NLE Choppa Defends Provocative Playgirl Photoshoot, Says He Isn’t “Gay-Baiting”

NLE Choppa graced the cover of Playgirl‘s January 2025 issue. Images from the photoshoot were aptly risqué, but the 22-year-old rapper felt the need to defend its sexually suggestive nature, as many deemed the images as “gay-baiting.”

One image shows him flaunting a part of his backside. However, he confirmed that he doesn’t identify as gay and isn’t trying to bait anyone.

“I really don’t care, and I think that’s the problem,” the “Slut Me Out 2” emcee stated in a video. “I think I don’t care so much that it’s like a disconnect. It’s like since I don’t care so much and I know who I am so much, I just feel like narratives get painted because I don’t care so much. So I just wanted to clear the narrative first. Do not say that I’m a gay baiter because I’m comfortable enough to show off the perfection that God has orchestrated over my physical, my mental, my spiritual and even my emotions.”

Choppa continued, “I am not a gay baiter because I post a selfie in the mirror showing off how beautiful I am. I am not a gay baiter if I post a picture showing off how much God has blessed me from below the waist with something that got women going crazy. I am not a gay baiter because in my Playgirl shoot I showed a piece of my a**. I can’t show a piece of my own a** without being called a name? It’s my a**! I am not a gay baiter because I showed my a** to a lady photographer.”

He did affirm that he loves members of the LGBTQIA+ community, but noted, “I would never want to bait gay people to love me for a certain reason. That’s not what I wanna do.”

Back in September, the Memphis native showed his support for the LGBTQIA+ community when he performed at Atlanta’s Black Pride event.

He did receive some backlash and addressed it. “A lot of muthaf**kas will ask me, ‘You a rapper, what you doing at a club like this?’” he said. “Well, I say, ‘F**k them n-ggas.’ You wanna know why? Every day, man, we wake up and we fight [for] acceptance. Whether it’s our skin color, whether it’s our weight, whether it’s how we look, whether it’s what our sexuality is. At the end of the day, I believe in one thing: I feel like everybody is equal, no matter how they drink their water, how they eat their food, how they piss, s**t or muthaf**king sleep, do you feel me?”

He expressed that his appearance wasn’t performative and that he didn’t do it for clout.

“I’m not here for no gimmicks. I’m not here for no extra followers. I’m not here for no extra views. ‘Cause I already got ’em if we’re keeping it a hunnid. I’m really here to make a difference and show y’all it’s love, bruh. We Black, no matter what,” Choppa explained.

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