NLE Choppa's Savage "KO" Knockout: Did He Just Bury NBA YoungBoy in a Muhammad Ali Throwdown – And Why Fans Are Losing It!

In a move that's got the hip-hop world buzzing louder than a sold-out Rumble in the Jungle, NLE Choppa – now rebranding himself as NLE The Great – has thrown down the gauntlet in the most cinematic way possible. The Memphis firestarter dropped his blistering new single "KO" on October 30, and the accompanying music video isn't just a diss track visual; it's a full-blown cultural homage turned savage takedown. At its heart? A jaw-dropping recreation of Muhammad Ali's legendary 1970 Life magazine cover photo, where The Greatest stares down the barrel of Floyd Patterson's jab in one of boxing's most iconic standoffs. But in Choppa's twisted vision, he's the one floating like a butterfly – and the unlucky opponent in the ring? A dead ringer for NBA YoungBoy. The photo recreation, which has racked up over 5 million views on X alone since its debut, shows Choppa in full Ali regalia: white boxing trunks, red gloves, and that unmistakable scowl of defiance. His eyes lock onto a stern-faced actor channeling YoungBoy's signature intensity, complete with a Never Broke Again chain dangling precariously close to a metaphorical haymaker. It's not subtle – it's a gut punch. "This ain't just bars; this is history remixed for the culture," Choppa captioned the clip on Instagram, where it exploded with 2.3 million likes in under 24 hours. Fans are divided: some hail it as genius artistry, others call it a desperate grab for relevance. Either way, it's trending harder than the latest Drake-Kendrick fallout, with #ChoppaVsYoungBoy spiking to the top of X's global hashtags. To understand the firestorm, you have to rewind the tape on this beef, which has simmered like a pot of gumbo left too long on the stove. NLE Choppa, born Bryson Lashun Potts, burst onto the scene in 2019 with "Shotta Flow," a gritty banger that had everyone – including YoungBoy stans – drawing comparisons to Kentrell Gaulden's raw, melodic trap style. Choppa leaned into it early, even dropping a track called "Free YoungBoy" amid Gaulden's legal woes. But cracks formed fast. In 2020, during the heated OTF vs. NBA beef that claimed King Von's life, Choppa publicly sided with Lil Durk's camp, tweeting solidarity that didn't sit well with Baton Rouge's slime language loyalists. YoungBoy clapped back subtly in tracks like "Genie," with lines that fans dissected as shots at the then-teenage Choppa: "These n***as bitin' my flow, actin' like they from the trenches." Choppa fired a alleged response in his 2021 "Final Warning," but it was deleted amid backlash, leaving the feud in a weird limbo of sneak disses and radio silence. Fast-forward to 2025, and Choppa's "KO" feels like the knockout round everyone knew was coming. Built on a haunting flip of 2Pac's eternal diss anthem "Hit 'Em Up," the track wastes no time naming names. "YoungBoy what, this the big boy league / Put one in the gut under the Jesus piece / Last thing that I heard was 'Jesus please,' had me looking at the devil like this is your king," Choppa snarls over a beat that blends Pac's aggression with eerie, church-bell undertones. He doesn't stop at personal jabs – he goes for the cultural jugular, accusing YoungBoy of "poison[ing] the youth" and normalizing toxicity: "You the reason n***as beating bitches thinking that it's cute / You send n***as to do what you wouldn't even do / Role model, you will never fit the shoe." The cover art? Choppa gripping a severed head that eerily mirrors YoungBoy's face – a bold, if grotesque, metaphor for ending the influence once and for all. But the real magic – or madness, depending on who you ask – unfolds in the video, directed by Travis Payne, the legendary choreographer who shaped Michael Jackson's moonwalks. Clocking in at nearly five minutes of high-octane visuals, it's less a music video and more a mini-musical tribute to Black icons who've redefined greatness. Choppa shape-shifts through avatars of his heroes: He channels Prince's flamboyant guitar riffs in a purple haze sequence, embodies Mike Tyson's ferocious training montage with sweat-drenched hooks on a heavy bag, and yes, crescendos into that Ali-Patterson recreation that's stealing the show. Dressed in era-perfect gear, Choppa dodges invisible punches while the YoungBoy lookalike lunges forward, the tension building to a freeze-frame that mirrors Ali's unyielding glare. "I'm in love with the art / He tearing people apart," Choppa raps, layering in Thriller-era dance breaks that have even skeptics nodding along. The checkerboard floor motif? A nod to duality – good vs. evil, influence vs. destruction – tying it all back to Choppa's self-proclaimed evolution from street tales to spiritual warrior. Choppa's transformation into "NLE The Great" isn't just a name change; it's a manifesto. The 22-year-old, who's balanced viral hits like "Walk Em Down" with wellness drives, vegan food trucks, and literacy campaigns, has long preached positivity. "This record is a gut-check for the culture," he told Rolling Stone in a post-drop interview. "I've been that fanboy, but seeing the poison spread? Nah, it's time to KO the negativity." Yet, in a twist that reeks of hip-hop's classic frenemy vibes, Choppa admitted lingering respect: "I still got love for bro. This ain't hate; it's tough love. We've had issues, personal s***, but it's bigger than us." He even extended an "olive branch" on Instagram, explaining the diss stems from "things said" in private convos, not just clout-chasing. SCROLL DOWN TO CONTINUE

The internet, predictably, lost its collective mind. On X, reactions poured in like rounds in a title fight. "NLE out here doing Broadway while dissing YB? This the gayest knockout I've seen," podcaster Joe Budden quipped on his show, dubbing it a "Broadway version nobody asked for." Over on Reddit's r/hiphopheads, threads dissected every frame: "Bro went full MJ Thriller choreo, Tyson montages, Ali fights, and Tupac refs – copycat energy on 1000, but damn if it ain't fire." YB fans fired back hard, resurfacing old clips of YoungBoy "bod[ying]" Choppa years ago: "He cooked him in 2020 and dipped. Why respond now? Clout goblin." Meanwhile, neutrals praised the creativity: "Portraying Ali in a diss vid? Comedic but iconic. These two need a remix, not beef." Not content with digital jabs, Choppa escalated IRL. On November 4, he trolled YoungBoy by erecting a massive diss billboard in Baton Rouge's northside – YB's old hood – blaring "KO: The Great Era Begins. Poison Ends Here" alongside a QR code linking to the track. "This ain't a fire drill. I'm standing on everything," he posted on his Story, doubling down as views hit 10 million. Charleston White, never one to mince words, jumped in on a viral clip, clowning Choppa: "Bad idea, lil bro. YB's slime don't play. This won't end well for the vegan rapper." And just yesterday, Choppa dropped "Quiet Storm Freestyle," another YB callout layered over Mobb Deep's classic, keeping the momentum alive. For YoungBoy, who's been grinding through a sold-out "Make America Slime Again" tour amid house arrest rumors, the silence is deafening – or strategic. His camp hasn't uttered a peep, but insiders whisper a response track is brewing, potentially flipping the script with that signature vulnerability-meets-menace flow. "Kentrell don't need to touch this," one source close to NBA told HipHopDX. "Choppa's living rent-free in his own head." Gaulden's last project, *I Rest My Case*, moved 100K first-week units without a single diss, proving his pen's power lies in introspection, not retaliation. Still, with Choppa's star rising – his last single "Media Day Freestyle" debuted at No. 22 on Billboard's Hot 100 – the stakes feel higher than ever. This Ali recreation isn't just a viral stunt; it's a mirror to hip-hop's endless cycle of inspiration and imitation. Choppa, once accused of biting YB's style, now positions himself as the evolved warrior, using The Greatest's legacy to symbolize his fight against "demonic" influences in rap. Ali himself trash-talked to sell tickets and shift paradigms – remember "It ain't no pleasure tournin' the other cheek"? Choppa's echoing that, blending reverence with rebellion. Critics argue it's performative, especially given his own past lyrics glorifying violence, but supporters see redemption: "From Shotta Flow to spiritual KO – growth looks good on him." As X timelines flood with edits pitting the two in virtual boxing rings – Photoshopped gloves and all – one thing's clear: Hip-hop's drama mill is churning at peak velocity. Will YoungBoy step into the squared circle with a lyrical uppercut? Or will this fizzle into another forgotten feud? For now, NLE The Great has the belt, shadowboxing icons while the culture watches, breathless. In the words of Ali: "It's not bragging if you can back it up." Choppa's betting he can – and the replay's already on repeat. Jamal Thompson covers hip-hop feuds and cultural crossovers for Hip-Hop Pulse. Follow him on X @BeatdownReports for real-time updates. This story will update as the beef evolves.