In a nod to the 2000s era, NLE Choppa adopted a retro style for his new music video by paying tribute to Nelly.

On Wednesday (July 26), the Memphis rapper shared a series of Instagram photos of himself dressed in an outfit reminiscent of the time period. His look was complete with a headband, baggy jeans, a Hardwood Classics Denver Nuggets throwback jersey, and A Bathing Ape sneakers. Even Nelly’s signature Band-Aid under the eye wasn’t missed.

In the clip posted, Choppa can be heard rapping, “Uh-oh, get hit with a Glockie. He ain’t see it, it come from out the pocket. Uh, get her lit-a, ha-ha. When the Glock go, pa-pa. I feel like bustin’ loose. Red bottoms on, f**kin’ her out of her shoes.”

Adding to the excitement, Nelly himself gave the thumbs-up to Choppa’s homage. Reposting the latter’s photos on his Instagram Story, the “Country Grammar” artist wrote, “Go up, nephew.” The Memphis native subsequently shared his joy at the approval. He responded, “Nelly approved.”

However, some fans didn’t share the same reaction. “When they saying rap not hitting right now, this what they talking bout,” one user commented. Elsewhere, someone else added, “Another example of artists being completely unoriginal. Sampling every damn song.”

Another person explained, “Sorry, but this industry just sucks, and I honestly don’t want to be a part of any of it anymore. S**t ain’t even about the music anymore, so I’m good on it.”

Apart from paying tribute to Nelly, the 20-year-old rapper recently stood up for Sexyy Red amid a flurry of negative comments directed at the emerging artist. Expressing his admiration for her music and energy, Choppa urged critics to celebrate diversity in the industry and to avoid tearing down their own community.

“Y’all need to stop doing that girl like that. That s**t ain’t right because, at the end of the day, she got a child. She feeding her child. She making money and making sure that her baby [is] straight. That’s all that matters,” he explained. “Y’all don’t know that girl, y’all ain’t met her. I’m just sticking up for her because I ain’t seen nobody else round this muthaf**ka sticking up for her, showing her all this love.”