NLE Choppa, who now goes by NLE The Great, says the inspiration for his fiery NBA YoungBoy diss track “KO” came from an unsettling dream that felt more like a nightmare.
In a Rolling Stone interview published on Monday (Nov. 3), the Memphis rapper recalled the “gruesome” vision that sparked the song. “It was me holding a young boy’s head in my hand and bringing it to my father,” he shared. “There was flesh hanging off the skull, mosquitoes biting at it — it felt so real I could even remember the smell.”
After waking up shaken, NLE said he didn’t immediately understand what the dream meant. “I didn’t know how to interpret it,” he admitted. “So I prayed, and from there, my steps were ordered.”
When speaking on the meaning behind “KO,” he pointed to the third verse, where he raps, “You poison the youth, nothin’ positive you do / You the reason ngas beating bches thinking that it’s cute.” Though self-aware about his own flaws, NLE said that verse came from a place of wanting to “bring awareness” and hold YoungBoy “accountable.”
Despite the harsh lyrics, the “Cottonwood” artist insists there’s no lingering bad blood. “I’d love to shake that brother’s hand and even make music with him,” NLE said. “But how could I if he won’t?” He added that he’s unbothered by potential fallout, saying YoungBoy has “bigger fish to fry.”
“KO” marks NLE’s second release under his new name, following “Messiah (Devil’s Diss)” in July. Both songs pay homage to Tupac Shakur, with “KO” sampling the late rapper’s classic “Hit ’Em Up.”