NLE Choppa was born Bryson Potts in 2002. Raised in a rough part of Memphis, Potts focused on basketball when growing up but began freestyling with friends at age 14. The following year, he decided to take his music to the next level, entering the studio and putting down raps inspired by Southern rappers like NBA Youngboy , Meek Mill , and Lil Wayne . He first went under the name YNR Choppa and released several tracks under that moniker. He soon switched over to using the name NLE Choppa, the NLE standing for his brand "No Love Entertainment." Along with other teenage rapper friends, he posted several videos, some gaining traction regionally. It was his January 2019 single, "Shotta Flow," that broke through worldwide, with an exciting and boisterous video accumulating tens of millions of views in a matter of months.