Big Latto, Big Winner!
With millions of patrons, The artist has built a platform that not only influences internationally but inspires little girls all over the South. With a growing following and a list of accolades, she desires a legacy disconnected from negativity. The beginning of 2021 marked a new era for the rapper where she replaced her former moniker, “Mulatto,” an identifier that many viewed as outdated and offensive. A newfound outlook allowed Latto to embrace constructive criticism highlighting her willingness to learn. Apart from a year of change, Latto remains a prominent figure putting out music that speaks to the complexities of her life.
Singles “Bitch from da Souf” and “Muwop” featuring Gucci Mane positioned Latto as a rapper with bars to match her drive. As she resonates on her upbringing in Atlanta, a mecca for up-and-coming rap, the lyricist released her first album ‘Queen from da Souf’ in 2020, solidifying her lifelong craft. In the essence of winning big and staying on top, Latto continues to show out, performing festivals, featuring on hot tracks, and starring in campaigns including Fenty. A vibrant personality and captivating persona makes Latto an artist to watch.
As she wraps up her year, she alludes to a new project that explores various sounds and styles with extraordinary features that embark on an endeavor that highlights her range and versatility. Adorned in fabulosity, mirroring the victories and drama of winning the crown, Latto stands front and center, expressing vulnerabilities and her creative process to office.
Read our exclusive interview with the Atlanta-based rapper below.
DRESS: EveRRythingRRouge EARRINGS: Nana Jacqueline
DRESS: MCQ
You're only 22, you're so mature for your age. What are some key events in your life that made you into the mature woman that you are today?
I think just like starting out rapping so young, eight years old, I seen a lot —good and bad that just exposed me to reality. So, I feel like that matured me. I had very open parents, a household that didn't really shield us from anything. It was more so like X, Y, and Z upfront. So you don't learn it elsewhere, you know what I'm saying? And then, I'm just like a very goal-driven person. So I think just comes off as mature because usually young people aren't as focused. So I think I've always been focused. I don't know if it's my Zodiac sign, my household —
Wait, what sign are you?
I'm a Capricorn.
Oh, definitely. They're very like money-driven, business-driven people.
Yeah. Very business savvy. And I've always been like that since a kid. Like people have always told me, "Oh, you're so mature for your age. You're so mature for your age" before I was rapping. So it might have something to do with that. It might all just be working as a collective, who knows!
DRESS: EveRRythingRRouge EARRINGS: Nana Jacqueline
And, what are those "things" that older women have instilled within you from an early age? What are some of those lessons?
Just being headstrong, independent, knowing that the world is not peaches and cream. You got to come in this thing knowing your goals or what your plan is, and knowing it like it's the back of your hand. I think like the women in my family were all like very strong women that are super independent, and just taught me to be the same way.
Congrats, you're moving into a new era. What are some things you're moving on from? And how do you think moving on from them will impact you positively?
I feel like I'm moving on just from the name [Mullato], and I think that just makes me move on from the negative energy. I feel like I was kind of holding myself back in a way with the name, and just being stubborn. And I was not willing to listen to the world, and what they had to say, and how it affected these people that were outraged by the term. So I feel like it's just turning over a new leaf, and just leaving that negative energy behind. And, Latto being short for the lottery, I feel this was not even just financially, but spiritually and just overall good fortune. And so, I'm excited for this new chapter.
How often do you take in some of the words that people say to you, whether it's online or in your real life? Because I feel like we often see artists or celebrities become a bit stubborn and avoidant with accountability. So how do you decipher what's constructive criticism from fans versus what's harmful?
Yeah, I feel like that it's just kinda like a live and learn type of thing. And I'm still learning and living. So I don't got it down pact yet. But I am realizing when they say don't read the comments, I can decipher like, okay, yeah, don't read the comments, but certain comments and certain feedback you do need to listen to because at the end of the day, as an artist, your target audience is gonna respond to you, and your actions, and your music. They're going to respond to anything that you put out. So to a certain extent, you do have to listen to them, read the comments, and be open ears to things that are going to change you, your beliefs, and your morals.
Right. And like you said, the more you travel, grow, and learn, the more you have an open mind towards ideals. If I would've stayed in my childhood town, where I grew up, I would've been so close-minded and stuck in my ways. You know, certain non-black races were saying the N-word, and I thought that was okay. And then when you grow up, you realize that's not okay. And you just kind of live and learn through those situations, but you're put on a pedestal, so it's amplified times 10.
Exactly, I think it's just about taking accountability and responsibility. It's just knowing that even though your intentions weren't ill, if they're being perceived in a way that you didn't intend for them to be received, then at that point you got to self-reflect.
DRESS: MCQ
Right. Getting into the shoot, on set, it seemed like you were super into the concept — When we were figuring out a concept for you, we were like, "Okay. So she's from the south. Let's think of some things that represent winning, a new era, reigning in victory in the south." So were like football, horseback riding, etc. And they were like beauty pageants! Do you have any like relationships with beauty pageants?
I don't! The only thing that's like similar is that I've been rapping, doing shows, and talent shows, open-mics, and all that since a young age. And I know the girls who do beauty pageants and stuff, it's pretty much like the same story, but that would be like the only similarity. I don't really have a history in beauty pageants, but I do get glammed up for shows in a similar way.
Yeah. And what are some southern traditions you miss?
I would say just like aesthetically, there's not really nothing I miss. Like everything I still do, like Southern traditions. There's like how we eat, big family cookouts, soul food, cooking in the kitchen with grandma, granny, auntie cousin TT and em'. I grew up on four-wheelers and dirt bikes, all that type of stuff. I feel like that's a southerner aesthetic.
And you were super confident too, and it just seems like you knew what you were doing at all times. Where did you grow this confidence from?
I think just like home, my parents just raised me to be super independent, super headstrong. Even my dad, like my dad, has two kids and we are both girls. So just raising us to be independent, strong women. And then the women in my family are also independent and strong. They're very, just like headstrong, like not really going with the gender roles, like the women in my family get money, and are just boss-bitches. So, I think it just comes from home, really.
So behind the shoot, the beauty pageant was supposed to represent an act of winning. what was the coolest thing you have done in your career thus far that made you feel like a complete winner?
I've had so many moments like that just because I've been rapping for so long. It's like everything is like super, — it was like a lot of work that went into all these accomplishments that I'm receiving now, like a lot of work and time, and effort that went into all the accomplishments. So I'm so grateful for everything. I'm trying to think of like my first like super like, 'okay. I'm winning' moment. Oh, probably my first certification, my first plaque, I got was when "Bitch From Da Souf" went gold. And I was like, 'Oh my god! I can hang a plaque up in my house or whatever!' And then my label calls me back or whatever. And they're like, "No, you're the first solo female rapper from Atlanta to go gold or be certified period." And I'm like, "No, no way, no way. I'm like no way. I'm like, nah, somebody definitely did it before me. There's no way that I'm the first one." And sure enough, we Googled it. And I literally was the first one. And I was like, 'oh my God, like, I literally am making history!'
CORSET: What Katie Did SUSPENDER BELT: What Katie Did KNICKERS: What Katie Did STOCKINGS: What Katie Did EARRINGS: Nana Jacqueline
And the drama queen portion was supposed to show the juxtaposition of winning and being victorious. It's supposed to represent some of the more chaotic and darker moments of being a pageant queen, which relates to being in the limelight and having a career in entertainment. What are some dark moments you found within your career that have impacted you as the person you are today?
Yeah. It's so many, like as much as it is good, It's definitely not all glitz and glam. So, just like the critics, listening to the haters, and the comments, and stuff — at the end of the day, we're still human. So it does have an effect on us as artists. Like we're not numb to it. You know, we still have emotions and feelings like everyone else. So yeah, I can get caught up in the comments or like blogs and stuff like that, that can like get me feeling a little down. And it's just people just doubting you, period. It's people not believing in you. It's been so many times that a artists that I wanted to do a feature with, or before I was signed to RCA, labels that I wanted to be a part of, I wanted to sign with or whatever. There were like so many times people told me no, or, you know, "I don't see the vision. I don't believe in it." You know what I'm saying? So it's a lot of dark moments, but you know, at the end of the day, it's worth it cause those same people circled back.
I was going to say I never hear any —besides like the name controversy, I never hear of you doing something or having beef with someone, etc. I just kind of hear you rap and then you kinda go into your corner, and you're kind of quiet. So what are some like ethics and values that you hold true to yourself?
The main reason why I'm not into all that is just because I didn't grow up in that household. Like, I grew up in a very supportive and happy household. Like we weren't raised to be jealous or hateful towards other people. It was always like we were taught you sit back and wait for your turn and you put in the work for it to eventually for it to be your turn. But, you don't have any envy for anyone who's experiencing their moment at the time because your moment is going to come. Like in school and stuff, I was never like the mean girl that just picked on other girls, or hated other girls. Like, you know what I'm saying? So, in the industry, it's no different than cliques in school and stuff like that. Like, I am just super supportive. It's just literally not in my blood. And then I'm just so like business, goal-driven, and it's like, I'm so focused on myself. I really literally do not have time to even look your way to see what you're doing. I'm so busy trying to be a better me, that I really have no regard to what you're doing.
I think people who are often very jealous and envious of other people are insecure within themselves and feel like they lack something that that person has. So let's talk about the new album, what is the biggest difference that we can hear in this music versus what you've done in the past?
I feel like it's just the growth in the beat selections, the flows, the topics of the songs, the features, the producers— just everything is like growth. I really was like— through the pandemic, through just like not being able to perform like that, and not being able to just be outside, like how the industry normally works. You just had time to just like perfect your craft and just try to be a better artist. I feel like you're going to hear that in the music. I traveled across the country to just like catch a vibe, like catching a vibe, and just bring out different sounds out of me. I know my potential is crazy, so I just wanted to work with new people, and be in new environments that could like bring more of that out of me. So, you're gonna hear the elevation for sure.
I saw you're working with Pharrell, what was it like working in a studio with him? And did he give you one of his iconic speeches that he does in a studio session?
Oh, my god! Yes, he did. First of all, I was so nervous because I kept telling my manager "Are you sure he wants to work with me? Like, it's no way that Pharrel even knows who the fuck I am. Ya'll are playing with me!" And they're like, "No, he wants to work with you." I'm like, "Well, why does he want to work with me?" Like my mind could not grasp the concept that Pharrell wanted me to pull upon him in Miami, and lock in for a week. Nah, there's no way. But yeah, we did lock-in for a week and we got a lot of dope records out of it. He definitely gave me a couple of his iconic speeches, and just like made me see a bigger me. And the crazy thing is, is that those sessions were like kind of in the beginning stages of the album. So it was super necessary. It set the tone for the rest of the recording process. He was like, "You know, you gotta see your potential!" And he's telling me this thing called "house music," right?
You didn't know what house music was?
No, listen, he has his own definition for it. So he says "we're making house music." And I'm like, "I don't make the house music." And he's like, "no, no, no, no, no, "house music" is when you dropped this music, you gon' buy some more houses with this music." I'm like "Oooh! I'm making Birkin music" I'm like "yeah, I like that!" So every time we would take a toast, we would cheers to "house music."
I need to make some house music! And, in terms of your process with making music, do you usually start off with the flow or the beat, chords, lyrics first?
I feel like it all depends on my mood. It depends if there's a producer there with me because if the producer is there with me, then nine times out of ten, I'm giving him like a direction. Like, 'okay, I'm in this mood and I want to make this type of song, and it needs to have heavy 8 0 8s. It needs to have this sound in there, this BPM.' So in that case with the producers there and we both started from scratch, just cooking, I think it definitely starts with the sounds. But to me, I'm in there with the engineer, probably my ANRs, and just going in there and just going off top. Definitely start with a good beat that's already done. But I guess all and all, it really goes back to mood because both of those situations depend on my mood.
Who are the most exciting features you have? And is there any stories you can tell us?
I haven't locked in all the features yet, so I don't want to go too in-depth because I'm still waiting on some like heavy-hitters. But you can definitely expect like a plethora as far as gender, as far as genre, I'm like literally tapping into like a lot of new shapes. So it's going to be like lit as bitches, lit as niggas, and all type of different genres. Like it's going to be some R&B on there. It's going to be some real rap shit. It's going to be some OGs on there. It's like, it's lit.
You seem like an imaginative person. So let's say hypothetically we're living in Latto's world. Latto is the dictator. What does the world look like? What are some of the rules? What's going on?
Oo', First of all, girls run the world. So, we got to have a female president, female police officers, female CEOs, everything is just girly. It's boss-bitch ran. So for sure that, I'm heavy on like self-expression, I feel like I come from a household— like my parents didn't really shelter me from anything. They kind of just told me this is what it is. And that's the reality of the situation too. So, they were like very accepting of all beliefs and just everything—sexuality. It was just very accepting, self-expressive parents. So like we were allowed to like dye our hair, we were allowed to bring our friends that were bisexual, or, lesbian, or gay home and with no judgment. It made me a well-rounded person. I really take pride in like how my parents parented. Like it made me a real, well-rounded person. Like I can pretty much sit with any type of people and feel comfortable. You know what I'm saying? So my world be girl run the world. It would be very like accepting of — you know, everyone can come and just get themselves, but girls come first.
Last question, so you often say in interviews, these interviewers ask you "what do you do outside of rap?" Well, what is it?
Shittin' on bitches!
Period!
