Being one of the greats comes with a price, and some costs are definitely more exhausting than others. Few rappers know that better than NLE Choppa, who spent the past year or so catching heat over his music and more grown-up image and — maybe most frustrating of all — facing constant speculation about his sexuality.

The “Shotta Flow” rapper stopped by “The Breakfast Club” on Tuesday (March 25), where he discussed the rumors and why they no longer bother him. “With the greats, everybody thought it was something with ‘em,” he said. “They said Prince was gay, they said [Michael Jackson] touched kids — some people thought he was gay.”

He further emphasized, “Everybody that’s great, especially that’s a melanin color, we get crucified the most, and it’s really by our own community a lot of the time.”

What Sparked Speculation About NLE Choppa’s Sexuality

Interestingly, NLE Choppa’s sexuality is something he’s addressed plenty of times before. In 2022, the Memphis native tweeted, “I don’t mind attracting both genders, but most importantly, my sexual preference is women. Please stop trying to make me something I am not.” Naturally, he’s had to deal with minor chatter here and there, but the rumors began circulating full force again following 2024’s “SLUT ME OUT 2.”

The “bad b**ch” anthem unsurprisingly became popular within the LGBTQ+ community, and instead of running in the opposite direction, NLE Choppa welcomed the love. “[I don’t care] what’s normalized as a rapper. I was raised to f**k with who f**k with you!” he penned on X in support of his new audience.

NLE Choppa Believes Black Celebrities Aren’t “Innocent Until Proven Guilty” Anymore

Later in his “The Breakfast Club” interview, NLE Choppa took issue with the way celebrities, or more specifically, artists are seen as “guilty off rip” online. “That’s been instilled in us since slavery,” he shared. “It’s something that we haven’t really broken out of.”

Perhaps one of the more recent examples is JAY-Z, who was accused of drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl just last year. Of course, those claims turned out to be false, but social media didn’t waste any time lumping him in with every other defamed celebrity out there.

Lizzo is another person who, in 2023, faced a lawsuit from three of her former backup dancers over allegations of harassment and poor working conditions. Although they dropped the case that following year, the fallout and whatever emotions came with it had already set in. In both instances, the court of public opinion moved way faster than the facts, which is exactly the cycle NLE Choppa was calling out.