A rapper from Memphis is making a positive impact in the city he loves.
NLE Choppa, whose given name is Bryson Lashun Potts, attended Cordova High School.
Tuesday, the rapper visited Cornerstone Prep Denver School.
The 19-year-old, who makes his living using words, congratulated the young students for reading words, 26 million words to be exact.
The elementary school students participated in the NLE Reading Challenge, and they reached the lofty goal of reading 26 million words.
The rapper issued a new challenge Tuesday.
Im back here because Im trying to start spreading the message to get them to read 40 million this year. Last year, they read 26 million, which is crazy! So this year Im trying to see if they can exceed that goal, 40 million.
The students were challenged to read at least 100 books or 100,000 words this new school year.
Currently, 20 scholars already have read more than 100,000 words in the first quarter of the school year.
They dont even just see me as a rapper in me anymore at this point. I think Im a part of the faculty at this school. Its just like a big brother little sister/brother bond and just to know that I got them and Im never going to lead them astray, the rapper explained.
He said its not just about his music.
I feel like seeing me here letting them know that somebody cares, not even just a somebody, but somebody they look up to., NLE Choppa said.
He said this reading challenge is about showing them there is more to life, and he hopes it will inspire other rappers.
It made me feel so powerful, because the same way I feel the running statistic with a rapper is that we can tell the youth to pick a gun up, pick a drug up pick this up or do this, and for me to be able to be here and use my life for a positive, I feel like it inspires so many other rappers. Just like if they say something in the song if they preach the negative in their song to at least on the balance on the flip side, try to come back and do something beautiful for the community and the kids, said the rapper.
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