Latto

Latto
Latto in January 2023
Latto in January 2023
Background information
Birth nameAlyssa Michelle Stephens
Also known as
  • Miss Mulatto
  • Mulatto
  • Big Latto
Born (1998-12-22) December 22, 1998 (age 25)
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
OriginAtlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active2016–present
Labels
  • RCA
  • Streamcut
  • Pittstop
Websitebiglatto.com

Alyssa Michelle Stephens (born December 22, 1998), known professionally as Latto or Big Latto (formerly known as Mulatto), is an American rapper. 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 she rejected the record deal offered as a result of winning the show.

Latto rose to prominence after releasing her 2019 single "Bitch from da Souf", which became her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. The single preceded her debut studio album Queen of da Souf (2020), which peaked at number forty-four on the Billboard 200 and spawned the platinum certified song "Muwop" (featuring Gucci Mane). In 2021, she was named as MTV's "Global Push Artist of the Month".

Following a name change to Latto, her mainstream breakthrough came following the release of her 2021 single "Big Energy", which reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified triple platinum. Her second album 777 (2022), peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 and she was named as Variety's "Breakthrough Artist" of 2022. In 2023, she achieved her first number-one hit on the Hot 100 as well as on the Billboard Global 200 with her feature on BTS member Jungkook's single "Seven".

Latto received nominations for Best New Hip Hop Artist at the 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards and Top Rap Female Artist at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. She was a part of the XXL Freshman Class in 2020, and won the BET Award for Best New Artist in 2022. Latto received nominations for Best New Artist, Video For Good, and Best Hip Hop at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards. "Big Energy" won Song of the Year, and 777 was nominated for Hip Hop Album of the Year at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards. She was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2023 Grammy Awards.

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 Clayton County, Georgia. She credits Clayton County as the place that gave her street credibility. Her mother is white and her biological father is African American. Stephens 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, Stephens decided to become a rapper and began writing her own rap songs. Prior to doing music, she participated in drag racing.

Career

2016–2018: Career beginnings and The Rap Game

In 2016, Stephens became 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 "Bitch from da Souf". In May 2019, she was invited to perform at the Rolling Loud, an annual hip hop festival, located in Miami, Florida. In June 2019, she released her second extended play, titled Big Latto, which was preceded by "Bitch from da Souf". The single became her 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, Latto recreated some of rapper Gucci Mane's album covers, starting with 2009's The State vs. Radric Davis, to which Gucci reacted positively. Latto then revealed 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, Latto was included on XXL's 2020 Freshman Class.

On August 12, Latto announced the release of her debut project through RCA, titled Queen of da Souf; it was released on August 21, 2020. The project was preceded by two singles, which were the remix to "Bitch 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. The same day, Latto was also 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 also a performer. On December 11, Mulatto 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 and 777

Latto during a 2021 interview

In January 2021, it was announced that Latto would be changing her stage name from "Mulatto" following the controversy of the term being deemed as colorist.

In February 2021, it was announced that Latto would be named 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 "Bitch 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, following 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", to go with the announcement of her new name.

On September 24, 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 "Pussy". Latto 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, Latto appeared as a featured artist on South Korean singer Jungkook'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," a rap-opera collaboration with singer Christina Aguilera.

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

In 2017, Latto opened her own store, Pittstop Clothing, in Jonesboro, Georgia.

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 anger toward the police.

Filmography

Television series
Year Title Role Notes
2016 The Rap Game Herself Winner; credited as "Miss Mulatto"
2019 Love & Hip Hop: Miami Episode: "Take It to the House"; credited as "Miss Mulatto"
2020 Queen of Stylez Episode: "Can Tokyo Save The Day With This Look?"
2021 Wild 'n Out Season 16, Episode 2

Discography

Awards and nominations

Award Year Nominee Category Result Ref.
American Music Awards 2022 Herself New Artist of the Year Nominated
Favorite Female Hip Hop Artist Nominated
"Big Energy" Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Song Nominated
Asian Pop Music Awards 2023 "Seven" (with Jungkook) Best Collaboration (Overseas) Pending
Best Music Video (Overseas) Pending
BET Awards 2022 Herself Best Female Hip Hop Artist Nominated
Best New Artist Won
2023 "Big Energy (Remix)" (with Mariah Carey and DJ Khaled) Best Collaboration Nominated
Herself Best Female Hip Hop Artist Won
BET Hip Hop Awards 2020 Best New Hip Hop Artist Nominated
2022 "Big Energy" Song of the Year Won
777 Album of the Year Nominated
"Pussy" Impact Track Nominated
2023 "Put It on da Floor Again" (featuring Cardi B) Song of the Year Nominated
Best Collaboration Nominated
Billboard Music Awards 2022 Herself Top Rap Female Artist Nominated
2023 "Seven" (with Jungkook) Top Global K-pop Song Won
Billboard Women in Music 2023 Herself Powerhouse Award Won
Circle Chart Music Awards 2024 "Seven" (with Jungkook) Artist of the Year – Digital Pending
Artist of the Year – Global Streaming Pending
Artist of the Year – Streaming Unique Listeners Pending
The Fact Music Awards 2023 Best Music – Fall Nominated
Give Her Flowhers Awards 2022 Herself Big Femme Energy Award Won
Golden Disc Awards 2024 "Seven" (with Jungkook) Best Digital Song Pending
Grammy Awards 2023 Herself Best New Artist Nominated
"Big Energy (Live)" Best Melodic Rap Performance Nominated
iHeartRadio Music Awards 2023 "Big Energy" Song of the Year Nominated
TikTok Bop of the Year Nominated
Favorite Use of a Sample Nominated
Herself Best New Hip Hop Artist Won
iHeartRadio Titanium Award 2023 "Big Energy" 1 Billion Total Audience Spins on iHeartRadio Stations Won
MAMA Awards 2023 "Seven" (with Jungkook) Best Collaboration Won
Best Dance Performance Male Solo Won
Best Music Video Nominated
Song of the Year Nominated
Melon Music Awards 2023 Millions Top 10 Won
MTV Europe Music Awards 2021 Herself Best Push Act Nominated
2022 "Pussy" Video for Good Nominated
2023 "Seven" (with Jungkook) Best Song Won
MTV Video Music Awards 2021 "Sex Lies" Push Performance of the Year Nominated
2022 Herself Best New Artist Nominated
"Big Energy" Best Hip Hop Nominated
"Pussy" Video for Good Nominated
"Big Energy (Remix)" (with Mariah Carey and DJ Khaled) Song of Summer Nominated
2023 "Seven" (with Jungkook) Won
People's Choice Awards 2022 Herself New Artist of 2022 Won
Soul Train Music Awards 2021 "Go Crazy (Remix)" (with Chris Brown, Young Thug, Future, and Lil Durk) Best Collaboration Nominated
Best Video of the Year Nominated
TikTok Awards Thailand 2023 "Seven" (with Jungkook) International Song of the Year Won

Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement
Publisher Year Listicle Ref.
MTV 2021 Global Push Artist of the Month (February) [citation needed]
Variety 2022 Breakthrough Artist

World records

Name of publication, year the record was awarded, name of the record, and the name of the record holder
Publication Year World record Record holder Ref.
Guinness World Records 2023 Most streamed track on Spotify in one week (male) "Seven" (with Jungkook)
Fastest time for a music track to reach 100 million streams on Spotify (male)
Fastest time for a music track to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify (male)

Tours

Headlining

Supporting


This page was last updated at 2024-01-02 08:08 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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