Choppa?

NLE Choppa, whose real name is Bryson Lashun Potts, is an 18-year-old rapper hailing from Memphis. Born in 2002 to a Jamaican mother and a Nigerian father, Choppa attended Cordova High School where he was a part of the basketball team. 

His passion for music sprouted around the age of 15 years when he started freestyling with friends. In February 2018, he debuted with the song 'No Love Anthem' under the name YNR Choppa. After his 2019 single 'Shotta Flow' earned the 36th spot in Billboard Hot 100, he released his first studio album 'Top Shotta' in 2020. The album reached number 10 on the US Billboard 200. On his 18th birthday on November 1, 2020, Choppa released his second mixtape 'From Dark to Light'. 

The young rapper was embroiled in controversy in March 2021 after he was spotted on surveillance cameras with another person trying to burglarize a tow yard. Around 2 am on March 28, Choppa jumped over a gate at Superior Towing Company in Davie to get into the tow yard off State Road 84 on Southwest 66th Terrace while wearing a ski mask.

Davie Police later stated that the rapper revealed he jumped over the fence to get a watch out of a car that was in the tow yard. The arrest report says it was towed earlier in the day, but it turned out the vehicle was not even in that tow yard. 

Meanwhile, a loaded Glock 27 with an extended magazine and an AK-47 Draco pistol were found near Choppa's location. Cops also claimed that they found a backpack with seven grams of marijuana and three-and-a-half Xanax pills.

Following his release on bail, Choppa tweeted a statement saying, "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 mistreated in the process." He additionally stated, "This case will be beat and I will walk a free man, remember it’s innocent until proven guilty not guilty until proven innocent."

'NLE Choppa is fake woke'

The rapper was slammed severely on Twitter as soon as the video of his fight surfaced on social media. One user wrote, "You know what... nvm... you lame AF for this... walkin away like you all did something... funny how easily respect goes out the window when you go acting like a (clown emoji)."

"NLE Choppa is fake woke like why you fighting if you always talking about meditating this meditating that boy bye✌🏾 but hey big man punched tf outta Choppa though," one user called him out.