“‘All Eyez on Me,’ OG from the East,” NLE Choppa raps toward the end of his sophomore album “Me vs. Me,” released January 14. The 19-year-old rap upstart from East Memphis, boasting over 10 million monthly Spotify listeners, has paid tribute to Tupac before. His lead single around this time last year was “Picture Me Grapin,” a play on “Picture Me Rollin’.” The song’s video recreated some of Pac’s most iconic music video scenes, fashion and run-ins with media, like when he spit on reporters covering his 1994 sexual assault trial. NLE even bears Pac’s influence across his chest, with a gothic cross tattoo in the same silhouette the West Coast rap icon had on his back.
Thank NLE’s father, who gamely imitates his son’s trendy dances whenever there’s a camera nearby. “I heard a lot of Tupac growing up, just off the strength of my dad playing his music,” NLE says, on a Zoom call minutes
