Latto (rapper)

Alyssa Michelle Stephens (born December 22, 1998), known professionally as Latto (formerly known as Mulatto), is an American rapper and singer-songwriter from Atlanta. She first appeared on Jermaine Dupri's reality television series '' The Rap Game'' in 2016, where she was known as Miss Mulatto and won the show's first season, but rejected its award of a recording contract with Dupri's So So Def Recordings.

Latto rose to prominence after releasing her 2019 single "Bitch from da Souf," which received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and marked her first entry on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Upon signing with RCA Records, it was issued as the lead single for her debut studio album ''Queen of da Souf'' (2020), which performed moderately on the ''Billboard'' 200 and spawned the platinum-certified single "Muwop" (featuring Gucci Mane).

After a name change to Latto, she reached wider mainstream recognition after the release of her 2021 single, "Big Energy." The song peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, received triple platinum certification by the RIAA, and landed at number seven on the Year-End Hot 100 chart; its live performance was nominated for Best Melodic Rap Performance, while Latto herself was nominated for Best New Artist at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. "Big Energy" served as lead single for her second studio album '' 777'' (2022), which trailed the song commercially at number 15 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Her guest appearance on Jung Kook's 2023 single " Seven" became her first song to peak atop both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and ''Billboard'' Global 200, while her single "Put It on da Floor Again" (remixed featuring Cardi B) peaked at number 13 on the former chart that same year. The latter served as lead single for her third studio album, ''Sugar Honey Iced Tea'' (2024), which matched her previous on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Latto has won two BET Awards, a BET Hip Hop Award, a ''Billboard'' Music Award, a MTV Video Music Award, and two Grammy nominations. She was included on the 2020 ''XXL'' Freshman Class, and was named MTV's "Global Push Artist of the Month" in 2021. Latto was recognized as '' Variety''s "Breakthrough Artist" of 2022, and at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards, Latto won Song of the Year for "Big Energy" and was nominated for Album of the Year for ''777''. She also won the BET Awards for Best New Artist in 2021 and Best Female Hip Hop Artist in 2023.

Early life

Alyssa Michelle Stephens was born in Columbus, Ohio, on December 22, 1998 to Misti Pitts and Shayne Stephens. She attended Lovejoy High School in Hampton, Georgia, south of Atlanta and outside of the metro area. She credits Clayton County as the place which gave her street credibility. Her mother is white and her biological father is African American. Alyssa was bullied in school for being "light-skinned" which inspired her to later adopt the stage name Miss Mulatto when she began her rapping career, after the "mulatto" racial classification. At the age of ten, she decided to become a rapper and began writing her own rap songs. Prior to being in music, she was in drag racing.

Career

2016–2018: Career beginnings and ''The Rap Game''

In 2016, Alyssa Stephens was a contestant on the Lifetime reality series '' The Rap Game'', produced by Jermaine Dupri and Queen Latifah. The boot camp-style series followed young aspiring rappers in a competition against one another over a span of eight weeks. Latto, under the stage name "Miss Mulatto" at the time, was the overall winner of the competition. She was offered a recording contract from Dupri with So So Def Records but ultimately turned down the deal claiming it was not enough money, opting to be an independent artist.

Stephens' second mixtape, ''Latto Let 'Em Know'', was released in April 2017. The tape featured artists like Molly Brazy, Lil Key, Crucial, and Silentó. The single "Response Diss" is a diss song directed toward Young Lyric, a fellow competitor from ''The Rap Game''. The ongoing feud between the two resulted in diss tracks from both parties with insults about drug use, homosexuality, and past experiences from the show.

2019–2020: Breakthrough and ''Queen of Da Souf''

In January 2019, Latto released the song " B_ from da Souf". In May 2019, she was invited to perform at the Rolling Loud, an annual hip hop festival, located in Miami. In June 2019, she released a second extended play, titled ''Big Latto'', which was preceded by "Bitch from da Souf". The single became a breakout hit, peaking at number 95 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States. The song later received a remix, featuring rappers Saweetie and Trina, which was later included on Mulatto's third EP, ''Hit the Latto'', which was released on December 12.

In March 2020, it was officially announced that Latto had signed with RCA Records. On April 23, Latto released the promotional single, "No Hook". On May 21, she released the second promotional single, "He Say She Say". In July 2020, she recreated some of rapper Gucci Mane's album covers, starting with 2009 '' The State vs. Radric Davis'', to which Gucci reacted positively. She then announced the release of her single "Muwop", featuring Gucci Mane, which was released on July 30. The song samples Gucci's 2007's single, " Freaky Gurl". Latto made a cameo appearance in American rapper Cardi B's music video for her single " WAP", which was released on August 7, 2020. On the same day, Latto was featured on NLE Choppa's single "Make Em Say", taken from his debut studio album, '' Top Shotta''. On August 11, she was included in '' XXL''s 2020 Freshman Class. On August 12, she announced the release of her debut project through RCA, titled ''Queen of da Souf'' and it was released on August 21, 2020. The project was preceded by two singles, which were the remix to "B_ from da Souf" and "Muwop" featuring Gucci Mane; as well as the promotional singles "No Hook" and "He Say She Say". The album peaked at number 44 on the US ''Billboard'' 200.

On September 4, Latto was featured on the remix of the Chloe x Halle song " Do It", alongside Doja Cat and City Girls. Also on that day, Latto was featured on G-Eazy's single, "Down". Music videos for the third and fourth singles from ''Queen of da Souf'', "On God" and "In n Out" featuring City Girls, were released in September and October 2020, respectively. On September 29, it was announced that she had been nominated for Best New Hip Hop Artist at the 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards, where she was a performer. On December 11, Latto released the extended version of ''Queen of da Souf'', which included five new songs and spawned the single "Sex Lies", featuring American rapper Lil Baby.

2021–present: Name change, ''777'' and ''Sugar Honey Iced Tea''

In January 2021, it was announced that Latto would be changing her stage name from "Mulatto" after the controversy about the word being deemed colorist. In February 2021, it was announced she would be MTV's Global Push Artist of the month. In March 2021, she became the first female rapper from Atlanta to have a solo record be certified gold and platinum with "B_ from da Souf" (2019) and "Muwop" (2020).

In May 2021, she confirmed in various interviews that she had officially settled on a new stage name after scrutiny for the racially charged nature of her name. On May 18, it was reported that on streaming platforms, Mulatto's name had been changed to simply Latto, a change first reflected on her guest appearance on Toosii's album ''Thank You for Believing'', where she was credited as Latto. She released a new single titled " The Biggest" along with the announcement of her new name. On September 24 of the same year, Latto released the lead single from her then-upcoming second studio album, "Big Energy". The song became Latto's highest charting song on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 peaking at number three. American singer Mariah Carey appeared on the official remix, which was released in March 2022. A followup single, "Soufside", was released on November 5.

On March 9, 2022, Latto announced that the song "Wheelie" would be released on March 11, and confirmed it would feature fellow Atlanta rapper 21 Savage. All three songs were included on Latto's second studio album, '' 777'', which was released on March 25. On July 15, she released the song " P_". She was featured on Chloe Bailey's single " For the Night". In February 2023, Latto was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards. She released the single "Lottery" on February 17. In July, she appeared as a featured artist on South Korean singer Jung Kook's debut solo single "Seven". It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first song to reach the top spot of that chart. She was included in Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2024 music. On Oct. 12, 2023, Latto released "Did Somebody Say HipOpera," a Rap opera collaboration with singer Christina Aguilera.

In January 2024, Latto was featured on the remix version of Jennifer Lopez' song " Can't Get Enough", the first single out of Lopez' upcoming album ''This Is Me...Now''. On February 5, 2024, Latto announced her single " Sunday Service" via social media. The cover artwork depicts a collage of prominent women rappers printed on a cyclorama back. The eyes of Latto and all the featured rappers are concealed by a black box or horizontal black bar. On May 16, 2025, she released the single "Somebody"; the song interpolates the "I really need somebody, tell me you're that somebody" lyric from American singer Aaliyah's 1998 single " Are You That Somebody?".

Other ventures

In 2017, Latto opened her own store, Pittstop Clothing in Jonesboro south of Atlanta.

Philanthropy

In 2021, Latto founded the Win Some Give Some Foundation to “empower at-risk young women by providing them resources and support to achieve a lifetime of success.”

Personal life

She supported Stacey Abrams' 2022 gubernatorial campaign, bringing Abrams onstage while opening for Lizzo's The Special Tour in Atlanta.

Legal issues

In May 2019, Latto was arrested for theft when she was mistaken for another woman. She released a track, "Fuck Rice Street", attesting to her innocence and frustration toward the police.

In May 2021, she was arrested after being found in possession of a loaded gun while at Los Angeles International Airport.

On September 28, 2023 she was pulled over after running a red light in Atlanta. She told the officer she was trying to "hurry up and get home" to avoid being followed by fans. She was allowed to head home after receiving a ticket and passing a breathalyzer test.

Filmography

Discography

* ''Queen of da Souf'' (2020)
* '' 777'' (2022)
* ''Sugar Honey Iced Tea'' (2024)

Awards and nominations

Listicles

World records

Tours

Headlining
*Big Latto Tour (2019)
* 777 Tour (2022)
* Sugar Honey Iced Tea Tour (2024)

Supporting
* Lizzo – The Special Tour (2022-2023)

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Latto
1998 births
Living people
21st-century African-American women singers
21st-century American women singers
21st-century American women rappers
21st-century American rappers
African-American women rappers
African-American women singer-songwriters
American women singer-songwriters
American women hip-hop singers
American women pop singers
People from Jonesboro, Georgia
Pop rappers
Rappers from Atlanta
Rappers from Columbus, Ohio
RCA Records artists
Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)
Singer-songwriters from Ohio
Southern hip-hop musicians
American trap musicians