FEATURE:
Spotlight
Latto
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ONE of the most amazing and compelling…
PHOTO CREDIT: Scrill Davis for Inked
artists coming through is Latto. Although she has been releasing music a while, I feel 2022 is a breakthrough year. With her new album, 777, out in the world (it came out on 25th March), this is an artist that everyone needs to know about. I will finish off with a review of 777. I want to start with a bit of background on Latto. I want to get to some interviews soon. First, from her website, here is what you need to know about Latto:
“Raised in Atlanta, GA, 22-year-old rising rapper Latto has been making a name for herself since she was 10 years old. The Rap Game Season One winner has continually released music since 2016 and signed with RCA Records in 2020. In June 2019, Latto released her EP Big Latto, which included her breakout-hit song “Bitch From Da Souf.” The December 2019 release of her follow-up project, Hit The Latto, contained the remix version of the track featuring Saweetie & Trina. The accompanying video has been viewed nearly 82 million times. Combined, both versions of “Bitch From Da Souf” have over 200 million streams on Spotify and Apple alone. Prior to the aforementioned, her impressive catalog of music includes Miss Mulatto (2016), Latto Let ‘Em Know (2017) and Mulatto (2018).
Latto has proven that her pen game, replete with witty and raw verses, is unmatched. The “Bitch From Da Souf (Remix)” went RIAA-certified Platinum, making Latto the first solo female rapper from Atlanta to accomplish this feat. The 22-year-old was also one of only two women inducted into the XXL 2020 Freshman Class, earning her another major milestone in her burgeoning career. In August 2020, Latto released her major label debut project Queen of Da Souf, and later that year released the extended version of the project. Combined, both versions garnered over 300 million streams worldwide and had multiple standout tracks including “In n Out” feat. City Girls, “Sex Lies” featuring Lil Baby, and the now RIAA-certified Gold track “Muwop” feat. Gucci Mane. In addition to her own music, Latto has been inescapable; from her cameo in Cardi B’s iconic “WAP” video featuring Megan Thee Stallion, to countless features including Chris Brown & Young Thug’s “Go Crazy (Remix)” with Future and Lil Durk, Chloe& Halle’s “Do It” (Remix) with Doja Cat and City Girls, NLE Choppa’s “Make Em Say”and Hitmaka’s “Thot Box (Remix),”she’s proven that Big Latto is bigger and better than ever before”.
Such a young artist showing such ability, confidence and promise, I think Latto is going to be a rapping icon! Someone who inspires the next wave. An impassioned and hugely talented artist, I was keen to know more about her earlier life. This recent UPROXX interview gives us some background regarding her build-up to acclaim and success:
“Growing up in Atlanta, Alyssa Michelle Stephens was pushed into rap early after showing both interest and impressive aptitude for the craft. Dubbed Miss Mulatto for her mixed heritage (her father is Black, while her mom is white), she quickly developed as an artist thanks to a near relentless schedule that found her learning multiple facets of entertainment from as young as eight years old, including rapping, DJing, promoting events, and even hosting a podcast, resulting in practiced ease in dealing with media – as well as an advantage over the competition when she appeared on the Lifetime reality show, The Rap Game, at just 16 years old.
Hosted by So So Def founder and veteran hip-hop hitmaker Jermaine Dupri, the show offered the polished teen what some would call the opportunity of a lifetime when she won the inaugural season — an opportunity she eventually turned down. In our prior interview ahead of the release of Queen Of Da Souf, Latto explained why she left the deal on the table in favor of a strenuous independent grind. “It wasn't something that I was comfortable doing yet,” she admitted. “I was 16 when we filmed the show, I was 17 by the time it aired and I was offered the contract. I'm a baby at 17. I don't want to get myself into no record deal to where I don't even fully understand the terms, or be locked down for years to come, and I was fresh off of a hit television show. So I didn't even get to see the outcome of the show and receive other offers.”
That gamble paid off. After dropping the “Miss” from her nom de plume and releasing a string of mixtapes throughout her teens, she got her big break — and laid the groundwork for her future name change — after releasing the EP Big Latto, which contained her first charting hit, “Bitch From Da Souf.” Released in January that year, the track peaked at No. 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, spawning a well-received remix featuring the original Southern rap queen Trina and pop-rap upstart Saweetie. It also led to her major deal with RCA Records and placement on XXL’s 2020 Freshman Class just weeks before the release of her debut album. The album reached No. 44 on the Billboard 200, solidifying her status and justifying her boldness in holding off on signing at 16.
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing; as she received greater acclaim, she also garnered more intense scrutiny for her rap name. After all, in today’s increasingly socially conscious landscape, there was simply too much room to misinterpret the reference — both deliberate and inadvertent — even despite her insistence that her name was meant only to pay homage to her parents, reclaiming an insult that had been levied against her as a child. Under intense pressure from fans on social media, she relented, opting to shorten the name to Latto, comparing it to “lotto” or lottery. She even has a tattoo that reads “777,” a jackpot on a slot machine, so the new name works. And she freely admits that the old name was never the best and attributes the delay in changing it to the vagaries of business.
PHOTO CREDIT: Peter Donaghy
“I did not name myself originally Miss Mulatto,” she recalls. “I was eight years old. So, how could an eight-year-old even name themself that? But as my career blossomed and continued to develop, I feel like those things were brought to my attention. And as I'm getting older, I'm having my own train of thought, I'm having my own perspective and opinions and morals and values. So I feel like, my name just didn't align with those so that's when I changed my name…. I think people need to give me more credit for even being open-minded to changing it because it's a lot of different factors that went into changing it. I got the label involved. I got management. I got lawyers.” Now that the name controversy is behind her, though, she’s set about the business of building her new brand, with her new sound, while sticking to that deeply ingrained philosophy of remaining true to herself.
Latto’s been outspoken about the competition among women in the field before, as well as questioning the higher standards to which women are held in the first place — especially compared to men who rap. “Don't get me started on that because I'll go all day,” she winds up when the subject is broached. “They criticize us so hard, but these boys get up there with they shirt off grabbing they nuts and jump up and down and they the hottest thing ever. We got to be four hours in glam. Make sure your nails match your outfit, your hair, makeup everything matches. And don't sound out of breath. Make sure you have choreography. And then we doing it in heels!”
Speaking of glam and heels, back at the shoot, I catch up with Latto’s sister Brooklyn as Latto changes into a new ensemble consisting of a Marni coat, Ottol Inger pants, and McQueen shoes. Much shier than her sister, Brooke has become something of a fixture at the rapper’s side while on tour and at shoots like this one, faithfully documenting their adventures for TikTok, where once again, that dynamic, down-to-earth personality is on full display.
PHOTO CREDIT: Peter Donaghy
We watch a video that features the siblings playing a common question-and-answer game on the platform. The questions wonder which of the two “got the most whoopings growing up,” prompting both sisters to point emphatically toward Latto. When asked about her sister’s supposed rebellious streak, Brooke explains, “She don’t like being told what to do. She don’t like you to tell her the rules. She just does whatever she wants to do.”
Latto confirms this was the case, even in that early stage that laid the foundation for her later success. “I used to hate it when I was young,” she says. “I used to be like, 'I want to go to the skating rink.' At times, I'd be like, 'Man, my friend having a sleepover on Saturday.' And my daddy would be like, 'You got a show on Saturday. You going to appreciate me for this when you get older.' Now, I understand what he was saying, but I think it just gave me an overall advantage. I'm not scared of the camera.”
That rebellious streak means she’s not afraid of the criticisms or taking risks, as she did with the release of “Big Energy” and its departure from her established sound. It also shines through in the defiance she projected throughout her recent freestyle for the LA Leakers radio show, where she laid the “Beatbox” controversy to rest for good. “How you big can't name a track,” she wondered. “How you big but can't hang a plaque?” Of course, with all that ferocity, it helps to remain anchored, which she has by keeping a little piece of her hometown close at hand”.
A few years from her introduction onto the scene, you can hear and feel this growth in her music. Almost re-establishing and reintroducing herself to the world, COMPLEX interviewed Latto around the release of 777. It has been a busy and exciting past three years for the Atlanta rapper:
“It’s been nearly three years since Latto broke through with her anthem “Bitch from da Souf,” and a lot has changed since then. In March 2020, the Atlanta native signed a deal with RCA Records, before dropping her debut studio album Queen of da Souf, which peaked in the top 50 of the Billboard 200 and included two platinum-certified singles. She also changed her name from Mulatto to Latto, and grew a massive following.
Now, Latto is walking into the release week for her second studio album with a lot more experience and knowledge. “I’m really growing as a woman, and it just reflects in the music,” she says.
Latto’s forthcoming album, 777, will be the first full-length project she’s dropped under her new name, and with it, she says she’s “reintroducing” herself to the world and hoping to make a statement. While she opted for a pop-leaning sound with “Big Energy,” she says the album will showcase her versatility, with all different types of vibes.
“I wanted to solidify myself and where I fit in the industry,” she tells Complex. “This is just the first introduction. ‘Big Energy’ is the pop sound from this project. I got an R&B sound.
I got the rap trap sound. I got some rhythmic stuff that I did with Pharrell, just different swaggy stuff.” The album also includes features from major collaborators like Lil Wayne, 21 Savage, Childish Gambino, and more.
Ahead of Latto’s album release, she revealed that an artist featured on her album made it difficult to clear the collaboration when she denied their advances. Her comments shed light on what women in the music industry are constantly faced with. “People have always told us, ‘It’s better not to speak on that,’ or we’re burning bridges or we’re problematic if we do,” she explains. “But it really shouldn’t be how the game is.” Latto did not explicitly name the artist, noting, “It is something that you just got to tread lightly on when you do speak on those subjects, because sometimes people get invested for the drama of the situation rather than the fact that female rappers are being silenced in the industry and bullied behind closed doors.”
Latto is confident about where she is at in her career and what fans will hear on her new album. She declares herself the “female face for Atlanta,” and suggests 777 will further stamp her name in the history books. Complex spoke with Latto about making the album, navigating the music industry as a woman, and more. The interview, lightly edited for clarity, is below.
It’s been two years since you released Queen of da Souf. How have you grown as an artist over that time?
I tried more things. I’m really growing as a woman, and it just reflects in the music. I have new experiences as a woman to talk about. And being an artist, I’m going to naturally talk about my experiences growing up and becoming a woman. So it shows my evolution in life through music.
Did you feel any pressure going into this music cycle?
Yes, for sure. I think after “Big Energy” and its success, I knew how many eyes I had on me—new eyes at that. A new audience tuned in, and I feel like this album is my chance to reel them in as fans.
What was your biggest goal going into this album cycle?
I really wanted to solidify my place in this industry. I wanted to get my bars off and let people know that I do songs like “Big Energy” and showcase my versatility, but let them know where the passion started in the first place. And that was rapping—just getting the bars off, no hook freestyles. So I’m definitely rapping my ass off and showcasing the versatility at the same time.
What separates you from other artists?
I’m a female face for Atlanta and that’s never been done before on a mainstream massive scale. That alone is my lane. And then, my Southern open flow with the bars, that separates me. And my authenticity. I don’t put too much thought into anything. I really just be myself.
What does the album title 777 personally mean to you?
Seven is God’s number, so it just started with that. From a younger age, seven has always been my favorite number. And then triple—it triumphs 666, or overcomes 666. It became a part of my brand when I changed my name to Latto in reference to the lottery and casino, hitting the jackpot is 777. But it already had a meaning to me. It just somehow aligned with my career”.
I will end with a review of 777. Receiving a lot of praise, it is an album that you need to get involved with! This is NME’s take on the incredible 777:
“I’m from the Southside / Bougie bitches and dope boys,” the artist born Alyssa Stephens raps on last year’s single ‘Soufside’, emphasising the distance she’s travelled as a Platinum-certified star who has overcome stinging controversy and the music industry’s glass ceiling to become one of the most exciting rappers in the world. And with album two, Georgia-raised Latto peels back the layers of her larger-than-life persona.
It’s a record that meets Stephens on the other side of criticism that has dogged her since she introduced her unintentionally offensive former moniker, Mulatto, as an eventual winner of reality show The Rap Game in 2016. Last year, she told NME: “The negative definition of Mulatto might have been holding me back.” She explained that her then-new abbreviation meant “lottery” and that she hoped it would “be forthcoming of good fortune – financially, spiritually, emotionally”. On the hard-boiled ‘Trust No Bitch’, the 23-year-old puts it more boldly: “Big Latto – short for lottery / So ‘fuck I look like losing?”. No wonder this album’s title references the jackpot on a slot machine.
For the most part, the mood is fittingly buoyant, the album’s trappy percussion variously slathered in blaring horns, crisp acoustic guitar and – in the case of the 21 Savage-featuring ‘Wheelie’ – a buzzing syntheziser that would put a swagger in Mario’s 8-bit step. Perhaps inevitably, the feel-good highpoint arrives in the form of the mega-hit (almost 64 million Spotify streams and counting) ‘Big Energy’, a dumb, fun summer anthem wrapped up in a squelchy sample of ‘80s new-wavers Tom Tom Club’s ‘Genius of Love’.
Away from the Billboard chart-bothering singles, however, Stephens dials down the braggadocio and dials up the introspection. If there was a criticism of her 2020 debut ‘Queen of Da Souf’, it was that the “rich bitch shit” (as she defined her lyrical preoccupations on the clenched ‘He Say She Say’) and steely production could seem a little one-note. With this second round, Latto is utterly compelling when she slows things down.
Take the foe-forgiving Lil Wayne and Childish Gambino collaboration ‘Sunshine’, or the Kodak Black team-up ‘Bussdown’, on which she demands respect: “Got it out the mud without no handouts”. In that NME interview, Stephens insisted it would be “ignorant” not to acknowledge the stigma that female rappers still face, adding: “it’s flat-out in our face every day”. Here is proof, once again, that Latto could go toe-to-toe with the best of ‘em”.
An amazing artist who will keep growing and getting stronger, Latto is someone who needs to be on everybody’s radar! Go and follow her (all the links are below) and check out her music. There is no doubt that you will continue to put out incredible music…
FOR many years more.
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