Rapper NLE Choppa announces he is ‘coming out’ but doesn’t provide any details
Rapper NLE Choppa has told fans that he was “coming out”, but without any additional context, leaving them confused about whether he was announcing that he is gay.
Posting on X/Twitter on Thursday (September 5), Choppa shared two photos of himself that appeared to be zoomed-in mirror selfies, one which showed only his upper body and the other full-length.
Alongside the pictures, he wrote: “I’m coming out.”
The post has been viewed more 15 million times, garnering 124,000 likes and 7,000 comments as fans attempted to work out his meaning. “NLE Choppa gay” started to trend in Google search as a result.
Of course, generally when people say they’re coming out, it is used in the context of LGBTQ+ people metaphorically “coming out of the closet”, describing someone announcing their sexual or gender identity after previously hiding it or struggling to come to terms with it, whether consciously or unconsciously.
Several people have questioned the veracity of the post, and said that there was no way he was coming out in the traditional sense.
One person wrote: “Boy, u is not gay,” while another said: “This hard-core gay baiting is not needed.”
Others said it was likely to be a “promotional strategy” for his music but some claimed to have known all along that NLE was a little “fruity” – internet slang for someone who is LGBTQ+.
Who is NLE Choppa?
NLE Choppa, born Bryson LaShun Potts, is a rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He rose to fame in 2019 with the single “Shotta Flow”, which made the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, and released his debut EP Cottonwood later that year.
Critics have noted that his “animated vocals” and energetic rapping have been present on his subsequent songs.
He has two children, the first a daughter born in 2020 to ex-girlfriend Mariah, and the second a son born in 2023 with then-girlfriend Marissa Da’Nae.
His daughter “changed” his life and gave him “something to live for”, the rapper said.
NLE Choppa has been an ally to the LGBTQ+ community
NLE recently performed at Atlanta Black Pride, showing support for the LGBTQ+ community despite not being openly queer.
He was criticised for taking the place of another LGBTQ+ artist but defended his appearance by saying: “I ain’t gon’ lie, man, every day we wake up and we fight acceptance every day. Whether it’s our skin colour, whether if it’s our weight, whether it’s what our sexuality is.
“I’m here to make a difference and show y’all it’s love,” adding that he wasn’t there to boost his profile.
NLE went out of his way to thank his LGBTQ+ fans for supporting him when “Slut Me Out 2″ was released earlier this year, writing on X: I was raised to f*** with who f***[s] with you. So, thank y’all for appreciating my craft… my music for all, we do no discrimination.”
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