Shotta Flow

"Shotta Flow"
Single by NLE Choppa
from the EP Cottonwood[1]
ReleasedJanuary 11, 2019 (2019-01-11)
Recorded2018
GenreTrap
Length2:40
LabelUnitedMasters
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Midas800
NLE Choppa singles chronology
"Drip Creator"
(2018) 		"Shotta Flow"
(2019) 		"Shotta on Dripp"
(2019)
Music video
"Shotta Flow" on YouTube

"Shotta Flow" is the breakout single by American rapper NLE Choppa (who was 16 at the time) released on January 11, 2019. A remix featuring American rapper Blueface was released on June 20, 2019 along with a music video directed by Cole Bennett.[2] Produced by Midas800,[3] The song reached number 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Three additional sequels to the song were released throughout 2019, with the fifth, "Shotta Flow 5", released in June 2020.[4][5][6] The original and the remix were later included on NLE Choppa's debut EP Cottonwood.[7] "Shotta Flow 4", featuring Chief Keef, was released on NLE Choppa's debut studio album Top Shotta, on August 7, 2020.[8] A sixth sequel, "Shotta Flow 6", is the opening track on NLE Choppa's mixtape Me vs. Me, released on January 28, 2022.[9]

Critical reception

Pitchfork named it their New Rap Song of the Day, complimenting it as a "true-to-Memphis shoot-dancing bounce" and NLE Choppa's "animated vocals" and "energetic delivery".[10] Complex called it a "bouncy, menacing track".[2] Billboard called "Shotta Flow" a "boisterous hip-hop track" with the rapper having a "melodic, heavy-hitting delivery".[11] HotNewHipHop noted that the song "bec[ame ...] essentially inescapable on hip-hop playlists" and that the remix adds Blueface's "off-kilter flow" to the "piano-based production".[12]

Music video

An accompanying video at a length of three minutes was first released on YouTube in early January 2019,[11] showcasing NLE Choppa and his friends "dancing, joking around and toting prop guns". The video quickly gained attention from hip hop vloggers and amassed 915,000 views within the first week of its release, according to YouTube.[11] As of June 2023, the video has over 209 million views.[13]

Reception

According to Billboard magazine, within only a month after the "Shotta Flow" video went viral, NLE Choppa had sparked a bidding war among record companies like Republic, Interscope, and Caroline, with bids reportedly reaching as high as $3 million.[11] However, he turned down those offers to enter a distribution partnership with independent distribution company UnitedMasters.[11]

Remix

A remix featuring American rapper Blueface was released on June 20, 2019, accompanied by a music video directed by Cole Bennett for his channel Lyrical Lemonade.[14] This music video has gained more than 396 million views as of March 2024, which is more than the original.

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[25] 5× Platinum 400,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[26] Gold 50,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[28] 3× Platinum 3,000,000‡
United States (RIAA)[28]
Remix 		2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "NLE Choppa – Cottonwood". UnitedMasters. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Price, Joe (June 21, 2019). "17-Year-Old Rapper NLE Choppa Recruits Blueface for "Shotta Flow" Remix Video". Complex. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  3. ^ Montes, Patrick (June 20, 2019). "Blueface Joins NLE Choppa for the Cole Bennett-Directed "Shotta Flow Remix" Video". Hypebeast. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  4. ^ "Shotta Flow 2 – Single by NLE Choppa". Retrieved October 7, 2019 – via Apple Music.
  5. ^ "Shotta Flow 3 – Single by NLE Choppa". Retrieved October 7, 2019 – via Apple Music.
  6. ^ Rose, Jordan (June 12, 2020). "NLE Choppa Unleashes Video for New Track "Shotta Flow 5"". Complex. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  7. ^ Ivey, Justin (December 19, 2019). "NLE Choppa Releases Debut EP 'Cottonwood'". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  8. ^ "Top Shotta by NLE Choppa on Apple Music". Retrieved August 5, 2020 – via Apple Music.
  9. ^ "Me vs. Me by NLE Choppa". 28 January 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  10. ^ Pierre, Alphonse (January 15, 2019). "New Rap Song of the Day: NLE Choppa's 'Shotta Flow". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  11. ^ a b c d e Cirisano, Tatiana (February 15, 2019). "Why 16-Year-Old Rapper NLE Choppa Turned Down a $3 Million Record Deal to Partner With UnitedMasters: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  12. ^ A., Aron (June 20, 2019). "Blueface Assists NLE Choppa On The "Shotta Flow" Remix". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  13. ^ NLE Choppa – Shotta Flow (Official Music Video), retrieved 2019-07-30
  14. ^ "16-Year-Old Rapper NLE Choppa Recruits Blueface for "Shotta Flow" Remix Video". Yahoo! Entertainment. July 1, 2019.
  15. ^ "Canadian Hot 100: August 3, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  16. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography NLE Choppa". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  17. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 1, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  18. ^ "Top 100 Songs: July 27, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  19. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: June 27, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  20. ^ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. July 19, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  21. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  22. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  23. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  24. ^ "Top 100 Songs of 2019". Rolling Stone. January 10, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  25. ^ "Canadian single certifications – NLE Choppa – Shotta Flow". Music Canada. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  26. ^ "Italian single certifications – NLE Choppa – Shotta Flow" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  27. ^ "British single certifications – NLE Choppa – Shotta Flow". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  28. ^ a b "American single certifications – NLE Choppa – Shotta Flow". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
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