Key Takeaways:
- NLE Choppa’s new identity, NLE The Great, signals a shift in mindset and image.
- His new track, “Messiah (Devil’s Diss),” features bold lyrics and high-profile name-drops.
- A handwritten letter to his past self reveals deeper emotional themes.
NLE Choppa — who’s apparently changing his name to NLE The Great — is entering a new era mentally, physically and musically. On Monday (July 7), the Memphis rapper revealed he shaved his head and teased a diss track dropping later that night. Fans finally got what they'd been waiting for with “Messiah (Devil’s Diss).”
Channeling his inner 2Pac, NLE Choppa dropped the song alongside a video of himself rapping directly into the camera. Shirtless and wearing a Death Row Records chain, he dished out lines like, “Martin Luther King died for some s**t like this / Malcom X had to cry for some s**t like this / Tell Rosa Parks she can ride in thе Cullinan.”
Interestingly enough, NLE Choppa later referenced 2Pac’s “Picture Me Rollin’,” though not before name-dropping a few A-listers. “So cocky, I’ll tell Beyoncé I’on need her / So cocky, I’ll preach a sermon to the preacher,” he rapped before mentioning Justin Timberlake and Justin Bieber. Take a listen to “Messiah (Devil’s Diss)” below.
NLE Choppa taking a more lyrical route is definitely a welcome change of pace, especially in the second verse. “Pockets on fatso, I’m leaning more than Fat Joe,” he unloaded in reference to Terror Squad’s “Lean Back” before continuing, “I’m big dawg, you tad pole, pat-pat, yo’ dad home.” In case anyone was curious, Clarissa Shields, Nicki Minaj and Shawty Lo were also mentioned in the latter half of the song.
Speaking of NLE Choppa’s decision to go bald, he marked the moment with a photo of what appears to be his chopped-off hair inside a shoebox. Alongside it was a handwritten note addressed to his “past self.” The "Walk Em Down" hitmaker penned, “Thank you, your efforts didn’t go in vain in any way, shape or form. Your hard work towards getting in alignment is the reason why I am able to write this as of now.” See the post below.