NLE Choppa believes his struggles with public perception and speculation about his sexuality connect his experience with fame as an entertainer to icons such as Michael Jackson and Prince.
On Tuesday (March 25), the Memphis rap star made the comparison during an appearance on The Breakfast Club while promoting his upcoming role in the film Black Heat starring Dream Doll, Jason Williams and more.
In the midst of discussing several topics, NLE Choppa and the hosts of the show got caught up keke’ing about the “S### Me Out” rapper’s appearance on Kai Cenat’s stream last year.
While Charlamagne Tha God was giving him a hard time about the viral moment, when he raps his vulgar “let me nut on your butt” lyrics while sitting next to Cenat, the conversation shifted to the “gay baiting” backlash NLE Choppa has been receiving for years now. He started off addressing the scrutiny he receives by explaining his belief that “the greats” always had something negatived pinned to them—often times by those who they effectively represent.
“Hey, you want to know something?” NLE Choppa questioned rhetorically. “What I realized was, like, with the greats, everybody thought it was something with them. They said Prince was gay. They said MJ [Michael Jackson] touched kids. Some people thought he was gay.”
NLE Choppa appeared to suggest the cause of the judgement against him is rooted in prejudice instilled in people, especially within the Black community, as a result of the damaging affects of slavery.
“Bruh, everybody that’s great, especially that’s of melanin color, we get crucified the most,” he said. “And it’s really by our own community a lot of times. It was like, we ain’t innocent until proven guilty no more. We guilty, for real. And that’s like something that’s been instilled in us since slavery, I guess.
Choppa continued, “It’s just like something that we ain’t really broke out of. Like, I feel like n##### would have been hating on me for s### back in the day if I got promoted to house n####. Like, how you mad at me? Because I’m finna be in the house chilling.”
NLE Choppa’s latest comments follow a scandal earlier this year which prompted him to speak out after being accused of pandering to the gay community. In a string of tweets, he offered his direct response to a user’s claims that he’s “gay baiting” due to a revealing photo circulating of him wearing designer underwear.
“Never been gay baiting,” NLE Choppa wrote flat out in the tweet. “It’s me showing freedom. Anything now a days is called gay or it’s baiting. In reality I’m comfortable enough, and have the upmost confidence in how good God designed me head to toe. Call me what you want but a straight man comfortable in my skin, I AM.”
