The post that got people talking was not the birthday message itself, it was the line NLE Choppa deleted hours later.
The 23-year-old rapper had written “tell ya momma the gig is up” alongside a photo of himself holding his son Chozen, before scrubbing the whole lengthy post and replacing it with a simple happy birthday message.
Chozen turned three this week, and what should have been a straightforward milestone became a very public window into a custody dispute that has clearly been building for a while.
Choppa used the birthday post to push back hard against being called a deadbeat, writing, “I can’t believe the word deadbeat has ever crossed my name in regards to you.
The rapper was specific about what he actually wants from the courts. He is not seeking full custody, but joint custody, so there is a set schedule that operates, in his words, “under no control or influence outside of the courts.”
He also revealed that he has missed multiple Father’s Days with Chozen and says he cannot remember the last time he saw his son. Truth is I yearn you more than you know,” he wrote, adding that he is trusting in God’s timing to resolve things without having to “lift a finger.
One of the more personal details Choppa shared was about how Chozen came into the world in the first place. The child was conceived through IVF after a previous miscarriage, with Choppa saying he paid for both the IVF treatment and the midwife.
It left me broken not only because I lost an innocent child but I really wanted your mother to have the chance to experience motherhood,” he wrote about the miscarriage.
He also broke down the meaning behind Chozen’s middle name, Wone. The “won” part represents his son already winning in life as a miracle baby, while “one” nods to Chozen being selected through IVF. It is the kind of detail that makes clear this is not a casual situation for him.
On his Instagram Stories, Choppa kept the pressure on, writing “court coming up and God don’t like ugly” and saying his son deserves “a dad that want to be there.” Those posts stayed up even after the main birthday caption came down.
Marissa Da’Nae posted her own birthday message for Chozen, calling him her “Sonshine” and saying he has pushed her and changed her for the better.
Her tone was warm and focused entirely on her son, with no direct mention of the custody dispute in the birthday post itself.
She did address the situation separately on X, though, and she was not backing down. If I’m a bad person because I set boundaries for my kid and his peace, health, his upbringing and his future, then I WANT THE TOP VILLAIN CROWN,” she wrote.
In another post, she made her position plain: “Yall can say whatever yall want about me, but behind this parenthood stuff, you could NEVER say I’m not a good mom.”
Both parents are clearly dug in, and with Choppa saying court is coming up, this is far from settled.
